It’s Time to Evaluate Camp Games
At 9 Square in the Air, this time of year is when we see a lot of camps doing their end-of-summer work, including cleaning, repair and claiming the best staff for next summer’s fun. But it’s also a good time to evaluate camp games and see what worked and what didn’t.
When it’s time to go over your camp games, here are a few ways to think about categorizing them:
Collaborative vs. Competitive:
Some games have a clear winner-loser contrast going on, and that’s a fun way to build team identity and some good-natured rivalries between different groups.
One great quality about 9 Square in the Air is that it’s a collaborative game. There’s no winner, nobody gets out and then watches the rest of the game from the sidelines. Instead, kids rotate through the grid and even when they are out, they take a spot in line to get right back in.
Collaborative games are fantastic for helping kids make connections early in camp. They also work great as fillers when you realize you’ve got a block of time, and nothing planned. It’s easy to be strategic about where you plan collaborative and competitive games once you’ve identified each game as one or the other.
Passive vs. Active:
When you’re running a camp, you know the importance of enough activity to help everyone sleep well at night, but there’s also the danger that you run them so hard that by 5 pm, all heads are nodding.
Hit the right stride by mixing up passive and active camp games. You might have some games where kids circle up and sit, like Wink Murder, name memory games or elimination chants. These can be alternated by games like Capture the Flag, Ultimate Frisbee, or 9 Square in the Air.
Small Group vs. All-Camp:
There are times for all-in games and there are times when you need a game where groups can rotate between the game and other activities. It’s also great to have a game ready for when one group finishes an activity before the other groups are wrapping up.
Small group games like trying to untangle a human knot, charades, or Pass the Water are a great fit. 9 Square in the Air also fits this category. It’s easy to start or stop if you’ve got kids finishing up another activity or if you need your group to fill 15 minutes before lunch.
As long as you’re planning your camp games for next year, you might as well get your camp’s 9 Square in the Air ordered! Contact us to learn more!
