13 Playful Campfire Games for Adults, Kids, and the Whole Family
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Summertime means camping trips for many families. And what’s a camping trip without some super fun campfire games to play? Here are 13 of our favorite campfire games for adults, kids, and families. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
Table of contents
What Are the Best Campfire Games for Kids? And Adults?
Campfire games are a great way to keep kids entertained around the campfire. Some classic campfire games and pastimes include roasting marshmallows, making s’mores, telling stories, and playing charades. For younger kids? You can also play simple guessing games or sing songs.
If you’re looking for a fun game? Or something to help burn energy? You can play tag or hide-and-seek in the darkness. (Not total darkness. Don’t forget the glowsticks!) And always stay close to the campsite so everyone can find their way back.
No matter what games you choose, campfires are an excellent opportunity to bond with your kids and create lasting memories.
So break out the marshmallows and get ready for some fun!
Our Favorite Campfire Games for Kids and Families
We love spending quality time by the campfire with friends and family. We also think these campfire games will make things more entertaining. Here are our favorites!
Campfire Games for Families
- Sound Train
- Charades
- I Spy
- Two Truths. And a Lie!
- Fortunately/Unfortunately
- 20 Questions
Campfire Games for Kids
- Sardines
- Wink Murder
- Ghost in the Graveyard
- Bonfire Hot Seat
- I’m Going to the Moon
- Who Am I Game
- Going on a Picnic Game
Now let’s discuss these campfire games in more detail. We’ll also reveal campfire game tips to ensure everyone enjoys themselves.
Sound good?
Let’s continue!
Campfire Games for Families
Here are some of the best campfire games for families!
1. Sound Train
The sound train campfire game is an entertaining way to bond with friends or family. The game is simple. One player starts by making a sound, then the person to their left makes a different sound that builds on the first sound, and so on around the circle.
The goal is to create a train of sounds that flows smoothly from one person to the next. Creating the unbroken sound can be tricky! But it’s what makes the game so much fun. If someone gets stuck, the rest of the group can offer hints or suggestions. And if someone does make a mistake, it’s all in good fun.
The important thing is to keep the train moving. So gather around the campfire, and get ready to experience some silliness!
2. Charades
Charades is a classic campfire game that is perfect for any group size.
To begin, divide the players into two teams. One player from each team starts by acting out a word or phrase. Without speaking! The other players on their team must guess what they are acting out. When they speculate correctly, they earn a point. If not, the other team gets a chance to make a guess!
When one team has guessed the word or phrase, the next team player acts out another. The game continues until all players have had a turn. Or until one team reaches the agreed-upon score limit.
Want to make your campfire party ten times more exciting? Read Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz! It's our favorite collection of short and scary campfire stories. It contains epic (and spooky) American folklore packed with witches, ghosts, vampires, and more. It's one of our favorite ways to enhance campfire games for kids. Read them along the campfire - if you dare!
3. I Spy
I spy is a fun campfire game for kids and adults. The goal is to find an object that the other person has described. To play, one person starts by saying, I spy with my eye something – beginning with a letter! And then you artfully describe the object. The other partygoers then have to guess what the subject is.
If they guess correctly, they get to take the next turn. If not, the first person gets to give another clue. I spy can rock around a campfire!
Try using objects in the immediate vicinity such as trees, stones, leaves, et cetera. It’s a great way to enjoy the outdoors and bond with family and friends.
4. Two Truths. And a Lie!
Two Truths and a Lie is a classic party game perfect for breaking the ice and getting to know your fellow partygoers. The game is simple. Players take turns telling two or three stories. One of which is a lie!
The other players then have to guess which story is the lie. The player who fools the most people wins the game. (This game reminds us of something out of Game of Thrones! We think Tyrion Lannister would rock at this game.)
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5. Fortunately/Unfortunately
Fortunately/unfortunately is a fun game! It’s perfect for large groups or small. The basic premise is simple. The players begin by telling a story as a group in ad lib fashion. The players add one line at a time. But there’s a catch!
- One person starts by telling a story that begins with the word, fortunately.
- And the following sentence then starts with, unfortunately.
- The subsequent sentence then begins with, fortunately. And so on!
- Other players can continue the trend for as long as possible as they add more to the story!
The game’s rhythm is like writing prompts for non-fiction writers. Only this time – it’s for everyone. And around the campfire!
6. Twenty Questions
Twenty Questions is a game that is perfect for people of all ages. The basic premise is simple. One player thinks of an object, and the other players take turns asking questions to identify the thing in question. The player who asks the twentieth question is the one who gets to guess the object.
You have a few different ways to play the game, but the most important rule is that each question must be answered with a yes or no for it to count. This yes or no rhythm allows for some strategic questioning. Wise players will try to narrow down the possibilities!
For example, if the object is an animal, a player might ask if it is a mammal. That question helps eliminate all non-mammals from consideration. Or – it might open the door to many possibilities!
Campfire Games for Kids
Campfire games are a great way to keep kids entertained around the campfire. Here are some of our favorites!
1. Sardines
Another campfire favorite is sardines. To play, one person hides while everyone else counts to 100. The person hiding then must try to find the others without being seen. Once they find someone, they quietly join them in hiding. The game continues until only one player is left looking for everyone else.
2. Wink Murder
Wink murder is another fun campfire game for kids. To play, start by sitting in a circle. And one player is (secretly) selected to be the murderer. The murderer then winks at another player in the campfire circle. And that person pretends to get killed. The remaining players then try to figure out who the murderer is.
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3. Ghost in the Graveyard
Ghost in the graveyard is a classic campfire game perfect for a group of brave night owls. The game’s objective is to find the hidden ghost before it can sneak up on you. The game starts when one player is chosen as the ghost and goes off into the darkness to hide. The other players then gather around the campfire and begin counting aloud to 100.
Once the countdown is complete, the players must scatter and search for the ghost. The first person to find the ghoul becomes the new ghost for the next round.
4. Bonfire Hot Seat
Bonfire hot seat is a party game that can get played with a group of people. The game’s objective is to get to know your fellow players better by answering questions about yourself.
How Do You Play Bonfire Hot Seat?
To start the game, each player writes down a question on a piece of paper. These questions can be about anything, from your favorite food to your biggest fear. Once the questions have gotten collected, they go into a container. The first player then picks a question from the container and answers it.
The other players can then ask follow-up questions if they want to know more about the answer. After the first player has answered their question, the next player picks a question, and so on. The game continues until everyone has had a chance to answer a question.
What Are Good Hot Seat Questions?
While there are no hard-and-fast rules for what makes a good bonfire hot seat question, here are a few guidelines that help ensure an enjoyable and productive session.
First, the questions should be open-ended and allow for more than a yes or no answer. Open-ended questions will encourage the person in the hot seat to share their thoughts and feelings on the subject.
Second, the questions should be relevant to the group’s purpose for gathering around the fire. Asking relevant questions will help to ensure that everyone remains focused and on-topic.
Finally, the questions should be fun! Asking fun questions is perhaps the most important rule. A bonfire hot seat session should be enjoyable for everyone involved.
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5. I’m Going to the Moon
I’m going to the moon is another great campfire game for kids!
How Do You Play I’m Going to the Moon?
You can play I’m going to the moon with a friend – or many friends. To start, choose one person to be the rocket and the other to be the moon. The rocket counts to three and then blasts off! The moon tries to catch the rocket ship before it reaches the boundary – or the edge of your campsite.
If the rocket survives to the end without being captured, the moon is out! And a new round begins with a new rocket and moon. The game continues until only one person remains who has not been out. This person is the winner.
6. Who Am I Game
Who Am I? is a guessing game where players attempt to identify famous people based on descriptions read aloud by other players.
How Do You Play the Who Am I Game?
To play, each player writes the name of a famous person on a slip of paper and places it on their forehead without looking at it. The name slips get shuffled. Each player has a name on their forehead that they cannot see. The players then take turns reading aloud clues about their famous person until someone correctly guesses their identity.
7. Going on a Picnic Game
Going on a picnic is a fun campfire game for kids. It’s a simple game that can get played with a group of friends or family.
The object is to take turns naming food items for a hypothetical picnic. But there’s a catch! The food item everyone brings must start with the same first letter of their name. The game gets played with any number of people, but it’s best if there are at least four.
Start the game by sitting around in a circle. Whoever goes first can introduce themselves. And then propose a food item to bring. And the hypothetical picnic continues with the person sitting to your right.
(You can make the game more challenging! Ask the players to name the others in the group who went before them. And recite the food items they are bringing! It becomes a great way to introduce one another. And test your memory!)
Conclusion
Were you looking for fun, family-friendly activities perfect for around the campfire this summer? We hope our list of campfire games for kids and families was an inspiration for you!
So gather your friends and family around the fire pit and prepare for some good old-fashioned fun. Just don’t forget the hotdogs. And scary stories!
And don’t forget to consider this list next time you plan an outdoor get-together – these games are perfect for any occasion!
What about you?
What are your favorite scary stories, campfire games, and pastimes?
Let us know – we love hearing from you!
And – we thank you again for reading.
Have an excellent day!
