Team Building Activities for Camp

Team-building activities are an important component for any camp, whether it's a day camp for younger children or a residential camp for teens. Camp counselors are taught various techniques for creating a team-focused atmosphere and uniting campers with different backgrounds and personalities. Regardless of the type of camp, team-building activities can lead to a successful experience for all participants.

  1. Icebreaker Activities

    • Team building often begins as soon as the camp opens, with icebreaker activities designed to tackle help campers get to know each other. Start with simple activities that don't involve physical contact or lots of movement, such as one of the many "name games." In one version, campers sit in a circle and introduce themselves by stating their name along with a favorite thing that begins with the same letter, such as "My name is Linda and I like lollipops." As the campers begin talking and laughing more, you can progress to more active icebreaker games, such as "group knot," which involves campers standing in a circle, grabbing two other hands at random and then working together to get the entire group untangled.

    Group Spirit Activities

    • Build team spirit by coming up with a team name. Encourage everyone to offer suggestions. Day campers might decorate T-shirts with their team name and motto, while residential campers might decorate their team cabin with banners and even come up with a team song.

    Physical Activities

    • Physical activities such as ropes courses, obstacle courses and tug-of-war are a common way to build team spirit. However, not all campers excel athletically, so it's important to incorporate activities that call for not only strength and speed, but also strategy and leadership. One example is "blanket stand," which requires the whole group to get on a blanket, with no parts of anyone's body touching the ground. Once this is done, fold the blanket in half and repeat as many times as possible. Campers will have to work together to accomplish the task as the blanket gets smaller and smaller.

    Trust Activities

    • Trust activities are another way to build team spirit at camp, but they shouldn't be introduced until the other team-building activities have been successful. If you introduce trust games too early in the process, campers may be reluctant to participate. One popular trust activity involves blindfolding participants and having them navigate a course while being directed by another team member. Or in "trust circle," one person stands in the middle of circle of 10 to 12 people. He stands stiffly with his arms crossed and eyes closed, and is then passed around the circle by the fingertips of the other participants.

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