If you’re a seasoned camper, you know the great outdoors are a big part of camp fun, games, and the overall experience. But summer can get very hot一sometimes too hot一for open-air activities. That’s when these five flashlight games can come in handy! If you find it’s too buggy or scary to play outside so late at night, don’t despair! Some of these activities also work inside. Just turn the lights off and close the curtains!

 

Flashlight Tag 

Flashlight tag is an exciting version of an old kid’s favorite. That makes it the perfect nighttime activity for you and your camp crew to play. Since, of course, you’ll be playing when it’s dark outside, the game is sort of a combination of hide-and-seek and tag. So make sure you stay light on your feet! 

What You’ll Need: a flashlight, extra batteries, at least three camp friends, bug spray (if you’re outside)

How to Play: 

1) Set the boundaries of the play area.

2) Pick one camper to be “it.” 

3) Designate an “out” spot where tagged campers can wait for the game to end. 

4) Hand the “it” camper (a.k.a. the seeker) a flashlight. They will flash it at the “hiders” to tag them once the game begins. 

5) The seeker should close their eyes (no peeking!) and count to a specific number (50, for example). Of course, the higher the seeker has to count, the longer all the players have to hide.

6) Once the seeker reaches the specific number, they can start tagging!

7) When the seeker finds a hider, they should shine the hider with a beam of light and call the hider’s name aloud.

8) The tagged players must remain at the designated “out” spot until the seeker has found and tagged all the players. (This is where the bug spray will really come in handy!)

  a) If you’re standing in the “out” spot, scan the sky for these constellations while you wait for the game to finish! 

9) Once all players have been tagged, everyone should gather at the designated “out” spot and choose a new seeker. 

If you and your camp friends are too young or too nervous about playing in the dark, try playing during the day using Silly String instead of flashlights! Want to make the game competitive? Time each game and give everyone a turn to be “it.” Whatever seeker finds and tags the most players before the buzzer wins!

 

Flashlight Limbo

How low can you go in flashlight limbo? This game’s just like classic limbo, except you don’t need a broomstick, which means you can play with one or two people. Campers who go to Gymnastics Camp with JT will be especially good at this one!

What You’ll Need: a flashlight, extra batteries, at least two camp friends, bug spray (if you’re outside)

How to Play: 

1) Choose someone to hold the limbo “stick” (of light). 

2) The flashlight holder should point the flashlight parallel to the ground and high enough so that the tallest player can get under it easily.

3) Once everyone’s ready, players should walk, dance, or bend under the beam of light without falling, meeting the ground, or touching the light. If a player does any of those three things, they’re out! Also, if you’re using classic rules, players must approach the bar facing forward.

4) Once all players have passed under the beam of light, the flashlight holder should lower the beam two inches or so.

5) Keep playing until only one person remains. 

To make this game even more challenging (and fun), players can wear tall hats or stuff their shirts with pillows like these!

 

Shadow Puppet Show

This list wouldn’t be complete without shadow puppets! Shadow puppet shows are a great test of your imagination, plus they can entertain you and your fellow campers for hours! 

What You’ll Need: flashlights, extra batteries, at least two camp friends, bug spray (if you’re outside)

How to Play:

1) Gather the campers and make sure everyone has their own flashlight.  

2) Brainstorm puppet show scenes with your campers.  

3) Prepare cutouts of various animals, people, or objects and glue them to craft sticks (optional). Otherwise, campers can use their hands to make shapes against a tent, tree, wall, or another surface, depending on where you’re playing! Ideally, it’s a space that’s wide enough to fit more than one shadow puppet at once. 

4) Let the show begin! 

Remember, this is all about letting your imagination run free. We know you can make those shadow puppets come to life!

 

Lightning Bug 

Ever wanted to be a lightning bug (also called a glow worm or a firefly)? Now’s your chance! This game’s sort of like flashlight tag, but in reverse… and with an exciting, flashy twist. 

What You’ll Need: a flashlight, extra batteries, at least three camp friends, bug spray (if you’re outside)

How to Play: 

1) Set the boundaries of the play area.

2) Choose one player to be the “lightning bug.” That player will hold the flashlight for the game.

3) The “lightning bug” must go hide somewhere in the play area. The other players should count to a specific number (50, for example) while the “lightning bug” hides. 

4) Once the time is up, all players should go looking for the “lightning bug.”

5) Every 15 seconds or so, the “lightning bug” flashes the flashlight on and off one time. When the “lightning bug” turns the flashlight off, they should run off to another hiding place. 

6) Players should use the brief flashes of light to find the “lightning bug” in their hiding spot.

Whoever finds the “lightning bug” ends the game and becomes the “lightning bug” in the next round!

 

Flashlight Storytelling

Storytelling has been a fun pastime for thousands and thousands of years. So grab your camp crew, sit in a circle with a flashlight, and get ready for this fun nighttime version of “pass the story.” If you want to make things scary, use the Spooky Adventures story starter to kick the game off. 

What You’ll Need: a flashlight, extra batteries, at least three camp friends, bug spray (if you’re outside), the Spooky Adventures story starter (optional) 

How to Play:

1) Sit in a circle and hand one person the flashlight to start. 

2) The camper with the flashlight begins the story with a sentence or two. Make sure everyone’s sentences are open-ended enough so the next camper can jump in! If you’re worried about that aspect of the game, have all players end their sentence(s) with “and….” or “and then….” If you’re using the Spooky Adventures story starter, you’ll begin with, “I was home alone…and heard footsteps coming down the hall. The door slowly opened, and….” 

3) Pass the flashlight one person to the right. This person should speak one or two sentences to advance the story, then pass the flashlight to the next person, and so on until the story finishes or you’re too spooked to keep it going! 

To make the storytelling experience all the more creepy, place the flashlight under your chin when it’s your turn to share!