The Best Outdoor Games for Glamping
May 21, 2018
Glamping at Penhein is all about getting away from it all, leaving technology behind and enjoying the great outdoors. To help you and your children make the most of the glampsite, here are our favourite classic outdoor games which will help you do just that. All the equipment you’ll need for these games can be found in our Big Box of Fun – and feel free to change the rules or make up your own. Just use your imagination!
BLIND MAN’S BLUFF
A favorite game in Tudor and Victorian times, this game is yet another variation on tag. The person who is “it” wears a blindfold and tries to tag the other players.
Tip:Establish a safe play area with boundaries
Number of Players: A small group.
Equipment: A blindfold.
CAPTURE THE FLAG
This game is most fun when played with a large group. Split the group into two teams, each team having a flag or other marker at the team’s base. The object of the game is to run into the other team’s territory, capture their flag and make it safely back to your own territory. You can tag “enemy” players in your territory, sending them to your jail. They can be sprung from jail by a member of their own team running into your territory, tagging them and running back, with one freed person allowed per jail break. It is sometimes played that all the people in jail could hold hands and make a chain back toward their own territory, making it easier for members of their team to tag them. We also played a similar game called Steal the Sticks. It had almost the same rules, but several sticks were used instead of one flag.
Number of Players: A large group.
Equipment: Two flags or other markers.
CRICKET
Cricket is basically a simple sport. Each team takes its turn to bat (scoring runs) and bowl (getting the opposition batsmen out). The team with the most runs at the end wins. Unless the game is drawn, of course . . . Like any sport that’s been around for a while, cricket has its own laws, legend and language.
Number of Players: Minimum of 4
Equipment: Cricket bat and ball, wickets
FRENCH CRICKET
French Cricket is a social version of cricket which can be played anywhere. The rules of French Cricket vary, but here is a list that many games are based on:
- The game requires one batter and any number of fieldsmen. No stumps or pitch are required
- The batsman makes a stance with the bat held vertically in front of the legs.
- The person with the ball throws it towards the batsman (any bowling/throwing action is OK)
- If the batsman hits the ball, they are able to move to another position (further away from the ball), but most stop and take up the batting stance when the ball is picked up
- If the batsman misses the ball they are not allowed to move position.
- Whoever retrieves the ball becomes the next bowler from the location they retrieve the ball
- The batsman is out when caught or when the ball hits their legs.
- The person who bowls the batsman out, or who catches the batsman out is the next batsman.
Number of Players: Minimum of 3, the more the merrier.
Equipment: A cricket bat and tennis ball.
FOOTBALL
Football needs no explanation; so all that’s waiting is for you to grab a ball from our Big Box of Fun and starting playing on our 5-a-side pitch.
Number of Players: Minimum of 1 (for some goal practice) and up to 10.
Equipment: A football.
HIDE AND SEEK
Everyone has played this one. We’ve heard of all kinds of variations on this game. The general idea is that one person is “it,” that person closes his or her eyes and counts to a certain number without looking and then he or she tries to find the others. Instead of just counting to 10, 20 or 100, set up a “home base” to run to and become “safe” or be traditional and wait to be found.
Number of Players: Ideally at least three.
Equipment: None.
JENGA
Our Big of Fun has an outdoor jenga set – fun for adults and children alike
Number of Players: Ideally at least two.
Equipment: Jenga set.
KICK THE CAN
This game is a variation of tag and hide & seek. One person or a team of people are designated as “it” and a can is placed in the middle of the playing area. The other people run off and hide while the “it” covers his or her eyes and counts to a certain number. “It” then tries to find everyone. If a person is tagged by “it”, they go into a holding pen for captured players. If one of the un-captured players manages to kick the can, the captured players are released. The game is over once all the non-“it” players are in the holding pen.
Number of Players: At least three.
Equipment: A metal can.
RED LIGHT, GREEN LIGHT
One person is the traffic light at one end, and the other players are at the other end. When the traffic light faces the group, he or she says, “Red light!” and everyone must freeze. The traffic light then turns his or her back and says, “Green light!” while the group tries to get as close to the traffic light as possible. The traffic light turns around quickly, again saying, “Red light!”, and if anyone is spotted moving, they have to go back to the starting place. The first person to tag the traffic light wins and gets to be the next traffic light.
Number of Players: A small group.
Equipment: None.
RED ROVER
Divide everyone into two teams, each forming a long line, holding hands, facing the other team. The two teams should be around 20 or so feet apart. The teams take turn calling out, “Red Rover, Red Rover, let (child’s name) come over!” That child leaves their team’s line, runs as fast as they can toward the other line and tries to break through the held hands. If they break through, they get to take someone back to their team. If they don’t, they join the new team. When a team only has one person left, that person tries to break through the other team. If they do not, then their team loses. If they do, they gain a player and play continues.
Number of Players: Any decent size group.
Equipment: None.
SARDINES
One person hides, and the other friends split up and look for that person. If they find the hiding person, they have to hide with the hiding person until everyone is hiding in one place. The last person to find the hiding group is the loser and is the next hider. Top tip: establish boundaries of the hiding area so everyone knows where they can and can’t hide.
Number of Players: Minimum of 3
Equipment: None
SIMON SAYS
This game can be played anywhere, inside or out. One person is Simon and starts by saying, “Simon says, (e.g “stand on one leg”)’”. Everyone must then do the action. However, if Simon makes an action request without saying, “Simon says” to begin the request, anyone who does that action is out. The last person still playing in the end will be Simon for the next round.
Number of Players: A small group.
Equipment: None.
SPUD
This outdoor game is a lot of fun. Every player gets a number and crowds around the person who is “it” for that round. “It” then tosses the ball straight up and the other players run away. As the ball reaches the top of its toss, “it” calls out the number of one of the other players and then runs away also. The player whose number was called must run back and catch the ball (or chase after it if it is bouncing around). Once that person has the ball, they yell, “Spud!” Then everyone else must freeze. The person with the ball must try to hit one of the players with the ball. If they do, that new person gets a letter (first S, then P, then U, then D) and is now “it.” If they miss, the person who threw the ball is “it” for the next round.
Number of Players: A small group.
Equipment: Any ball – not too hard.
TAG
It seems that everyone knows how to play tag, but just in case it wasn’t in your childhood game playing repertoire, here is how you play. A group of kids decides who will start out as being “it.” That person chases the other people around, trying to tag one of them with their hand. The newly tagged person is now “it.” There is often the rule of “no tag-backs” where you can’t tag the person who just tagged you. The game ends when everyone is tired of playing.
Tip:Establish a playing area
Number of Players: Any size group.
Equipment: None.
TAG 2 – FREEZE TAG
This is a variation of Tag where if the person who is “it” tags you, you have to freeze where you are. Another participant can tag you to unfreeze you.
Number of Players: A small group.
Equipment: None.
WHAT’S THE TIME MR WOLF?
Everyone starts by standing in a line. One player is Mr Wolf and he/she takes 20 paces forward and stands with their back to the others. Then the others all call out together “What’s the time Mr Wolf?”. The wolf turns around and calls out a time, for example “8 o’clock”, which means the others take 8 steps forward. 3 o’clock is 3 steps, 5 o’clock is 5 steps, etc. They keep on doing this until Mr Wolf decides to shout “DINNER TIME!” instead, and chases the group. If he catches someone before they reach where they started they become the wolf.
Number of Players: Minimum of 3, the more the merrier.
Equipment: None.
And finally, don’t forget that we’ve got a new Adventure Playground this year with rope swings, balance bars and a super slide. And if it rains, our communal tent, Petro is stacked with family board games for all ages.
To book click here or to read more about why glamping at Penhein makes the perfect family break click here.