There’s not much in the world that makes us happier than playing some games around a campfire. Here are some of our favorites that you can play at home!
Mafia
One person is the narrator of the game. Everyone else sits in a circle as “townspeople.”
The narrator tells the townspeople to go to sleep and everyone closes their eyes. They then announce that one tap will stand for “mafia,” two taps will stand for “sheriff,” and three taps will stand for “doctor.” The narrator quietly walks around the circle and chooses people for each of the jobs, giving them the appropriate number of taps to let them know.
- The narrator says, “It is nighttime, so everyone please go to sleep.” (Everyone puts their head down and closes their eyes.)
- “Mafia, please wake up.” (Only the mafia quietly opens their eyes. The narrator takes note of the person chosen.
- “Mafia, please go to sleep.” (The mafia closes eyes and places their heads down again.)
- “Sheriff, please wake up.” (The sheriff opens their eyes and quietly points to one person who they suspect is a member of the Mafia.
- The narrator quietly nods or shakes his or her head to indicate whether that person is indeed Mafia.
- “Sheriff, please go to sleep.” (The sheriff closes their eyes and places their head down.)
- “Doctor, please wake up and choose someone you’d like to protect.” (The doctor, if still alive, wakes up and silently points to someone they would like to protect for that day.)
- “Doctor, please go to sleep.” (The doctor closes his or her eyes and puts his/her head down.)
- “It’s morning. Everyone, please wake up.” (Everyone opens their eyes and raises their head.)
- The narrator announces the person who was eliminated, unless the doctor correctly selected the person who was targeted by the Mafia for the night. The person who was eliminated MUST quietly leave the circle. This person may not speak to anyone for the remainder of the entire game, but he or she may now keep his/her eyes open to watch everything.
- The townspeople (along with the Mafia and Police who may pretend to be townspeople) then nominate and vote on people who they suspect is a Mafia. Each person nominated may make a defense and plead their case. The person receiving a majority vote (50% or above) is eliminated. After someone is voted off, the day is over. The day may also end without any eliminations if the entire group decides to do so. The day ends, and the pattern starts again.
- The sheriff or townspeople win if they successfully eliminate the mafia. The mafia win if they successfully eliminate all the townspeople. This group game involves lots of strategy, knowing how and when to reveal your identity, who to trust, etc.
Buzz
The leader picks a digit to “BUZZ,” letting the group know the digit. Around a circle, each person counts off, remembering to “BUZZ” if the chosen digit is in the number, or for more of a challenge they buzz any number that can be divided by that number. Go around the circle counting and BUZZING to 100. Ex. If the number is 7. It then goes 1,2,3,4,5,6, BUZZ, 8,9,10,11,12,13,Buzz,15,16,Buzz, 18,19,20,Buzz,22 etc…
A Trip Around the World
For this riddle, start off by saying “I am taking a trip around the world. I am starting in Australia (or any other country starting with an “a”).” Invite your campers to join you! Have campers guess where else you will be going. The pattern or goal is to spell “A trip around the world” using the first letter of the countries.
Rhythm Game
Everyone is in a circle. One camper closes their eyes or steps out of the room. You point to a camper that is the Secret Leader. The Leader begins an action such as snapping fingers, patting the tummy, or slapping knees,
and everyone in the circle imitates the Leader. The guesser returns and tries to figure out who the Leader is within three guesses. As the guesser looks around, the Leader should change the action without being detected.
Crossed Sticks
Grab two sticks and ask the campers if they are crossed or uncrossed. The answer is if your legs are crossed or uncrossed; it does not matter if the sticks are crossed.
Silly Sally
For this riddle, have players ask yes/no questions to determine what Sally likes, while you also add examples of what she likes/dislikes. EX: Silly Sally likes soccer, but she doesn’t like sports. She loves Mississippi, but doesn’t like states. (Answer: She likes words with double letters!)
High/Low/Superhero
Each person takes a turn sharing their “high” or best part of their day, their “low” or worst part of their day, and their “superhero” or someone who did something kind or something they admire that day.