When I send care packages to my boys at summer camp, I generally include snacks and silly toys for them to goof around with. And in Liz’s post packed with the best ideas for summer camp care packages, she talks a lot about sending fun board games the whole bunk can play.
I’ve always sent playing cards but if you want to step up your care package game, there are so many terrific group board games that are perfect for down time in the bunk or indoor fun on rainy days.
The ones I’m sharing all come in relatively small packaging too, making them perfect to pack in a trunk or send off later.
From games of hidden identity and laugh-out-loud silliness to games that will just help your camper get to know their fellow bunkmates better, check out these 6 fun board games for summer camp.
And hey, your kids don’t have to go to official summer camp to play these either! They’re also perfect for “cousin camp” family visits, hotel time on vacation, or even a fun way to pass some rainy summer days with friends and neighbors.
Related: The best family board games for summer travel…because good things come in small packages
6 of our favorite group board games that are perfect for the whole camp bunk.
(Or all the neighborhood friends.)
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Werewolf
Liz and Christina have raved about Werewolf as a favorite group party game — and Liz’s daughter is now known for bringing her copy with her to play in the cabin at summer camp. It’s kind of an adaptation of the classic campfire “imposter” games like Mafia or Assassin, but in this case, everyone is either a villager or…perhaps the werewolf. You all have 10 minutes to figure out who the werewolf is, or you lose. It’s quick, exciting, and fun. Think of it like Among Us, off screen.
Related: Not Parent Approved: Our favorite irreverent card game just got even more _______________.
Salem 1692
For a similar concept with a decidedly more historical bent, think about the Salem 1692 card game, which I included in a roundup of great educational games last year. It offers multiple types of gameplay, challenging you to discover the witches among your group, with beautiful cards all featuring real historical figures in 17th century Salem.
Really fun game for kids 13 and up, and up to 12 players can join in making it great for a bunk game.
Beat That
For younger kids starting around 9, Beat That is a slapstick silly game full of crazy challenges that will make any rainy day at camp way more fun. It offers combination of verbal challenges like, go around the circle saying words that rhyme with “float” until someone messes up; plus there arephysical challenges, like transfer the dice from one cup to the other with a pair of chopsticks.
Everything you need to play is included, and it looks like tons of fun for up to 8 kids at a time.
Related: The best card games to play with a large group. Game night, bring it.
Balderdash
This a classic that lots of us grew up with, and Balderdash still remains one of my favorite language-based board games. You know how it works, right? A word is read aloud, and while one player has the correct definition of the word on their card, the other players must make up their own fake definition before trying to guess the correct answer from all the options. It’s a wonderfully fun game to help kids — and uh, adults — build vocabulary.
While it’s designed for ups to 6 players, it’s easy to adapt for more kids — play in teams of two to three, or just scrap the board and get right to the guessing.
Pick Your Poison (Family Edition)
Pick Your Poison: Family Edition is basically a silly, laugh-out-loud family-friendly version of “Would you rather…?” For a fun time hanging out around the bunk beds, munching on care-package snacks and getting to know each other better, this is a terrific option. Just be sure to grab the family edition, because the basic game is probably more appropriate for the counselors.
Superfight, Apples to Apples, Not Parent Approved, or Over-Rated
If your kids love Apples to Apples type gameplay, there are so many options for you to send to summer camp. Especially if there’s a big bunk to consider and you’d like everyone to feel included.
Of course there’s always the original Apples to Apples, which our kids never get tired of, and you can play with literally an entire bunk of 25 kids, should you need.
Our other longtime favorite, Not Parent Approved is basically CAH for kids and it’s edgy enough, but not so much that your camp will side-eye you on visiting day.
A third favorite card game is Superfight (above) in which players each create their own superhero out of a character and some seemingly incongruous superhero powers, then vote for which one would win in a fight. It’s great fun for kids of all age, and you can’t play without laughing.
Now if you’re sending an older teen to camp — as in a mature kid who might otherwise play Cards Against Humanity — Liz’s kids have had a blast playing Over-Rated this summer. (Though she admits she’s gone through and filtered out a few of the playing cards to make it more PG-13 depending on the crowd.) The idea is that everyone has to match a location card with one of the Yelp-style review cards in your hand…hopefully resulting in the most hilarious matchup in the group.
For example: “Funeral Home” + “Great date night location! Took my girlfriend and had a great time. Plan to come back every night this week.”
And we can’t overstate this enough: Over-Rated is definitely an edgy, mature game. Don’t send it to your sixth grader!
