Games take the pressure off when it comes to learning about your new friends on the first day of camp. Here are some of the best games for remembering new names and learning more about each other!

Name Duel

Number of players: 6-26

Concept: A fun game for larger groups that helps reinforce names

How to play: Name Duel is best when managed by two counselors with a larger group. Split the campers into two teams, and have each team line up across from one another, facing away from each other.

Each counselor selects a camper at random from each team by tapping them on the shoulder and leading them (walking backwards) towards one another, between the two groups. Once they are back-to-back, count down from 3 and yell “Duel!” The two competing campers turnaround, recognize each other, and whoever yells the other’s name first wins the round and gets to “capture” the other player to join their team.

The game ends when everybody has been captured onto one of the teams. This game is particularly nice since by the end, there are no “losers” — everyone winds up on the same team!

Two Truths One Lie

Number of players: 2-7

Concept: A game that gives campers a chance to reveal something surprising about themselves

How to play: Players circle up and play rock-paper-scissors to decide who goes first. Place a pile of stones, toothpicks, pennies, or any other small items happen to be on hand in a pile in the middle. These will be used to keep score, so anytime a player gets a point they can take one.

The player who is “it” announces three “facts” about themselves. Two of them are true, but one of them is secretly a lie. For example, a camper might say: “I was born in Australia, I have seven dogs, and my favorite color is blue.” Going around the circle, each player makes a guess as to which of these facts is the lie.

Once everyone has made a guess, the “it” camper reveals which “fact” was not true, and anybody who guessed correctly gets a point.

This game is a fun chance for campers to show something unexpected about themselves, or perhaps get in a humble brag or two!

Ghost

Number of players: 6-26

Concept: Fast-paced name reinforcement game

How to play: Campers form a standing circle and hold out a hand palm-up in front of them. Select a camper to be the first “ghost.” The camper who is “ghost” stands in the middle of the circle. The counselor, or whoever else is starting the game, should select someone from the circle to be “it” first.

The ghost’s challenge is to slap the hand of whoever is “it” before they call on someone else in the circle by name. If they can’t think of a name fast enough, the ghost slaps their hand and they trade places, making them the new “ghost!”

If they call another name before the ghost reaches them however, the ghost has to try and slap that camper’s hand before they call on another. This game can become very fast-paced, and gets more challenging as campers become more comfortable with recognizing each other, making it a fun choice for an orientation activity.

Picnic

Number of players: 7-27

Concept: A memory game that uses alliteration to encourage name recognition

How to play: Put on your thinking cap, because Picnic requires both brainstorming and an excellent memory!

To start, campers form a seated circle. Determine a camper to go first, and they start the game by announcing their name, and what they will bring to the “picnic.” The catch is that the item must start with the same letter as their name. For example, a camper named Carl could say: “Hi, my name is Carl, and I’m bringing Carrots to the picnic.”

Going clockwise, the next camper in the circle follows the same pattern with their own name. However, this is where it gets tricky! Once they’ve introduced themselves, they must also introduce the campers who came before them in the circle. For example, if their name is Tina they could say: “Hi, my name is Tina, and I’m bringing Tuna fish sandwiches to the picnic. This is Carl, and he’s bringing Carrots to the picnic.”

This gets really tricky and fun as you move around the circle, as campers struggle to remember what everyone brought to the picnic! When somebody messes up and can’t remember what someone before them brought to the picnic, or what their name is, the game starts over with the forgetful camper going first. The goal is to make it all the way around the circle without any forgetfulness, challenging the person who went first to recall everybody in the circle. Good luck suppressing the giggles!

Friendship starts with “hello”

The first day of camp is always a little bit crazy. There are so many new faces, and so many names to remember!

Games always help break the ice, so give some of the these a try. Once you know each other’s names, and a few fun facts about your lives outside camp, the journey to true friendship is a million times easier. Before you know it, you’ll all be sitting around the campfire reminiscing about the first day of camp!