·         Stand where you can be seen and heard by all.

·         Insist on silence and undivided attention while you explain the game.

·        Show enthusiasm in both your manner and voice.

·        Make your instructions clear and as brief as possible.

·        Speak slowly and distinctly so that all can understand.

·         Be sure you know the game and explain it in steps, using demonstrations rather than a lengthy discourse. If any part is not understood, have a small group demonstrate that particular part. New games may have to be demonstrated.

·        Allow questions for clarification but don’t let this drag out into a discussion about the game.

·        Make use of your other leaders as judges or referees. Brief them beforehand on the rules.

·        Allow noise and shouting during the game, but be sure you can group’s attention and maintain control.

·        Instill high ideals of sportsmanship and fair play and insist that the rules be observed.

·        If the game obviously is not going well or is not understood – call a halt and clarify hazy areas and carry on with the game.

List 5 games you could use for your Campfire Game.

Some of my favourites:

Sit or stand in a circle. One person makes an action; the next person repeats the action and adds one of her own. The third person does the first two actions and adds another of her own etc. When someone forgets an action the next person starts a new sequence off.

You either need two sticks or a pair of scissors for this game. Seat everyone in a circle. I find it easiest to play this game while sitting in a chair. Pass the sticks to the person sitting next to you, saying either "I pass these sticks crossed" OR "I pass these sticks uncrossed." As you pass the sticks, you can either cross one over the other or pass them parallel... it doesn't matter if your actions and your words are the same! (i.e., you can say "I pass these sticks crossed," and give the sticks parallel to the next player.) If you're using scissors, you can pass them "crossed" (open) or "uncrossed" (closed). The girls have to figure out what the pattern is.

SECRET: It's not how the sticks or scissors are passed, it's how your FEET are when you say the words. For instance, the "right" way to pass crossed sticks is to be sitting cross-legged or with your ankles crossed. Uncrossed would be legs straight out in front of you!

As the sticks get passed around the circle, tell the girls whether or not they're doing it "right" until they catch on to the secret!

You must pass this shoe from me to you, to you,

You must pass this shoe and do just what I do.

Actions:

Girls sit in a circle; everyone needs to have a shoe in front of them. Each girl takes their shoe in their right hand and passes it to the right in rhythm (on each of the bolded, words).

On the first "do", everyone keeps the shoe they have and taps it on the floor to their right. On "what", the same shoe is tapped on the floor to the left.

On the second "do", everyone passes their shoe to their right-hand neighbour.

Once again, sit everyone in a circle. Start the story by saying, "I am going on a picnic. You can come too, if I decide I like what you're going to bring." Then give an example of something that can come on a picnic. The secret is that whatever you bring on the picnic must start with the same letter as your first name (or, if you want to make it REALLY hard, use your last name!)

For example (a girl named Colleen): "I am going on a picnic, and I will bring a Cake." (she would be allowed to come).

(A girl named Erica): "I am going on a picnic, and I will bring a can of Pop." (She would not be allowed to come).

SECRET: Do not tell the girls that the item must start with the same letter as their first name.

One person is chosen to be in the middle.  This individual can perform many different poses, actions, etc. to get the participants in the campfire circle to laugh.  She goes from person to person around the campfire ring and says “Honey if you love me you’ll smile.” 

The individual in campfire ring must respond without laughing or smiling with “Honey I love you but I just can’t smile.”  The person in the middle cannot touch the other participants, but again she can use poses, motions and actions to encourage the individuals to smile or laugh during the response.  When a participant smiles or laughs, she then becomes the person in the middle.

Everyone in the campfire circle stands, passing around a potato.  While the potato is passing they chant:

“The potato spud goes round and round

To pass it quickly you are bound

If you are caught holding it last,

The game for you has surely passed

And you are out.”

The individual caught holding the potato at the end of the chant on the word “out” is eliminated and the game continues until there is a winner.

This is game of likes and dislikes. The leader starts off by saying something like "I like eggs but not chickens" or "I like puddles but not rain" or "I like noodles but not soup". The girls then try it out, with their own pair of likes and dislikes.

SECRET: All the "likes" have double letters in them, e.g., puddle, egg, noodle, while the "dislikes" don't!

The first person starts by saying 'I went to the shop and bought a toothbrush' and mimes the action. The second person repeats this with the mime then adds another object and mimes it. The third person repeats the first two mimes and adds another and so on.

The girls sit in a circle on the floor. The leader of the game starts by saying "I have started up this great new club. And I'd like you all to join. But in order to join, you have to do EXACTLY as I do."

She then says the following and does the following actions:

Words: Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, OOPS, Johnny, OOPS, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny.

Actions: hold up left hand with fingers and thumb spread. Starting at the baby finger, for each "Johnny" touch the tip of each finger on the left hand with a finger from the right hand. First OOPS: Slide right pointer finger down along the side of the left pointer finger and up the side of the thumb. The next "Johnny," touch the tip of the left thumb. Second OOPS: reverse the action of the first OOPS. The last four "Johnny's" reverse the actions of the first four. You should end up at the baby finger of the left hand again.

SECRET ACTION: After the "Johnny, Johnny, OOPS" actions are over, clasp your hands together and put them in your lap, but don't make it obvious.

The girls then all get a chance to try out the actions for themselves. It doesn't matter how badly they mess up the "Johnny, Johnny, OOPS" part - as long as they fold their hands into their laps at the end they can enter the club. Most girls totally miss this action, though - they are concentrating on the first part. Run the actions around the circle a couple of times, each time demonstrating once more how EXACTLY to do it. By three or four times around the circle, most girls should catch on!

One person calls out a letter and second person has 30 seconds to say as many words as they can think of, starting with that letter. Others keep count and check that no word is repeated. Second person then challenges the next person with another letter until everyone has had a go.

Sit the girls in a circle. Tell them that they need to correctly identify what your "Peculiar Aunt" bought on her recent shopping trip. You can give them an example:

"My peculiar aunt went shopping and she came home with some earrings."

Have each girl try making up her own version of this story (e.g., "My peculiar aunt went shopping and she came home with some socks/shoes/glasses/whatever."). After each girl has tried to guess what the aunt brought back, you can tell them if they're right or wrong.

SECRET: For an answer to be right, the person telling the story must be wearing and touching the item being discussed. For example, while fiddling with your earring: "My peculiar aunt went shopping and she came home with some earrings."

Make up as long a story as possible with each word in the story beginning with the same letter e.g., 'Goodness gracious gasped Gertie grinning gruesomely...' See who can use the most words.

Gather everyone in a circle. This game is easiest played sitting on the floor. Tell the others that there are three things they can say:

One up one down;

Two up;

Two down.

Go around the circle having each person take a try at saying one of the above phrases, and tell them whether or not they've done it right.

SECRET: Arms! The "one up one down", etc., refers to the positions of the person's arms. For example, if the person has one of their hands up scratching their head, and the other arm is lying down on their lap, they should respond "one up one down". Another example: the person has both of their hands down tying their shoes; they should answer "two down.”

Say the following verse quickly, but not too quickly: "Peaches, Peaches, I like Peaches, Peaches, Peaches every day." While repeating the verse, hold a broom (straw brooms work better, but only because they make a neat noise!) and do the following actions: bang the broom on the floor, once for every word you say.

SECRET: Before you say the peaches thing, quietly and subtly clear your throat: "Ahem... Peaches, Peaches, I like Peaches, Peaches, Peaches every day!"

Also try bending your knees a little... it makes you look more serious! This is really funny! Try it!!

Pick a subject e.g., food, girls' names, towns countries, etc. Each person in turn has to sing part of a song that mentions a town (or whatever your subject is.)  Anyone who can’t drops out until the next round. The winner chooses the next subject.

Challenge each other to see who can say the alphabet backwards in the fastest time.

One person is chosen to be “it” and stands in the center of the campfire circle.  The other participants in the campfire circle as “it” questions.  The only response “it” can make is “My grandma’s underpants.”

The goal is to make “it” laugh so you can see the questions can be very creative based on the known response.  When “it” laughs, the individual who inspired the reaction switches places with “it.”

Try to say something without moving your lips and see if the others can tell what you are saying.