Games to Play on a Canoe Trip

Going on canoe trips with friends can be an exciting adventure and an excellent way to view nature. However, after staring at nature awhile, some people will find themselves getting bored. These people may welcome the diversion of playing canoe games. Playing canoe games can be a lot of fun, but always be careful to practice proper safety methods while canoeing.

  1. Blowing in the Wind

    • Learning how to maneuver in a canoe can take a lot of practice. It takes two carefully coordinated paddlers to move the boat where you want to go. This game can help you and your friends learn better canoe skills. Bring along a series of floating objects, such as pool floats, ping pong balls, and tennis balls. Decide before the game how many points each object is worth. Everyone must race around the lake or river and collect as many of the objects as possible. Make sure every object is gathered up before you leave the water to avoid unnecessary pollution. Add the points of each team to decide the winner. The last place team has to jump in the water. Make sure to bring along life vests and dry clothes for this game.

    War

    • War can be an excellent game to blow off some team. Players must race along the river or lake as fast as they can and try to tip over their friends' canoes. They can use their bare hands or the oars to tip the canoe. At no time can any team make physical contact with the body of another team's members. This rule helps avoid harm. Make sure all supplies are on shore during this game to avoid lost and wet supplies. The last team left in their canoe is the winner. Players can also play this game by having one player stand up on the gunwale of their canoe. The two players on the canoe must try to push each other off by pushing each other off the canoe using only their hands. Touching any other part of the body is an automatic loss. Always wear life jackets in this game, and never play in shallow water.

    Nature Spot

    • Make a game out of spotting natural objects. Teams canoe next to each other and must spot objects beginning with specified letters. For example, for the letter “A,” teams might look for ants. Progress through the alphabet as you play. Players may choose to skip more difficult letters such as “q,” “x” or “z” if all teams agree or if a time limit such as 15 minutes passes without any team an object for that letter. Teams earn a point for each spotted object. One player should keep track of the points. After all the letters have been gone through, the winning team gets to take the supplies of the losers in their canoe and tip their friends over into the water. Make sure the water is deep enough that nobody gets hurt but shallow enough to minimize the risk of drowning.