Fun Games to Play in the Dark

While the dark is often associated with being spooky or mysterious, the dark can also be fun. The dark is a place where many games that players of all ages can play long after the sun has gone down. Games can be played at night outside or can be played inside in rooms with the lights off. Here are some games to enjoy in the dark.

The dark is the right setting to tell ghost stories. Join around a campfire or sit in a dark room with just a few candles lit. Everyone sits close together. Start the game off by saying, "Once upon a time…" and then have the person next to you add a sentence. Each sentence should add to the story and relate to something spooky, such as ghosts or goblins. Encourage participants to use their imaginations to make it as wild a story as possible.

A dark room is a perfect place to make shadow figures with your hands. Shine a flashlight or a lamp at a wall and move your hands in a manner that creates shapes on the wall. You can create all kinds of figures, such as birds, rabbits and even monsters. Move closer or further away from the flashlight to see how the shadow figures change size. You can even have shadow figure races or a contest for the most imaginative shadow figure.

Everyone loves to play hide-and-go-seek. A person counts to "10" while everyone else hides in a dark room. The searcher will have to find people in the dark adding a new twist to the classic game. Another form of hide-and-go-seek in the dark is to have a person who is "It" hide. Seekers move around in the dark whispering "sardines" listening for a response from the person who is hiding. As Seekers individually find "It," they join the hidden person in his or her secret spot. The last person is the next "It."

Flashlight Tag is a great night game that can also be used at overnight camp. Instead of physically touching a person, the "It" participant can tag anyone by beaming a flashlight on him or her. There are a few variations of Flashlight Tag. In one version, the person who is "It" is required to identify the person being tagged while the light is projected on them. Another style of play is to have the "It" player keep motionless while the other players can run around freely. You can also have the person who is caught become the new "It." In a cops and robbers version, a player who is caught is sent to jail, then must be freed to come back to the game.

In Flashlight Limbo, two people hold flashlights opposite each other a short distance apart. The flashlights should be shining at each other to form a large beam that another person can limbo under. A person can play solo by taking two flashlights and placing them at opposite ends of any type of furniture or objects to create a beam to limbo under. This can also be done with music to increase the entertainment value.