Backwards Day Ideas

Things to wear backwards or inside out, and parts of the day a class or a camp runs in reverse.

Backwards Day Ideas

All 101
  1. Schedule Board Upside DownPost the day's schedule bottom to top and follow it in that order.
  2. Counselors Ask PermissionFor one activity, counselors raise a hand and ask a camper before they speak.
  3. Inside-Out TeeSeams and tag on show. A tee with a big print works best: the print shows through faintly.
  4. Other Hand DayWrite, draw and throw with the hand you never use.
  5. Opposite SeatsEveryone moves to the seat on the opposite side of the room for the day.

Next step More games for a camp dayDays for the rest of the week

How it works

Most of these backwards day ideas are things to do in reverse: the schedule from the end, dessert first, attendance from Z to A. One group covers what to wear, backwards or inside out, for a school spirit week or a camp day.

Read the full guide

Opposite day spirit week ideas: clothes inside out

For opposite day in a spirit week, the ideas to wear are clothes turned around. Inside out suits soft pieces, whose seams and fleece then show; back to front suits anything with buttons or a zip. Pockets Out is the mild choice for anyone who would rather not reverse a whole outfit.

A school day or a camp day in reverse

Reverse one thing in each part of the day, not everything at once: the schedule, one meal, one game and the goodbye. The camp ideas swap who leads: a camper wears the counselor's lanyard, and counselors raise a hand before they speak.

  • Announce the day ahead, with one line on what is allowed, so nobody has to guess at the dress code.
  • Keep the safety rules the right way round: shoes stay on the correct feet and nobody runs backwards.

Questions and answers

What do you wear on backwards day?

A tee with the tag in front, a cap with the brim behind, a zip hoodie closed up the back, or a button-up shirt worn back to front. A backpack on your chest finishes it.

What are opposite day spirit week ideas?

Clothes turned inside out, so the seams and tags show: a tee, a hoodie, socks pulled over your cuffs. Add opposites to the day itself: hello means goodbye, and in red light, green light, green means stop.

What do you do on backwards day at school?

Give the exit quiz at the start, hold recess before morning work, write an answer on the board and ask for its questions, and line up with the usual last in line leading.

What are backwards day ideas for camp?

Hold the evening program after breakfast, let campers run the morning meeting, sing the closing song first, hide the counselors for a counselor hunt and read the lights-out story at lunch.

More tools

Browse Acting and Drawing

All 101 ideas

What to wear, backwards or inside out 19

  • Backpack in Front Wear your backpack on your chest between classes.
  • Backwards Cap Brim behind you all day, on the one day nobody asks you to turn it around.
  • Backwards Tee Tag in front, picture on your back. A plain crew neck sits best.
  • Belt Buckle Behind A belt turned until its buckle sits in the middle of your back.
  • Buttons Down Your Back A button-up shirt worn back to front. Ask someone to do the top three buttons.
  • Cardigan Up the Back A cardigan worn back to front and buttoned up the spine, over a tee the right way round.
  • Every Label Out Leave each tag sticking out at the collar and the waistband. Today nobody tucks it in for you.
  • Inside Out and Backwards Both at once, so the tag ends up outside, under your chin.
  • Inside-Out Hoodie A hoodie turned so its fleece side faces the room and the pocket hangs inside like a pouch.
  • Inside-Out Pajama Top For a school that pairs the day with pajama day: the top inside out, so the fuzzy side shows.
  • Inside-Out Socks Socks turned so the toe seam shows, pulled up over the cuffs of your pants.
  • Inside-Out Tee Seams and tag on show. A tee with a big print works best: the print shows through faintly.
  • Name Tag on Your Back A paper name tag between your shoulder blades, with your name spelled backwards.
  • Opposite Season A sun hat and sunglasses with a winter coat, or a scarf and mittens with shorts, whichever the weather forgives.
  • Pockets Out Jeans the right way round with every pocket lining pulled out, front and back.
  • Ponytail in Front A ponytail or a hair bow at the front of your head instead of the back.
  • Sunglasses Behind Sunglasses on the back of your head, so you seem to face the other way.
  • Tie Down Your Back A necktie or a long necklace hung down your back, over a backwards collar.
  • Zip-Up on Backwards A zip hoodie put on arms first and zipped up the back by a friend.

At school, in reverse 20

  • Announcements at the Bell Read the morning announcements at the end of the day, last item first.
  • Answer First Write an answer on the board. The class writes the questions that lead to it.
  • Back of the Line Leads Line up in reverse: the usual last in line leads, and the line leader brings up the rear.
  • The Class Calls for Quiet The class gives the attention signal, and the teacher has to answer it.
  • Closing Circle First Open with the closing question: what did you learn today? Take guesses, and check them at the real end.
  • Count the Day Down Number the periods in reverse on the board, so the day counts down to 1.
  • Desks Face the Back Turn the desks to face the back wall and teach from there.
  • Draw It Upside Down Turn a simple picture upside down and copy it line by line. Flip your drawing at the end.
  • Goodbye at the Door Greet the class with "See you tomorrow" and send them home with "Good morning."
  • History From the Result Tell the history lesson from the result back to the cause: what happened, then why.
  • Homework Before the Lesson Hand out tonight's sheet first and let the class predict what the lesson will be.
  • Opposite Seats Everyone moves to the seat on the opposite side of the room for the day.
  • Pack Up First Start the morning by packing up: chairs stacked, bags zipped. Then unpack and begin.
  • Quiz, Then Lesson Give the exit quiz at the start, ungraded, and again at the end to see what changed.
  • Recess Before Work Hold recess first thing, with morning work after it.
  • Schedule From the End Run the bell schedule in reverse: last period first, homeroom at the end of the day.
  • Start From the Answer In math, start from the answer: here is 24, now find five ways to make it.
  • Story From the Last Page Read the last page of a picture book first, let the class guess the story, then read it from the start.
  • Student Teacher A student volunteer leads the warm-up while the teacher sits at a desk and raises a hand.
  • Z to A Roll Call Take attendance from the bottom of the list, so the end of the alphabet goes first for once.

At camp, in reverse 17

  • Applause First Clap before each skit instead of after it. The performers bow, then begin.
  • Bedtime Story at Noon Read the lights-out story at lunch, flashlight and all.
  • Camp Name Backwards Hang a banner with the camp's name spelled backwards and use that name all day.
  • Camper Counselor Each group picks a camper to wear the counselor's lanyard and lead the line to lunch.
  • Campers Judge the Counselors A talent show in reverse: counselors perform and campers hold up the score cards.
  • Campers Run the Meeting Campers lead the morning meeting and read the announcements. Counselors sit in the back and whisper.
  • Cheer From the Last Line Shout the camp cheer from its last line to its first.
  • Counselor Hunt The counselors hide and the campers seek, the reverse of every other day.
  • Counselors Ask Permission For one activity, counselors raise a hand and ask a camper before they speak.
  • Evening Program at Breakfast Run the evening activity right after breakfast: skits or a sing-along in daylight.
  • Goodbye Photo First Take the end-of-day group photo first thing and another at pickup, then compare the two.
  • Goodnight at Arrival Counselors meet the buses with "Goodnight, see you tomorrow" and wave campers off with "Good morning."
  • Last Song First Open the day with the closing song and end it with the wake-up song.
  • Schedule Board Upside Down Post the day's schedule bottom to top and follow it in that order.
  • Swapped Time Slots The oldest group takes the youngest group's slot and the youngest takes the oldest's, wherever the activity suits both.
  • Take the Craft Apart Show a finished craft and take it apart together, so the steps are learned last to first.
  • Trail the Other Way Walk the usual loop in the opposite direction. It looks like a new trail.

Meals and snacks 13

  • Breakfast for Lunch Pancakes, eggs or cereal at midday, and everyone calls it breakfast.
  • Cone on Top Serve the ice cream in a cup with the cone standing on it like a hat.
  • Counselors Clear The adults clear and wipe the tables while the campers stay seated.
  • Crust First A dare for the pizza table: start at the crust and finish at the point.
  • Dessert First Serve the cookie or the fruit cup first and the main course after it.
  • Inside-Out Sandwich The filling on the outside: a slice of bread rolled up inside the cheese and the turkey.
  • Last Table First The group that always eats last is called first.
  • Menu Read Backwards Read the lunch menu from the last item to the first, and spell one dish backwards for the table to guess.
  • Mirror Place Setting Set the table as a mirror would: fork on the right, cup on the left.
  • Picnic Indoors The indoor meal moves outside and the picnic moves in, blanket on the floor.
  • Snack at the First Bell Snack time moves to the first minute of the day.
  • Swapped Menus At overnight camp, trade the menus: grilled cheese at sunrise, pancakes at sunset.
  • Upside-Down Sundae Build a sundae in reverse: cherry and sprinkles in the bottom of the cup, ice cream on top.

Games played backwards 18

  • Backwards Bowling Face away from the pins and roll the ball between your feet.
  • Backwards Walking Relay Teams walk backwards to a cone and back, looking over a shoulder. Walking only, on grass.
  • Chairs in Reverse Sit while the music plays and walk when it stops. When it starts again, find a chair.
  • Everybody Is It Tag in reverse: everyone chases one runner, and whoever tags the runner becomes the next one.
  • Finish Line Start Start each race at the finish line and run to the starting line.
  • Follow the Last in Line The line turns around, so the last player becomes the leader everyone copies.
  • Freeze While It Plays Freeze dance in reverse: dance in the silence and freeze when the music starts.
  • Goose, Goose, Duck Walk the circle tapping heads and saying goose. The one called duck gives chase.
  • Green Means Stop Red light, green light with the colors swapped: green freezes, red goes.
  • Last Place Wins A slow walk: the last one over the line wins, and anyone who stops moving is out.
  • One Hides, All Seek One player hides and everyone else seeks. Each seeker who finds the hider squeezes in too.
  • Opposite Orders The leader calls an order and the group does the reverse: "stand" means sit, "hands up" means hands down.
  • Other Hand Day Write, draw and throw with the hand you never use.
  • Over-the-Shoulder Toss Stand with your back to a bucket and toss a soft ball over your head.
  • Put-It-Back Hunt A scavenger hunt in reverse: teams get a pile of objects and return each to where it belongs.
  • Score Counts Down Each team starts at ten and loses a point for every goal it scores. The first to zero wins.
  • The Team Acts, One Guesses Charades turned around: the whole team acts the word and one player guesses.
  • Z to A Race Pairs race to say the alphabet from Z to A without a slip.

Words, names and writing 14

  • Backwards Morning Message The teacher writes the morning message backwards and the class decodes it.
  • Backwards Name Tags Everyone wears their name spelled backwards and answers to it: Emma is Amme, Noah is Haon.
  • Backwards Spelling Bee Spell each word from its last letter to its first.
  • Count Down to Start Begin every activity with a countdown from ten instead of "ready, set, go."
  • Door Signs Backwards Label each door with the room's name in reverse: YRARBIL, MOOR TRA, MYG.
  • Hello Means Goodbye Say goodbye when you arrive, hello when you leave and "you're welcome" before "thank you."
  • Last Word First Say each sentence with its words in reverse order: "Outside go we can?"
  • Mirror Writing Write a sentence from right to left with every letter flipped, then read it in a mirror.
  • Opposite Answers For one round, answer every yes-or-no question with the opposite of the truth. Keep it to one round, so nobody is misled for real.
  • Palindrome Hunt List words that read the same in both directions: mom, dad, noon, level, kayak, racecar.
  • Punch Line First Tell the punch line of a joke and let the group guess the question.
  • Read the Page Bottom Up Read a short poem from its last line to its first, then the right way, and vote on which sounds better.
  • Rhymes in Reverse Say the title of a nursery rhyme with its words in reverse order and let teams guess it: "Lamb Little a Had Mary."
  • Sign In Last Name First On every paper of the day, write your last name first and the date at the bottom.