Lake Party Games

Games for the shore, the lawn, the dock and a rainy cabin, none of them in the water.

Lake Party Games

  1. Frog Jumps Measured in Paddle Lengths1. Lay a canoe paddle on the grass as the measuring stick. 2. Each player crouches like a frog at the line and makes three jumps in a row from a standing start. 3. Measure the total in paddle lengths and hand spans. 4. Everyone gets two tries and keeps the better one. A prize for the best croak on landing. Ages 4 and up. Players: 2 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: a canoe paddle.
  2. Bobber Drift Race1. Each player has a fishing bobber of a different color on a string, with no hook. 2. Sitting along one side of the dock, all drop their bobbers in at the same post. 3. Hands off the strings. Wind and water do the rest. 4. The first bobber to drift past the next post wins. Pull them in by the strings and race again. Ages 5 and up. Everyone sits or walks, children wear life jackets on the dock, and one adult is named water watcher. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 10 min. Props: a bobber on a string each.
  3. Draw the Monster of This Lake1. Every lake deserves a monster. Each player draws the one that lives in this lake and gives it a name. 2. Underneath, write what it eats and why nobody has ever photographed it. 3. Pin the drawings up along a wall. 4. Each artist presents their monster in a scientist's voice. The cabin chooses one to be the official monster. Ages 4 and up. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 15 min. Props: paper and colored pencils.

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How it works

These lake party games use what a lake has: a shore, a dock, stones, a lawn and a cabin. Nobody swims, boats or wades above the knees, and each game at the water names an adult water watcher.

Read the full guide

Choose by where everyone is

Open the All games menu and choose a place: On the shore, On the grass by the water, On the dock with dry feet or At the cabin when it rains. Each set holds eight games.

What to pack

String, a bucket, cups, a soft rope, hoops, a toy boat or two, bobbers with no hooks and paper cover most of the list. The lake supplies the stones, the bark and the driftwood.

Tips
  • Choose the water watcher before the first game.
  • Take the hooks off every line before it goes near a game.

Questions and answers

What games can you play at a lake without swimming?

Every game here. Count the Seconds Until the Wake Arrives and Guess the Stone by Its Splash are played from the bank, and How Deep Is It Off the End of the Dock? is played sitting down with a stone on a string.

What can children do on a dock?

The dock games here are sitting and walking games, played in life jackets with an adult water watcher. Bobber Drift Race, Knock Code Along the Boards and How Many Planks to the End of the Dock? need almost nothing.

What do you play at a lake house when it rains?

The set At the cabin when it rains has eight, among them The Fish Gets Bigger, Draw the Monster of This Lake and Canoe Trip on the Rug.

Do these games suit a party of adults?

Most do. Under More filters in the All games menu, choose Adults to leave out the eight written for small children.

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All 32 games

On the shore 8

  • Bark Boat Regatta Along the Shore 1. A toy boat race, with boats made on the spot. Each player builds a boat from fallen bark, a twig mast and a leaf sail. 2. Launch them together at the water's edge. 3. Players walk along the dry shore beside their boats. No pushing once a boat is afloat. 4. After two minutes, the boat that has traveled farthest along the shore wins. Collect the boats afterward. Ages 4 and up. Nobody wades deeper than the knees, and one adult is named water watcher for the whole game. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 15 min. Props: fallen bark, twigs and leaves.
  • Count the Seconds Until the Wake Arrives 1. Wait on the shore until a boat passes well out on the lake. 2. As it goes by, each player calls out how many seconds its wake will take to reach the shore. 3. Count aloud together from the moment the boat is level with the group. 4. The first small wave to break on the sand stops the count. Closest guess wins. Ages 5 and up. Nobody wades deeper than the knees, and one adult is named water watcher for the whole game. Players: 2 to 20. Time: 5 min. Props: none.
  • Cup Brigade From the Lake to the Jar 1. A water relay up the bank. Stand a large jar on the grass with a line marked near the top. 2. The team makes a chain from the water's edge to the jar, an arm's length apart, each with a cup. 3. The player at the edge fills a cup, and the water is poured from cup to cup up the chain. 4. Time how long it takes to reach the line. Change places and try to beat it. Ages 5 and up. Nobody wades deeper than the knees, and one adult is named water watcher for the whole game. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: a large jar with a marked line and a cup each.
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On the shore, continued

  • Driftwood Creature Gallery 1. Each team has ten minutes to gather driftwood, stones and fallen leaves from the dry shore. Nothing is picked that is still growing. 2. Build one creature on the sand or the grass: a heron, a turtle, a thing with no name. 3. Teams walk the gallery together. 4. Each builder says what the creature is and what it eats. Leave the gallery for the lake to take back. Ages 4 and up. Nobody wades deeper than the knees, and one adult is named water watcher for the whole game. Players: 2 to 20. Time: 20 min. Props: none.
  • Guess the Stone by Its Splash 1. Collect three piles of stones: small as a grape, medium as an egg, large as a fist. 2. Guessers sit on the bank with their backs to the water. 3. The thrower stands at the water's edge and lobs one stone underarm into open water, well away from everyone. 4. Guessers call small, medium or large from the sound alone. Five stones, then a new thrower. Ages 6 and up. Nobody wades deeper than the knees, and one adult is named water watcher for the whole game. Players: 3 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: three piles of stones.
  • Pebbles Into the Floating Ring 1. Float a ring, such as a tied loop of pool noodle, a few steps out from the shore, held in place by a string to a stone. 2. Players stand on dry ground and lob pebbles underarm, five each. 3. A pebble that lands inside the ring scores. 4. Move the throwing line back one step for the final. Everyone stays behind the thrower. Ages 5 and up. Nobody wades deeper than the knees, and one adult is named water watcher for the whole game. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: a floating ring on a string and a handful of pebbles.
  • Sink or Float, Ten Things From the Shore 1. Gather ten small things from the dry shore: a pine cone, a feather, a flat stone, a twig, an acorn cap. 2. Before each test, every player says sink or float. 3. Drop the thing into a bucket of lake water and see. 4. Keep score with pebbles. The surprises are the ones worth trying twice. Ages 4 and up. Nobody wades deeper than the knees, and one adult is named water watcher for the whole game. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: a bucket and ten found things.
  • Sit Still and Count the Minnows 1. Players sit or crouch on dry ground at the water's edge, a few steps apart, looking into the shallows. 2. Nobody moves or speaks for one minute. A timekeeper counts it down. 3. Each player counts the small fish that swim past in front of them. 4. Compare counts. The stillest player usually has the most to tell. Ages 5 and up. Nobody wades deeper than the knees, and one adult is named water watcher for the whole game. Players: 2 to 10. Time: 5 min. Props: a watch.

On the grass by the water 8

  • Buckle Up the Life Jacket Relay 1. Lay one life jacket for each team at the far end of the lawn. 2. The first runner sprints to it, puts it on, does up every buckle and zipper, and raises both arms. 3. A judge checks the buckles. The runner takes it off, lays it flat and runs back. 4. First team through wins. It also shows everyone how the jackets fasten. Ages 5 and up. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: a life jacket for each team.
  • Cast the Plug Into the Hoops 1. Lay three hoops on the lawn at five, ten and fifteen paces. 2. Tie a rubber casting plug with no hook to the line of a fishing rod. 3. Each player has three casts. The near hoop scores 1, the middle 2 and the far hoop 3. 4. Everyone else stands well behind the caster. An adult shows younger players how to cast first. Ages 6 and up. Players: 2 to 10. Time: 15 min. Props: a fishing rod with a hookless casting plug and three hoops.
  • Catch the Tossed Balls in a Landing Net 1. One player holds a landing net. A thrower stands six paces away with ten table tennis balls or rolled socks. 2. The thrower lobs them one at a time, high and to either side. 3. The catcher nets as many as possible without leaving a marked square. 4. Swap after ten. Pairs add their two scores together. Ages 5 and up. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: a landing net and ten light balls or rolled socks.
  • Flap the Paper Fish Home 1. Cut a fish as long as a forearm from newspaper for each racer. 2. Lay the fish on a porch floor or a mown path. Each racer has a folded magazine. 3. On go, fan the air behind the fish to drive it to the finish. The magazine may not touch it. 4. Race in heats of three. A calm day and a smooth floor make it fair. Ages 4 and up. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: newspaper fish and a folded magazine each.
  • Frog Jumps Measured in Paddle Lengths 1. Lay a canoe paddle on the grass as the measuring stick. 2. Each player crouches like a frog at the line and makes three jumps in a row from a standing start. 3. Measure the total in paddle lengths and hand spans. 4. Everyone gets two tries and keeps the better one. A prize for the best croak on landing. Ages 4 and up. Players: 2 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: a canoe paddle.
  • Heave the Rope to the Hoop 1. Coil a length of soft rope and lay a hoop on the lawn eight paces away. 2. Each player holds one end and throws the coil so that the rope pays out toward the hoop. 3. The rope must land with any part of it inside the hoop. 4. Three throws each. Recoil the rope neatly for the next player, which is half the skill. Ages 7 and up. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: a soft rope and a hoop.
  • Rope Map of the Lake 1. Lay a long rope on the lawn in the shape of the lake as the group remembers it. 2. Give each player three markers, such as pine cones, and a place to mark: the cabin, the dock, the island, the public landing. 3. Players set their markers where they think each place lies on the rope shore. 4. Compare with a real map of the lake. The closest marker for each place scores. Ages 7 and up. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 15 min. Props: a long rope, pine cones and a map of the lake.
  • Stand the Paddle on Your Palm 1. The balance-a-stick game, with a canoe paddle. Each player in turn stands the paddle upright on an open palm, blade up. 2. A timekeeper counts the seconds until the paddle falls or the other hand touches it. 3. Players may walk around to keep it balanced, on the grass only. 4. Longest balance wins. Ages 7 and up. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: a canoe paddle and a watch.

On the dock with dry feet 8

  • A Knot That Holds on the Dock Cleat 1. Each player gets a short rope and one minute at a cleat or a post. 2. Tie any knot at all that fastens the rope to it. 3. The judge gives the free end three firm pulls. 4. A knot that holds scores 1. A knot that holds and can be undone in ten seconds scores 2. Ages 7 and up. Everyone sits or walks, children wear life jackets on the dock, and one adult is named water watcher. Players: 2 to 10. Time: 10 min. Props: a short rope each.
  • Bobber Drift Race 1. Each player has a fishing bobber of a different color on a string, with no hook. 2. Sitting along one side of the dock, all drop their bobbers in at the same post. 3. Hands off the strings. Wind and water do the rest. 4. The first bobber to drift past the next post wins. Pull them in by the strings and race again. Ages 5 and up. Everyone sits or walks, children wear life jackets on the dock, and one adult is named water watcher. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 10 min. Props: a bobber on a string each.
  • Haul a Bucket, Guess the Cups 1. Tie a rope to a small bucket. A seated adult lowers it, lets it fill part way and hauls it up. 2. Everyone guesses how many cups of water it holds. 3. Pour it out by the cup into a second bucket, counting together. 4. Closest guess pours the next bucket. Tip the water back into the lake at the end. Ages 6 and up. Everyone sits or walks, children wear life jackets on the dock, and one adult is named water watcher. Players: 2 to 10. Time: 10 min. Props: a small bucket on a rope, a second bucket and a cup.
  • How Deep Is It Off the End of the Dock? 1. Tie a stone to a long string. Everyone sits at the end of the dock. 2. Each player guesses the depth in hand spans. 3. One player lowers the stone until the string goes slack, pinches the string at the water line and pulls it up. 4. Measure the wet part in hand spans. Closest guess lowers the stone at the next spot. Ages 6 and up. Everyone sits or walks, children wear life jackets on the dock, and one adult is named water watcher. Players: 2 to 10. Time: 10 min. Props: a long string with a stone tied to it.
  • How Many Planks to the End of the Dock? 1. Before stepping onto the dock, each player guesses how many planks it has from the shore to the end. 2. Walk out together, counting one plank a step, out loud. 3. An adult walks at the front and stops the count at the last plank. 4. Closest guess wins. Count again on the way back to check. Ages 4 and up. Everyone sits or walks, children wear life jackets on the dock, and one adult is named water watcher. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 5 min. Props: none.
  • Knock Code Along the Boards 1. One player sits at the shore end of the dock, the rest at the far end with an ear to the boards. 2. The sender knocks a number from one to nine on the wood with a knuckle. 3. The listeners hold up that many fingers. 4. Then the sender knocks two numbers with a pause between, as a two-digit code. Swap senders after five codes. Ages 5 and up. Everyone sits or walks, children wear life jackets on the dock, and one adult is named water watcher. Players: 3 to 10. Time: 10 min. Props: none.
  • Ten Things Across the Water 1. Everyone sits on the dock, facing out, with our lake scavenger hunt list or one written by the host. 2. Players look for each thing without leaving their seat: a red boat, a bird on a post, a flag. 3. The first to point one out gets its line signed by a neighbor. 4. Stop after ten minutes. Most lines signed wins. Ages 5 and up. Everyone sits or walks, children wear life jackets on the dock, and one adult is named water watcher. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: a scavenger hunt list and a pencil each.
  • Tow the Toy Boats at Walking Pace 1. Tie a long string to a toy boat for each player and lower the boats into the water beside the dock. 2. Players walk slowly along the middle of the dock, towing their boats alongside. 3. A boat that tips over or bumps a post goes back to the start. 4. First boat to the end of the dock upright wins. Walking only: a runner starts again. Ages 5 and up. Everyone sits or walks, children wear life jackets on the dock, and one adult is named water watcher. Players: 2 to 6. Time: 10 min. Props: a toy boat on a long string each.

At the cabin when it rains 8

  • A Thing We Saw for Every Letter of the Lake 1. Write the name of the lake down the side of a sheet of paper, one letter to a line. 2. For each letter, the cabin agrees on something seen this week that starts with it. 3. Each line needs someone who saw it and can say where. 4. Hang the finished sheet by the door and add to it next year. Ages 6 and up. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: paper and a pen.
  • Act Out the Week at the Lake 1. Charades with a week at the lake. Write one action on each slip: bailing a boat, swatting a mosquito, toasting bread on a fork, pulling on a wet swimsuit. 2. An actor draws a slip and acts it with no words. 3. The first to guess acts next. 4. Add a slip for anything funny that really happened this week. Ages 5 and up. Players: 3 to 12. Time: 15 min. Props: slips of paper and a pen.
  • Canoe Trip on the Rug 1. A calling game. Everyone sits in a line on a rug, one behind another: the canoe. 2. The guide at the back calls what is coming: paddle left, paddle right, duck for the branch, lean for the bend. 3. The crew does each move together. On the call rapids, everyone bounces. 4. On the call carry, the crew stands, lifts the rug overhead and walks it once around the room. A new guide takes the back seat. Ages 4 and up. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 10 min. Props: a rug or a blanket.
  • Draw the Deck, Then Match the Pairs 1. A pairs game with a deck made at the table. Cut sixteen cards from paper. 2. Together, draw eight things from the week at the lake, each on two cards: the dock, a loon, the red canoe. 3. Shuffle and lay the cards face down in a grid. 4. Players turn over two at a time and keep any pair. The deck goes home as a record of the week. Ages 4 and up. Players: 2 to 6. Time: 20 min. Props: paper, scissors and pencils.
  • Draw the Monster of This Lake 1. Every lake deserves a monster. Each player draws the one that lives in this lake and gives it a name. 2. Underneath, write what it eats and why nobody has ever photographed it. 3. Pin the drawings up along a wall. 4. Each artist presents their monster in a scientist's voice. The cabin chooses one to be the official monster. Ages 4 and up. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 15 min. Props: paper and colored pencils.
  • The Fish Gets Bigger 1. The first player says, I caught a fish, and adds one detail: it was as long as my arm. 2. The next repeats the story and makes it bigger with a detail of their own. 3. Go around the room. Each player must repeat every detail in order before adding one. 4. A player who drops a detail starts a new fish. See how big one fish can get. Ages 5 and up. Players: 3 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: none.
  • Guest Book Entries From the Lake's Animals 1. Each player chooses an animal that lives at the lake and tells nobody. 2. They write three lines in the cabin guest book as that animal, about its week. 3. Read the entries aloud with no names. 4. The cabin guesses each animal. The entries stay in the book for the next visitors. Ages 7 and up. Players: 3 to 12. Time: 15 min. Props: the cabin guest book or paper, and pens.
  • Three Clues to a Place on the Lake 1. One player thinks of a spot everyone has been to this week. 2. They give three clues, none of which is something you see: a smell, a sound and what is underfoot. 3. The others each get one guess. 4. Whoever names the spot chooses the next one. If nobody does, the group walks there when the rain stops. Ages 6 and up. Players: 3 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: none.

How this list was compiled: Our suggestions for a day at a lake house or a lakeside picnic site, for families with children. The wording is ours, and the player counts, times and ages are our estimates. Nothing here is played in water above the knees, and no game involves a boat, swimming or jumping in. Every game at the water's edge or on a dock names an adult water watcher, and children wear life jackets on the dock. Those lines follow the water safety page of the American Red Cross, read on 2026-10-03: https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/types-of-emergencies/water-safety.html Licence: own work