30+ LDS Girls Camp ideas to make an unforgettable experience

LDS Girls Camp holds a special place in most Latter-day Saint women’s hearts. That’s why you want to make it a great experience for our youth today. So, I’ve compiled some awesome LDS girls camp ideas that will make the entire experience unforgettable. Check it out!

We held our girls camp in the end of June and it was so awesome. All 35 girls and 15 adult leaders had a very faith-building and unifying experience. But it wasn’t by accident. It took at lot of work and planning but it’s the details that make all the difference. Here’s some LDS Girls Camp ideas to make your next girls camp a memorable one.

“Gotta-do” activity ideas

• Team-building activities – A great way to unite the younger girls with the older girls are team-building activities. Think “Do you love your neighbor” or “Human Knot”. Here’s a great book with 175 camp games.
• Nine-Square in the Air – This game is kind of a pain to transport and set up but it is a hit! Our girls played it every spare moment they could find.
• Skit Night – We gave each of our girls a strip of paper with a scripture on it and a bag of props like silly hats and costumes. They divided into groups and presented their skits. They were hilarious!
• Pillow treats – Leave a small gift or treat on the pillow of each of the girls. They will love receiving these uplifting surprises every night.
• Craft table – Friendship bracelets, duct tape purses, paint-by-number. It’s nice to have an open craft table out that the girls can work out throughout the duration of the camp.
• Secret Sisters – Each girl is assigned a secret sister and they are supposed to bring a brown paper bag filled with three $5 gifts. Each day of camp, they place a gift in a labeled hanging shoe organizer. It’s so fun to see the girls check on their spot to see if there is a gift there.

• Girls Camp Bingo – Throughout camp, the girls can complete their Bingo card to receive a prize at the end. This encourages the girls to think of others and get to know each other better.
• Water Day – Whether it’s boating, kayaking, river rafting or swimming, all of the girls love playing in the water together and enjoying the summer weather.
• Other outdoor games – Even though Nine Square seems to be the most popular, it’s nice to have other outdoor games available for the girls to play during free time. We liked bocce ball, cornhole, Spike ball and ladder ball.
• Campfire and s’mores – This is a must. Plus, it’s a great way to teach the girls how to start a fire.
• Spa Night – Yep, painting fingernails, face masks and braiding hair. It was great.
• High adventure – Girls camp shouldn’t be all about crafts. Girls can do hard things too. Ideas include rock climbing, archery, axe throwing, rappellingg, river rafting and survival skills.

Decoration and organization ideas

• Camp Kickoff – A few weeks before camp, gather all the girls and their parents and talk about camp. Give them a packing list and answer their questions. Plus, this gets them really excited for camp.
• Lost and found – We just put a lost and found sign on a bench in a common area of camp. This was incredibly helpful.
• Cell phone charging station – You’ll need a heavy duty power strip because all of the girls are going to want to charge their phone at night.
• Daily whiteboard schedule – Our girls never wondered, “What’s next?” They could just check out the schedule. Make sure you get a whiteboard that’s big enough. We used one that was 23″ x 35″.
• Meal helper assignment poster – The camp cook shouldn’t have to do everything on her own. We had a poster board that showed who was supposed to help prep each meal. It was super helpful.

• Essentials basket – This little basket was filled with travel-sized shampoo, sunscreen, tampons, Tylenol and other essentials that the girls might have forgotten to bring.
• Hanging lanterns – Line the pathways of your campsite with these solar mason jars filled with twinkle lights. We hung them on garden hooks and it was helpful and adorable.
• Snack table – Tell each of the girls and leaders to bring a bag of snacks like chips or candy to share. We had a table out the entire time that the girls could snack on.
• “All of Us” Wall – Hang a picture of each person attending camp with their name under it on the wall in a common area. This takes a little bit of work but it really helps get to know everyone.
• Tents – Of all my LDS girls camp ideas, this one is important. In my opinion, it’s not really girls camp without tents. So, encourage EVERYONE (including the leaders) to sleep in a tent.
• Camp cook – Call someone from your ward to be in charge of all the food. It’s too much work to ask the leaders to divide their time. It’s so much easier this way.
• Youth Camp Leader Day – All of the YCLs and their leaders came up to camp a day early and set everything up. That way, when everyone else arrived, we were able to jump right into the activities. It was awesome.
• Camp Sweaters and Welcome Kits – The day we arrived at camp, everyone received a sweater, bandana, camp journal, BINGO card, camp song book and colored pencils.
• Label everything – Tell the girls to put their name on all of their bags, waterbottles, camp chairs and sleeping bags. This is a must!

Spiritual and faith-building ideas

• Sunrise hike and devotional – None of our girls wanted to wake up at 6 a.m. for a hike and devotional, but after wards, everyone was glad that we did.
• Camp journal – There are about a million of these on Etsy but it’s a great way to help the girls reflect and feel the spirit.
• Testimony meeting – Encourage the girls to share their testimonies but don’t force them. It’s also helpful to have a cutoff time because these can go pretty long.
• Guest speaker – Whether it’s your Bishop, missionary or other guest, take time to find someone who can connect with the girls and strengthen their testimonies.
• Paint-by-number Jesus project – All week long, the girls worked on a giant paint-by-number image of Jesus and we revealed it at the end. It was breathtaking and very profound as all of the girls combined efforts created a beautiful masterpiece.
• Tent time – We broke into age groups right before bed and talked about our day together. We asked questions like, “What was something positive you learned about someone else?” or “Share a compliment about someone in the circle.” It was a great way to wind down before bed.
• Letter from parents – As part of our sunrise devotional, we gave each of the girls a letter written from their mom or dad. It was really special and they loved it.
• Youth Camp Leaders – Ask these girls to get to know each of the younger girls and help them feel welcome. The older girls have a huge impact on them.

Overall, our camp turned out amazing. We are all a little bit tired but it was worth all of the work. Let me know if these LDS girls camp ideas helped you in the comments below.

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