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15 Fun Flashlight Games for Kids to Play in the Dark

Last Updated on July, 2023

What is the best game to play during a power outage or when you are on a camping trip? I’ll give you a hint; it requires only one device…

 A flashlight game, of course! 

Picture this, you just had dinner with your family, and power goes out in the neighborhood. What activity can you do with your family to kill boredom? It’s no fun sulking away in the dark.

Flashlight games are great mood boosters for any occasion or location! There are a variety of flashlight games available for all ages. Let’s take a look at some of the best games to play.

Quick Summary

Flashlight games are a great way to have fun with family and friends during a power outage or when camping.

Flashlight games come in a variety of forms, from scavenger hunts and charades to photography and storytelling.

Flashlight games are suitable for all ages and can be adapted for any occasion.

Table of Contents

• What are Flashlight Games? 
• Best Flashlight Games for Campers! 
  • Flashlight Charades
  • Firefly Tag
  • Morse Code Cracking 
  • Capture the Flag
• Spooktastic Halloween With Flashlights 
  • Scavenger Hunt
  • The Ghost is Out
  • I Spy
  • Spooky Storytelling
  • Pumpkin/Egg Hunt
• No Light No Problem! Indoor Flashlight Games for Kids
  • Shadow Puppets
  • Flashlight Limbo
  • Flashlight Dance and Freeze!
  • Hide and Seek 
  • Flashlight Constellations
  • Flash Photography
• Final Words 
• FAQs
  • What is the Best Type of Flashlight Beam to Use for These Games?
  • Which Flashlight Game/s Can Be Played With the Whole Family?
  • Are There any Age Limits for Some of the Flashlight Games?

What are Flashlight Games? 

First and foremost, what is a flashlight game, and how do you play it? It’s easy. As the name suggests, Flashlight games are games that you can play with a flashlight. There are so many games you can invent with a flashlight. The only downside is that flashlight activities can only be played in the dark. 

Have you ever made shadow puppets with your siblings or friends? Well, that is a flashlight game too. These games have evolved over the years to numerous versions and inventions.

Don’t just limit flashlight games to your home. You can play them outside during camping, halloween, or any occasion. 

Let me take you on a flashtastic journey on the best games you can play at home and outdoors.

Best Flashlight Games for Campers! 

These are some of the top choices for flashlight games to make your camping trip the most fun and memorable. 

Flashlight Charades

If you like to play charades, you will LOVE flashlight/ shadow charades! 

This shadow charade game combines charades and shadow puppets that you can play in teams. Just like regular charades, one person can write different topics or actions (for example, swimming) on pieces of paper and place them in a bowl. After each team has taken a piece of paper, the selected participant will act it out. 

The selected team member stands next to a tent or a large tree, and a flashlight will be shown towards their hand. The campers can take turns making guesses based on the shadow puppets. 

Firefly Tag

Don’t worry; you won’t need to have real fireflies for this game! 

The flashlight firefly game is a type of flashlight tag but a bit more fun and creative. One person will become the “firefly” or the hider, and the rest will have to seek you. Once everyone has closed their eyes and started counting, the firefly will find a good hiding spot. (beware– if you are at a camping site, please do NOT wander off too far into the forest). 

You can flash your flashlight and move to another hiding spot. The goal for the fellow seekers is to catch the firefly and tag them.  

Morse Code Cracking 

Do you and your kids love spy movies? Wouldn’t it be amazing to learn a new language with your kids? This fun game is called morse code cracking.

Send each other morse code messages in the dark by using a flashlight and a part of the tent. Have an adult use a flashlight to send the group a message in Morse code. The first person to decipher the message wins! Your children will be thrilled when they think about speaking a secret language!

Capture the Flag

Capture the flag is one of the best flashlight games campers can play. Firstly, separate the players into two teams and split the area into two sides. For flags, you can use a flashlight or glow sticks. Another option is giving each player a glow bracelet that matches their team’s flag.

The teams can hide the flag anywhere as long as it’s visible. Each squad also chooses a location to serve as its “jail”. A player who is tagged while on enemy ground is imprisoned in the “jail” of the opposing squad.

Finding and bringing the opposing team’s flag to your team’s side of the field is the objective of the game. 

Spooktastic Halloween With Flashlights 

Although dressing up and trick-o-treating is fun during Halloween, it can be even better when you add flashlight games to the mix. These games can be played all year round, but they are extra joyful when merging ghouls and flashlights. 

Scavenger Hunt

The nighttime scavenger hunt is an enjoyable game to play with your kids. You can change the level of difficulty depending on their ages. All you have to do is have your kid form a team and give the team leader a flashlight, you can let them compete with each other too. 

For the scavenger hunt, hide different types of objects around the house and provide the kids with the list of the things that are hidden and let them find those.

The Ghost is Out

The ghost is out, or ghoul in the graveyard, is a spooktacular game for kids. This game is the opposite of firefly tag. You must first choose a “home base” such as a tree or a house. The ghoul then hides after every player is handed a flashlight and proceeds in search of the ghost.

The first player to discover the ghoul is secure from being tagged and cries, “GHOUL IN THE GRAVEYARD,” remaining with the ghoul. The other players will then need to run to home base, or they will be the next “ghoul” if they are captured. 

I Spy

Have you played I spy before? It’s very straightforward, you look at an object and describe it without giving away the name, and let the other players guess.

It’s the same concept. except you are playing with all the lights out, and the only source is a flashlight. This lovely game can be played with any age group, even toddlers. 

Spooky Storytelling

A family favorite for many. Who doesn’t love scary stories? Well, why not top the suspense up a notch with a flashlight! 

The storyteller will be the person holding the flashlight. They can keep the flashlight under their chin for theatrical effects or use shadow puppets, then hand over the flashlight to the next person to tell another spooky story.  

Pumpkin/Egg Hunt

Have you ever played an Easter egg hunt in the dark? 

Why not get creative and try it with mini pumpkin toys or eggs painted as pumpkins? 

This is a beautiful game to play, especially if you have younger children. It would be best if you had a big yard or open space for this. Hide the pumpkins around the yard and give each kid a flashlight to find the objects. You can make it a competitive game to see which kid collects the most “pumpkins.”

No Light No Problem! Indoor Flashlight Games for Kids

Have you ever wondered what kind of games you can play indoors, even without electricity? With just a flashlight, gather your family around to play these amazingly fun flashlight games. 

Shadow Puppets

The most classic flashlight game is the shadow puppet show! The shadow puppet game requires you to lay the flashlight on a table and shine the light on a wall.

Teach your child to make different animals or people on the wall by placing their hands in various positions. This is an excellent game for younger kids to let their imaginations run wild.

Flashlight Limbo

Flashlight limbo is easy. You use the flashlight beam like a limbo pole! One person shines the flashlight at a wall and has all the players try to pass underneath the beam, like in a typical limbo game.

Lower the flashlight each turn until one person’s shadow breaks the beam of light as they pass underneath.

Flashlight Dance and Freeze!

Imagine having a great dance party at home then the power goes out. In a world of smartphones, you can create a flashlight dance party! You can select one person to shine the flashlight and allow everyone to dance for a minute.

The chosen person will shine the flashlight on someone, forcing them to immediately freeze and keep shining the light on different people. A person is out if they are unable to freeze.

This is a great game to play with your family. You can play without the flashlight freeze. Use the flashlight to get everyone grooving! Give everyone a different colored light, then let them dance! The individual with the goofiest dance moves wins.

Hide and Seek 

Another classic is flashlight hide and seek. The hiders will find a hiding place after the seeker is given a flashlight. Before setting out on a search, the seeker must close their eyes and count down from at least 20.

They use the flashlight to search for everyone until they are located. The kids can continue playing till everyone has been the seeker. 

Flashlight Constellations

Flashlight constellations or paper cup constellations is a fun guessing game for crafty kids. If your kids are very creative, they can make real or imaginative constellations. 

To create these, each individual will draw the constellations on black paper, then place it over a tiny paper cup and make holes at the bottom of it. Turn your flashlight on and put it under the cup so that the holes will illuminate like stars in the sky when flashed against a ceiling or wall.

Flash Photography

If you have instagram or TikTok, you must have heard of the “aurora” trend, where a shadow image of the person is created while dancing to Aurora’s runaway song. If you are a crafty person, try flashlight photography! You can create silhouettes with your shadows and take pictures.

Final Words 

It looks like we have come to the end of your flashlight adventures. I hope you had a blast getting to know the fun flashlight games for kids. 

These are such fun games where kids create endless activities that allow their imaginations to run free. The beauty of a fun flashlight game is that it can be played by both older and younger kids of any age or at any location.

So if you ever want to throw a crazy Halloween bash or have a fun camping trip remember to bring a flashlight to spice up your holidays. Checkout the best flashlights for your kids here.

FAQs

10 Fun Flashlight Games for Kids

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Flashlight games are the perfect way for kids to enjoy the outdoors when the sun goes down.

One great benefit of Cub Scouting is that it gets our kids outside. When the time changes and it get dark earlier, playing outside can be a bit of a challenge. But with these 10 flashlight games for kids (and a little supervision), our Scouts can still enjoy the outdoors.

1. Lightning Bug Flashlight Game

One player gets to be the Lightning Bug. Holding the flashlight, that player goes and finds a hiding place somewhere in the playing area. The other players then go looking for the Lightning Bug.

Every 15 seconds or 30 seconds (you can decide on the appropriate amount of time for your group), the Lightning Bug flashes their flashlight on and off once. When the flashlight goes off, they hurry to find another hiding place.

By flashing the light, the Lightning Bug is giving the other players a chance to alight on the his or her hiding spot. They’ll need to use their intuition to decide where the Bug will hide next.

The person who finds the Lighting Bug gets to be the next Lightning Bug.

2. Shadow Puppet Show

Flashlight games wouldn’t be complete without shadow puppets. Shadow puppets is a great game for the imagination! Whether you are indoors or outdoors, this game will provide hours of entertainment.

Give your kids flashlights, and teach them about shadow puppets. Have your child lay the flashlight down on a table so the light is shining on a wall.

If you’re on a campout, project the light on the side of a tent.

Then decide what the “play” will be about.

Next, it’s showtime! Let them begin placing their hands in different positions to make different animals or people on the wall.

You can also cut out different animals, people, or objects, and glue them on craft sticks. Let their imagination run wild!

3. Shadow Charades

Who doesn’t love a good game of shadow charades?  Think of it as charades meets shadow puppets.

You can play charades with teams, or you can play as individuals. For this game, we’ll assume that one person is acting, and everyone else gets to guess.

An adult or a den chief can be in charge of topics. They can write out the charade topics on slips of paper and put them in a bowl. Each participant then selects a topic to act out.

Alternatively, the person can just whisper the topic to the participant.

Here are some camping-themed charade ideas that you might want to use.

1. Making s’mores
2. Eating s’mores
3. Putting on bug spray
4. Pitching a tent
5. Catching a fish
6. Building a campfire
7. Rolling up a sleeping bag
8. Singing campfire songs
9. Swimming
10. Using a compass

The first participant stands near a wall (or the side of a tent), and the adult or den chief shines a flashlight toward their hands.

The Cub Scout then tries to make shadow puppets on the wall to reflect what they were given to act out. The rest of the den or pack tries to guess what they’re acting out.

4. Flashlight Limbo

The next one of our flashlight games is Flashlight Limbo. Grab a flashlight, and use it like a limbo pole!

Start by pointing a flashlight at a wall or side of a tent. Hold it so that the beam is fairly high up.

Next, have the Scouts try to pass underneath the beam just like you would a limbo pole.

For each round, lower the flashlight some. If a Scout’s body breaks the beam of the flashlight as they pass underneath, they’re out.

5. Scavenger Hunt in the Dark

A scavenger hunt is a great addition to our list of flashlight games. Depending on the ages of the participants, decide how hard or easy your scavenger hunt will be.

Give each player a flashlight, or split up into teams with the team leader being the only one with a flashlight.

Before dark, hide items around the house or yard, just like a regular scavenger hunt.

Or head outside to identify things that the kids should find–rocks, sticks, dead leaves, insects, etc.

Just remember the Outdoor Code. You might want to have the kids just check off that they saw one of the items rather than collecting it to bring back to you.

The children can start the hunt using their flashlights when it’s dark outside!

6. Flashlight Freeze

Let’s see those goofy dance skills for this flashlight game! Turn the music on, and have the Scouts break out their silliest moves to the music.

Have an adult slowly move the flashlight beam around the room. When it hits one of the Scouts, they freeze in place. If they move, they’re out.

7. Morse Code Cracking

Who doesn’t want to be a spy? Print these Morse Code charts, and pass them out to your “spies”. Then tell them to watch for a code to crack.

Have an adult send a Morse Code message with a flashlight to the group. Whoever decrypts the message first wins! 

You can make this even more fun by having a prize. Hide the prize in advance. The message can be its location.

8. Flashlight Follow 

This game is fun for all ages, but especially for the younger kids. Turn your flashlight on and move it around. Have the Scouts try to jump into the circle of light as it moves around the room.

9. Capture the Flag

This game is the most fun in a big, open field with some trees and things to hide behind. Instead of using regular flashlights, have your Scouts wear headlamps.

Divide the space into two sides, and divide the players into two teams.

Each team will hide a flag on their side. The players from the other side must cross over, find, and retrieve the flag. Then they must run it to safety on their side without being tagged by the opposing players.

If they are tagged they must go to “jail.” The other players on their team can get them out of jail by tagging them and running back to the safety of their side without being tagged by the opposing players.

10.

Storytelling

The idea of storytelling with a flashlight is similar to stories around the campfire. Start by having everyone sit in a circle.

The person holding the flashlight is the one telling the story. What they do with the flashlight will depend on the story being told.

A favorite is placing the flashlight under the chin to light up the storyteller’s face. Flashlights can also be used to highlight objects of interest during the course of the story.

Flashlight Games for National Flashlight Day

National Flashlight Day is on December 21st. It’s the same day as the Winter Solstice which is the shortest day, but longest night of the year. 

Will your Cub Scouts enjoy playing these flashlight games on National Flashlight Day?

Yours in Scouting,
Sherry

P.S. Sign up below for more Cub Scout ideas!

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Game Magic Flashlight Zoo Night

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Last price: 395 rubles

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Board Game Magic Lantern Night at the Zoo

How to play?

“Shine” a flashlight into the “darkness” and find out what the night zoo looks like. Who will find the lion first? Who will check if the squirrel is sleeping? And who can list all the animals with the letter “k”?

Contents of the game: a special playing field with the effect of “darkness”, 2 flashlights, 100 cards.

Number of players: 2

Materials: cardboard, plastic

Buy a table game Magic flashlight night in a zoo in Novosibirsk in a store of developing and board games “Games” Pre “.

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Book with flashlight What happens in the dark

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All children are interested in what happens when the lights go out and everyone goes to bed. This book will reveal all the secrets to the baby!

To find out what is happening in the dark, turn on the flashlight, point at the page and pictures will appear.

Features:
Age: from 3 years old
Material: Paper, cardboard, plastic

Dimensions: 16 cm x 1.5 cm x 16 cm

Shipping weight: 57g
Brand Country: China

You can buy a book with a flashlight What happens in the dark in Novosibirsk in the store of educational and board games “Games Pochemuchek”.

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