Fire Pit Games and Things to Do Around a Chiminea on Long Nights

The best games around a fire are the ones you play sitting down and talking: Two Truths and a Lie, Would You Rather, Twenty Questions, a story chain, Who Am I with sticky notes, name-that-tune. You need nothing but people and, for a couple of them, paper and a pen. The one rule: nobody runs around the fire and nothing gets thrown near it.

In November it gets dark early, and a backyard fire often starts before dinner. The fire does what the TV does indoors: people gather, stare at the flames and, after a while, start talking. The games below help an evening get going and keep kids busy without sending them racing around the yard.

Before you play: seating and ground rules

• Chairs in a half circle in front of the mouth. A clay chiminea sends most of its heat out through the mouth, and the hot clay radiates it steadily. In a half circle everyone sees each other and everyone stays warm.
• One adult runs the fire. Only that person adds wood or goes near the chiminea.
• A line kids can see, like the edge of the pavers. Up to there is fine; closer is not.
• Games are played seated. Anything with running, balls or tag moves to the other side of the yard while there’s still daylight.

Fire pit games for kids

• Twenty Questions. One person thinks of an animal, an object or a character; everyone else asks yes-or-no questions to guess it.
• Story chain. One person starts a story with a sentence, the next adds one, and so on around the circle. For little ones, add a rule: every sentence needs an animal.
• Riddles. Everyone brings one or two. Made-up riddles about things in the yard work too.
• Night sounds. Everyone stays quiet for a minute and listens, then each person says what they heard: a bird, a dog, the wind, the fire.
• Shadow puppets. With a flashlight pointed at a wall or a sheet hung well away from the fire, hands become animals. The fire is never used as the light.
• Word chain. Each word has to start with the last letter of the one before. Whoever gets stuck starts the next round.

Fire pit games for adults

• Two Truths and a Lie. Everyone says three things about themselves; the others guess which one is made up. Great with people who only half know each other.
• Who Am I? Each player gets a sticky note on their forehead with a famous name or character and asks questions to work out who they are.
• Would You Rather. Short dilemmas with no right answer, like a fire in the rain or a summer without ice cream. They start long conversations.
• Charades. Act out a movie, a book or a job without words. Big gestures read well in firelight.
• Name that tune. Someone hums the first few notes, the others guess the song. Even better with a guitar.
• Best fire ever. Everyone tells the story of the best night they ever spent around a fire. It fills an evening on its own.

How to tell a campfire story

A story told by the fire doesn’t need effects. It needs pace and a quiet audience.

1. Pick the story for the listeners. With kids, stories about animals, about their parents as children, or about a character who comes back every night work better than scary ones.
2. Speak low. The dark and the fire make people listen; a quiet voice pulls them in.
3. Use pauses. A pause before the big moment does more than a raised voice.
4. Stop before people get tired. A short story told well beats a long one that wanders.
5. Pass it on. When you’re done, someone else may have one.

What not to do while playing

• no waving burning sticks or “drawing” with them in the air;
• no throwing things into the fire as a game: paper, leaves, wrappers;
• no leaning on the chiminea or setting anything on it, during the fire or after;
• no playing with the ashes or the sand in the bowl, even the next day, until an adult has checked they’re cold;
• no pulling chairs closer to get warm; grab a blanket instead.

For a long evening, add wood a little at a time and keep the fire small. Toward the end, stop adding wood and let it burn down to embers. The rest of the rules are in chiminea safety, and snacks to go with the games are in roasting marshmallows in a chiminea.

Our chiminea, in short

Sparkle Stone chimineas are handmade from 100% natural, kiln-fired clay rated for 500-600°C (932-1112°F). They stand 34 in (87 cm) tall on the included tripod stand and come with a protective lid; the fire stays in the bowl and the chimney lifts smoke above the circle. See our clay chimineas or the red ornamented version. They are currently sold out in the US, so the product pages are there for specs and reference prices.

What games can you play around a fire pit?

Games you play sitting down: Twenty Questions, a story chain, riddles, Two Truths and a Lie, Who Am I, Would You Rather, charades and name-that-tune.

What are good fire pit games for adults?

Two Truths and a Lie, Who Am I with sticky notes, Would You Rather, charades, name-that-tune and swapping stories about the best fires you’ve ever sat around.

What can kids do around a fire pit?

Seated games like Twenty Questions, riddles, a story chain, listening for night sounds and shadow puppets with a flashlight, always with an adult by the fire and a clear line they don’t cross.

How do you tell a good campfire story?

Choose a story that suits the listeners, speak quietly, pause before the big moments and finish before people get tired. Then let someone else take a turn.