Fun Youth Basketball Camp Games

Youth basketball camps give kids a chance to learn the basics of the sport or improve their skills. High school and college basketball coaches often host these camps in the community. Basketball skill games with an entertaining format give the kids a chance to develop their dribbling, passing and general basketball skills without the boredom of drills.

Dribble and Defend

This game focuses on defending the ball as you dribble. Give each player a basketball and have them spread out on the court. They should have enough room to move around freely but not so huge of an area that they have trouble reaching one another. Have them start to dribble and as they do, they try to bat balls from other players without having their own balls knocked away. If a player's ball gets knocked away, have him perform a particular task. For example, you might have him do 10 jumping jacks or run up and down a flight of stairs. After completing the task, the player returns to the game.

Dribbling Directions

This game is designed to help players improve their dribbling and ball handling while changing direction. Give each player a ball and space them out along the centerline of the court, facing you. Have your players dribble the balls while keeping their eyes on you. As you move, the players must move in the same direction while maintaining the dribble. Move left, right, to the front and to the back in random orders. Increase the speed of your direction changes as the kids improve. If a player loses his dribble, have him perform a task such performing 10 pushups.

Rapid Fire

Rapid fire is variation of the classic "Around the World" game. Place five small strips of tape on the court to mark five shooting spots around the hoop. The spots should not be farther than 15 feet from the hoop. Designate one player as the shooter and another as the rebounder. The shooter starts at the first spot closest to the baseline. His goal is to make a shot from each spot in the least amount of time. The shooter can't move to the next spot until he has made the shot. The rebounder retrieves each attempt and quickly passes the ball back to the shooter. After the shooter has made a shot from each spot, players reverse roles.

Golf

The goal of this basketball game is to get the lowest score, just like actual golf. The players line up at the free throw line and take turns making the shot. Players earn a point for each attempt it takes to make the shot. If the player misses on the first try, she takes her next shot from wherever she retrieves the ball. This continues until she makes the shot. Set a maximum number of points for each shot to keep the game moving. Play either nine or 18 holes just like a golf game. For more of a challenge, designate a different location for each shot, with some more challenging than others.