Camping with Kids: 16 Games and Activities

Camping with your kids can be lots of fun. They usually do not require much entertainment, but it is good to have a few activities on hand to help create some extra special memories for the family. Here are 16 ideas we have that will make your time more memorable and exciting!

1. Bow and Arrow : We have a bow and arrow set for our kids that is ONLY a camping activity. They look forward to using it each time. It will require some adult supervision as they learn how to properly use it. Here is a Bow and Arrow set that I recommend for kids. Your kid will feel like Katnis for sure!

2. Board games and cards: Take along Memory, cards or any other game that can be played easily at the picnic table. Memory Match games are often less than $6. Keep an eye out for games at yard sales or thrift store if you want to save even more. 12 deck card sets  can be found for $14 or less (that’s only $1.16 per deck!), or get one playing card deck for under $3. Cards are easy to pack and you can play many different games with them!

3. Painting rocks: Paint, brushes, and rocks from around camp make for a fun afternoon of creating! You could even let them paint sticks! You do not have to worry about them spilling paint! It is okay to spill it out in the woods!

4. Nature Walk with a camera: Let the kids snap photos while you take a nature walk. You can hand them your cell phone or get them one of these kid cameras. Either way they will love to just go around and take pictures. They will stop and want to capture every flower, every bug, and anything else they seem to find cool!

5. Make Ice Cream: Here is a new and fun idea! An ice cream ball! A friend of mine has one and their family loves it. The kids make a fun game tossing around the ball and they LOVE having a yummy treat after their game! 🙂

6. Play Tent: This idea is ingenious! Give the kids a play tent. They can keep their books in here or toys and you do not have to worry about them tracking dirt in on their clothes or bedding. Kids love having quiet time in the tent, getting away from the bugs, or just relaxing.

7. Activity Bag: Pack a bag with some fun activities to keep the kids busy: Bubbles, cards (Camping Spot It is one of our favorites!), crayons/coloring books. Leave the bag in their play tent and let them play with whatever toys they wish!

8. Ladder Golf: This is one of our favorite camping games. It is fun for all ages. You can make your own or buy a portable kit like this one that I have –>> Ladder Golf. It is totally worth it to have one. My kids never get bored with it and it is a game that the whole family can play.

9. Corn Hole: This is our families new favorite game! Everyone can play for hours! It comes with a great carrying case so we expect to be taking it on many adventures this year. You can make your own like my brother did or you can get one here –>> Corn Hole!

10. Treasure Hunt: Make a list of items for your kids to find on a nature walk or near the campsite. Things like, bird feather, pine cone, brown leaf, flat rock, hiking stick, etc. My family loves to make things a competition, so why not separate boys vs girls and head out to see who can accomplish the task the soonest.

11. Bring Your Balls: Every time we go camping we like to bring along some basic sports equipment, soccer ball, football, volleyball, frisbee, baseball and mitt. You can get a game going or just play catch with a few people.

12. Bikes, Trikes & Scooters: If you have room for them kids love to ride their bikes around the campground. We went camping with a group once that brought one of these and the kids loved it!

13. Flashlight Tag: This is the perfect activity of kids while camping. Once it gets dark, give each one a flash light and make sure to set boundaries. Do not let them go too far away! Let them play hide and go seek in the dark. This will entertain them until bedtime while the adults can just chat around the campfire.

14. Nature Tic-Tac-Toe: Let your kids build their own tic-tac-toe board. It will take them a good while to find enough sticks and two different objects for the X’s and O’s. My kids love to do pine cones and rocks. Once they make their board, they will be able to play for hours.

15. Bubbles: I usually am a little hesitant to let my kids use bubbles. I know they are super fun but, it always ends up getting everywhere and leaving sticky, soapy residue everywhere you look. But, when your in the woods, let them play with as many bubbles as they would like! I love to designate  a specific area and just leave the bubble wands and solution there. Every time they want to play, all they have to do is head over to the specified spot and play away!

16. Firewood Stacking: I would make sure each child has a pair of gloves before letting them do this, but why not let them play with the firewood before you burn it. Let them stack it, build forts, make up games, or do whatever! You’d be amazed how much wood would entertain kids.

These are just 16 of thousands activities that you can do with kids while camping. These 16 are the first ones I turn to with my kids and they never end up bored. What I love the most about it is camping should be a time of relaxation and getting in tune with nature. Most of these activities require our kids to use their imagination and be active! That is such an important thing to me and I love seeing my kids enjoy nature.

• Get more tips for camping with kids.
• Check out our favorite Camping Recipes.