FUN CAMPING GAMES FOR KIDS
Camping is all about being in a new and nature-filled environment! Why play games on a camping trip that you can play at home? The best games while camping is those unique to your outdoor setting. If you follow my blog, you know I LOVE camping. Most of the time my kids entertain themselves or we go swimming. At times though, it is wonderful to have fun camping games for kids (and the whole family) ready to go in case boredom sinks in.
Camping is a fun and exhilarating experience for kids and adults alike. It is all about enjoying the great outdoors, relaxing, and taking in the sights, as well as enjoying fun and games. There are many fun games that require nothing more than imagination and a few basic items to make the most of the camping experience.
CAMPING GAMES FOR KIDS
Looking for some fun camping games for kids? Here are a few of our favorites! These games are perfect for keeping kids entertained while you’re outdoors. So, pack up the family and get ready for some fun!
Camping Games and Activities
Stories And Singing
No camping excursion is complete without a good singing session. Sitting around a campfire enjoying singing can be fun for all involved. Storytelling is equally as fun and everyone can partake. Time around the campfire provides the perfect opportunity for family fun and a good time to bond. These moments create happy lifelong memories. Singing brings a happy feeling which can release stress. Telling stories can be fun or scary depending on what is preferred. Singing and storytelling are great fun activities for all the family.
Mix it up and play Name that Tune. Start humming a song and see who can guess it first.
How about karaoke? No microphone is needed – just fire up a song on your phone and start belting out the music. If you have internet service, search YouTube for karaoke versions of your favorite songs.
Treasure Hunts
Kids are inquisitive and love to explore, being in the great outdoors provides the perfect place to hunt for treasure. Exploring is educational and fun and it gets kids active. Play traditional treasure hunt by hiding certain items and setting up clues.
Alternatively, go on a camping scavenger hunt for unusual items that may be found in the great outdoors. Try a nature scavenger hunt. Searching for items can be fun and can lead to healthy competition, as each person tries to find the item first. This can be a great way to discover new and interesting things, and it gets kids interested in nature.
If I am feeling lazy, sometimes we will set up a photo scavenger hunt. I give each player or team a phone. I text them a list of what photos to find. When they take the picture, they text it back to me, and then I provide the next clue. This is a new twist on a classic game. Younger kids love it because of the novelty of the phone.
Scavenger Hunts – Physical Activity and Visual Skill Practice
Circle Games
Circle games are age-old favorites for outside fun. Play the alphabet game. Sit in a circle. Begin with one player saying what he will bring to camp that begins with the letter A. The next player must say something that begins with the letter B. Continue through the alphabet. This is a fun game to play around the campfire or picnic table.
You can also try a game of circle tag where one player is “it” and walks around the outside of the circle. Eventually, he tags a player in the circle. The tagged player must chase “it” around the circle. If the tagger reaches the empty spot without being tagged, the chaser is now “it.”
Camp Chat 50 Questions to Ask Around the Campfire
Fun Camping Games for Kids with Teams
Packing a Frisbee offers many opportunities for fun on a camping trip. Find an open field or meadow and have a touch football game or ultimate Frisbee game. Try Frisbee baseball with homemade bases. In Frisbee baseball, there is no pitcher — only the batter who throws the Frisbee. Go for a game of Frisbee basketball. Simply use a box, a bucket, or just a circle made with rope for the goal. No running with the Frisbee and, of course, no dribbling.
How about running bases? Two players are on a team and they throw the ball back and forth. This was one of my all-time favorite running games to play as a kid. You need at least four people to play with and a ball. Read how to play Running Bases.
If you have an open space and larger crowd, try a game of Spud.
Relays
Relay races are fun and require little equipment. The sky is the limit with relays. It can be simple games or more complex. Think three-legged races, potato sack race, hopping on one foot, skipping down and back, or dribbling a soccer ball down and back. No potato sacks, no problem. How about using a sleeping bag?
Try balancing relays where the participants have to balance a large object in or on a small object while they take their turn. An egg in a spoon is an old favorite.
Try a relay race in the dark using glow sticks. Line up your team and pass the glow sticks over your head. The person at the back of the line runs to the front of the line with the glow stick and pass it over the heads again. Repeat until every person has had a turn running to the front. Read more games to play in the dark here.
Exploration Fun Camping Games for Kids
Kids love to explore and learn about their environment! Start with a game where everyone collects the most unusual item from your campsite that you did not bring with you. Then each person has to tell a story (real or imagined) about that item.
It’s great to have with you a book that will help you identify plants and animals (at least their tracks) from the area. The game can turn into a teaching time without anyone noticing.
Sports
Playing sports is a family activity that can be enjoyed by all, and it can get everyone active and energized. There are many different sports that can be played. Determine which games are preferred by the family. Knowing which games are favored will ensure that everyone will partake, and less equipment will need to be packed. This fun family activity is a great way to share time together whilst getting some exercise.
Examples of sports and lawn games for kids of all ages for when we are camping are:
- wiffle ball
- kick ball
- shuffle board
- bocce ball
- corn hole
- beach volleyball and more!
Builder Games
Fort-building is an activity loved by kids around the world. The best thing about this game is that it is very open-ended. A campsite is the absolute best place to play this because of all the natural materials just waiting to be used. Kids can divide into teams and each builds a shelter. Then an impartial judge can test for warmth, comfort, and even which is the most waterproof! You can even play this on a rainy day or a hot summer day.
Imitating Games
Another great game is to imitate the sounds of nature you hear around you. As the sun begins to set, gather and let each person try to identify and/or imitate a sound from nature.
Kids will also enjoy a camping version of the game “Marco Polo”. It’s called “Bat and Moth”. Stand in a dark clearing, everyone in a circle. Two people are selected as the “bat” and the “moth”. Each player invents and practices the sound that an animal might make. Whenever the “bat” makes his signature sound, the “moth” must respond. Both players are free to run anywhere within the circle of people, and now the “bat” tries to tag the “moth!” Since it’s dark, the only way of finding each other is through sound!
Waiting Games – Encourage Self Regulation and Creativity
Night Games
Flashlights can be used for more than just finding your way in the dark. Play “flashlight tag” where “it” has a flashlight and tries to tag the other players with the beam of light and call their names. Tell spooky stories around a campfire. Play “sardines” where only one player hides in the beginning. After a designated time, everyone goes to look for her. As each player finds the hider, he must join her in the hiding place, eventually making it very crowded. The last person to find the hiding place is “it” in the next round. Read more outdoor games in the dark here.
Amazing Race – Fun Camping Games for Kids
This is one of our favorite fun camp games to play. We divide up into two teams and create different challenges. Some examples are:
- catch a fish
- find a frog
- take a picture with another camper
- collect three pinecones and four rocks in an empty bucket
- start a fire
- kayak to a specific location and back
- or any other idea that can work with your location and group based on skill levels.
On GO the teams start and try to complete each of the camping activities. The first team to complete all the tasks is the WINNER!
Camping Ideas for Families – the ULTIMATE bundle
Do you love to camp with your family? This Camping Ideas for Families bundle includes games and puzzles that are super fun to entertain children of all ages.
Includes the following digital resources available for immediate download following payment so it will be ready to go for your next camping trip or even right now!
Camping Games and Activities Packet…
Board Games
Board games are a must have when we are camping for those rainy days or on mornings where the kids wake up early. Some of our favorites are:
- Guess Who?
- Chinese Checkers
- Chutes and Ladders
- Mancala
- Backgammon
- Bingo (we play this every Saturday night at our campground)
These are games we only play camping so it makes them even more fun!
Camping Bingo Printable Game
The Best Fun Camping Games for Kids – Card Games
We have been camping for over ten years with our six children. By far, playing a card game is what we always enjoy. It is the perfect way to spend time if it is raining, too buggy out, or you just need a little family time. We play:
- Rummy
- Double Solitaire
- Spades
- Hearts
- Pinochle
- Feudal Lords
- Monopoly Deal (our current favorite)
- Uno (great for younger children)
- Crazy Eights and more!
Read more about the five best card games to play with your kids.
Camping provides a great time to explore nature and have fun playing games together as a family, which can be a highlight of the experience. It provides an ideal opportunity for family time. There is so much to explore and do, and many traditional games can be enjoyed. Ensure kids are active and hydrated, and that they have as much fun as possible. Enjoy playing camping games, and creating happy memories with family.
Years of city life can change our way of thinking about what games are fun. Resist the temptation to re-create your normal life while camping, and enjoy activities that will live forever in your memory, connected to that place! The best games for camping trips are camping games!
