15 Fun Camping Activities for Kids
If you are looking for cool ideas for keeping your kiddos busy on your next camp out, check out these fun camping activities for kids – from rainbow fire to rainbow rocks, there’s something for everyone!
Kids love to explore the great outdoors, and camping is an excellent way to spend time in nature, being active, learning about the environment and making treasured family memories.
RELATED: If it’s your first time camping as a family be sure to check out our printable Family Camping Checklist.
15 Fun Camping Activities for Kids
1. Bug catching kits
An inexpensive bug catching kit is perfect for kids when they’re camping. Let them hunt for and examine the bugs around where you are camping, before setting them free again.
We love these cool bug catchers for kids;
2. Make Your own mini microscope
This simple DIY microscope is perfect for making from a plastic cup or bottle while camping, allowing your child to examine all of the teeny tiny living things they find outdoors.
3. Make Leaf Puppets
Take a leaf hunt and then add faces onto your choice of leaves with a permanent marker. Use these impromptu leaf puppets to make up a story and put on a show!
4. Use a field guide to learn more about nature
With kid friendly field guides available about trees, wildflowers, birds, amphibians, fish, mammals and insects, there is sure to be a field guide related to your camping trip. Use our tips to find out more about the Best Field Guides for kids and how to use them.
5. Host a paper plane challenge
Have fun folding paper planes and then host a family tournament to judge longest time in air, furthest distance flown, most creative plane and most dramatic nose dive!
6. Make campfire hot dogs on a stick
Helping to cook on the campfire is a great way for children to learn to be safe around fire and it is lots of fun too. Find more camp cooking ideas in our post – 9 Easy Family Camping Meals.
7. Try rock painting
Gather some pebbles or stones and paint them with colorful designs. When you are done, you can hide them in the woods for other hikers to find. Not only are they fun to make, they are fun to hide and find and well! Head to the dollar store for some craft paint and paint brushes to make this an inexpensive activity everyone can enjoy. Or try paint pens as an easier camping option.
8. Nature Picture Game
Have fun making pictures with natural elements – this activity is great for practising counting with younger children too.
9. Scavenger Hunt
Invite your children to use all of their senses to learn more in nature with our free printable Five Senses Scavenger Hunt.
10. Color Hunt
Invite children to look closely at the colors, textures and shapes of what they find around the campsite with this simple Rainbow Outdoor Scavenger Hunt.
11. Decorate your own marshmallow toasting or s’more stick
Take a hike and find the perfect marshmallow/s’mores roasting sticks. Use craft paint, washi tape and ribbon to decorate the sticks with all sorts of color and designs. This way each child will know which stick is theirs when it’s time to roast your camping treats.
RELATED: For more like this, check out our fun collection of 20 Ways to Play with Sticks.
12. Play Flashlight Tag
Choose one family member to be the tagger, giving them a flash light. Then play tag as you normally would, except in this version the tagger uses the light of the flashlight to “tag” people. Once a player is caught by the light they are out, and play continues until everyone has been caught. The final player becomes the next tagger.
For more fabulous camping games to play as a family that use little or no equipment, check out our collection of the best family camping games.
13. Pack some glow sticks
Head to the dollar store before you leave on your camping trip to grab some glow sticks that will light up the night with color. Glow sticks are so fun to use on evening hikes, around the campfire, or even for nighttime reading and relaxation. You can even fill a gallon jug with water and drop a few activated sticks in to create a gorgeous glow!
14. Fireside journaling
Give your children a notebook and some markers and invite them to journal each night as you sit by the campfire. Have them write about their adventures, draw pictures of things they saw and share their thoughts on camping in general. The end result will make a fabulous camping keepsake.
See our pick of the best journals in this post – 25 Best Journals for Tweens & Teens.
15. Add a little color to your campfire
Add some magical flames color changing dust to your campfire and watch the beautiful the flames burn! The dust is easy to use and can just be tossed in the fire, where it will turn the flames a rainbow of colors!
Before you head out on your next camping adventure, try one of these fun camping ideas for kids. They are a great way to pass the time while enjoying the great outdoors as a family!
More family camping fun
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