It’s not often that I hear the words ‘I’m bored’ when camping, but sometimes it does happen and it’s good to have some ideas of fun camping games for kids to share. Depending on your space, the time of day and how many kids are involved there are lots of ideas for camping activities that will bring some fun and laughter in to your family camping holiday.
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9 Fun camping games for kids:
Ball games
Lots come under this category so my tip for you is to bring a fairly lightweight football sized ball that can be used for lots of things and potentially a smaller ball too.
Football, rounders (bring a bat if you like this game), tennis, piggy in the middle and just general throwing/kicking/catching practice is good fun.
Circus skills
Camping and being outdoors is a great time to introduce a fun camping activity which mine have loved – circus skills! From juggling to wandering around on stilts the wide open spaces make this one a really good option.
Our favourite has been juggling balls (or bean bags), plastic stilts and poi (balls on strings that you swing around).
Hoop tossing
Get a hoop, put something on the ground (maybe a can or a bottle?) and see if you can throw it on to it. Really good for developing hand to eye co-ordination and all ages can have a go.
Frisbee
Frisbees are great for taking camping and it’s something that even young children can learn to use and fly. Why not have a game to see who can throw it the furthest? Or if there’s a few people, maybe a game of Ultimate Frisbee? If you go camping with your dog, perhaps you can involve him!
Nature scavenger hunt
Kids love searching for things so why not incorporate that into a game that they’ll love – a scavenger hunt! You can of course make these hunts with all sorts of themes, perhaps look for colours for really little ones or go for a nature walk and see if you can find lots of bugs, birds and flowers!
Skipping
Another skill that can be honed with the long days outdoors is skipping. It can take a while to get the hang of but that’s great for kids who perhaps are playing on their own and need to occupy themselves. Longer skipping ropes can be used with more people – do you remember any skipping songs from when you were little?
Tag
Needing no specialist equipment tag is a perfect camping game for kids. You don’t even need that many kids, the rules are simple, even adults can join in and it won’t be confusing for them!
Bubble blowing
Blowing bubbles can keep almost all children happy from little babies right down to teens (they might not admit it but they’ll still enjoy it! See who can blow the biggest one and have fun trying to catch them! Keep them away from people’s tents if possible as the mixture can ruin the waterproofing.
I-Spy
Finally, a fun game that can keep the kids close by, perhaps if it’s getting closer to bed and it’s time to settle down and is good for all ages. It can be played in the tent, outside the tent, while eating, you name it!
For more camping tips with kids see here.