When it comes to camping with kids, parents have two main questions. The first one is when to start camping with kids.
And this is an easy one. The sooner you start camping with your kids, the better. It is never too early to get your kids outside. Now, each age has its own challenges and rewards.
But the second question is the harder and more challenging one. How do you keep your kids busy while camping? Well, luckily for you, we have a couple of activities you can try.
There are always simple chores you can assign to your kids. For example, tinder gathering. And then there are games, scavenger hunts, and even learning and educational activities. Read on.
1. Smores Cups
We start off with a fun activity you can use to bond with your kids. And then there are lots of tasty stuff inside. Your kids will love it.
2. Nature Tic-Tac-Toe
Tic tac toe is a fun and easy game to play. It is one of the oldest games you can think of. And in the nature, you can adjust the game to work to your favor and environment. Grab some chestnuts, write X and O on them, and play on a wood table. Fun, isn’t it?
3. Nature Weaving Craft and Solar Oven Smores
There are so many benefits to this activity. For starters, your girls learn how to weave. Educational crafts are the best. And then, you can use the sun (solar energy) to roast your smores. What is there not to like?
4. Nature Paint Brushes
Do you know how many crafts you can make in the nature? Thousands, if not hundreds of thousands. Many of the modern crafts you see originate in the nature. So, with that in mind, we have some natural brushes. Yes, they will not paint as regular brushes. But that is the fun part. You want to see how unique and weird painting you will get.
5. Paper Plate Ping Pong
Let your imagination free. Release your creative spirit. And suddenly, you will see there are lots of activities you can try in the nature. Yes, even sports. You can easily create ping pong equipment in the nature. And play outside. The fresh air will keep you refreshed while you play.
6. Nature Sculpture
Making sculptures from everything you find in woods is a fun and creative activity. You encourage your mind to think more and think outside of the box. For this sculpture, we have some leaves on stones. But we are sure you can come up with more ideas?
7. Spring Scavenger Hunt
Definitely one of the best camping activities. Scavenger hunt is a fan-favorite. Kids of all ages love it. Adults love it. It is a great bonding activity. The biggest challenge is to come up with the path, secrets, and puzzles to solve. Luckily for you, we have a ready to play scavenger hunt.
8. Gods Eye Craft
God’s eye is one of the fan-favorite crafts in summer camps. And now you can teach your kids how to make it. It is a weaving typically made with wood and many different colors of yarn. The more colors you use, the better. Think of it as a perfect little craft. All you need for this mess-free craft is yarn and two wooded sticks. Have some fun.
9. Floating Acorn Candles
Do you have lots of acorns in your yard? Are you looking for a simple, yet interesting acorn project? Well, we are here to help you. What about these adorable candles? They look amazing floating in a bowl of water.
10. Walking Sticks Craft
We talked before how you can use nature’s ingredients to paint. Well, you can paint on things you find outside. For example, let your mind free and paint these sticks.
11. Paper Plate Frisbee
This is an activity you can try anywhere outside. But during camping, you have even more space. Imagine a spacious greenery. Spread around and play with the frisbee.
12. Camping Lantern From A Water Bottle
The best part about this activity is you can make it together with your kids. Crafting is always a fun thing to do. And a lantern is a necessary item in the woods. You want to keep some light at night.
13. Sponge Boat Crafts
If you go camping near a river, you can let some boats flow down the river. All you need is some spare sponge for the water boats.
14. Pinecone Rose
Mothers, grandmothers, they all love receiving homemade cards from their children and grandchildren. Well, now while you are on your camping trip, you can make some pinecone rose cards. It is an easy nature craft, and we have the tutorial for it.
15. Painted Pet Rocks
Painting rocks is a great nature activity. All you need is some smooth rocks/pebbles, paintbrushes, paints, and spray varnish. Here is a tutorial to turn these tiny rock pets into a repurposed mint tin to sleep. Sweet and useful.
16. Garbage Bag Kite
Kitting is one of the most interesting outdoor activities. For your camping trip, we have an idea how to make a kite out of garbage bag. In the mountains, you usually have a windy weather. And that is a perfect environment for kitting.
17. Rainbow Binoculars
Fair warning: These binoculars will not zoom in or zoom out. But they are just fun to carry around and play. All you need is some used paper towel. Paint them however you like. We love the rainbow pattern. It is cheerful and magical.
18. Magical Stick Wands
We know kids always dream about being something or someone else. Does your kid want to be a fairy? A wizard? Or a magical princess? Well, with these magical sticks, your kids can be anything they like. They will love playing, and might even try turn someone to a frog.
19. Chestnut Animals
We talked before how you can play Tic Tac Toe using chestnuts. Well, here is another thing to do with them. You will find loads of chestnuts in the forest. And here we have a couple of tutorials to turn them into your favorite animal.
20. Camp Craft Leaf Jewelry
What is one item you have in abundance in the forest? Well, leaves, of course. Well, time to finish our list of camping activities and crafts for kids. We recommend making some jewelry. You can make bracelets, earrings, and everything else in between.
We would love to hear your feedback about our ideas. Have you tried any of them? What is something you want to try? And is there something we left out, but you think should be on the list?
