Those unforgettable family memories of camping are what we’re after, but afternoons filled with “I’m bored” are what we feel in the moment, am I right?
At a loss on how to keep the kids entertained while camping? This list of 150 fun things to do while camping is here to save the day (and your sanity)!
Whether you’re seasoned campers or just starting out, there’s something here for every family. From campfire stories to nature scavenger hunts, we’ve got plenty to keep the fun going all trip long!
- Hiking
- Biking
- Horse back riding
- Rent a paddle boat
- Canoeing/Kayaking
- Rainbow Scavenger Hunt – Find an item that matches each colour of the rainbow!
- Alphabet Scavenger Hunt – Find an item that starts with each letter of the alphabet
- Build a tipi
- Try all the flavours at the ice cream shop
- Fishing
- Go exploring with a fishing net
- Do a treasure hunt by hiding small items around the campsite for the kids to find
- Water balloon fight
- Water balloon baseball! Don’t have a bat? Use a pool noodle!
- Go to the pool
- Go to the beach
- Catch frogs
- Build a sand castle
- Write your names in the sand along with the date and take a picture!
- Paint some pet rocks
- Build an Inukshuk
- Blow bubbles
- Make a tin can telephone
- Memory game. When sitting around the fire take turns adding to the list of what you would pack for camping. “When I go camping I’m going to bring marshmallows.” Then the next person “When I go camping I’m going to bring marshmallows and chocolate” and so on!
- Chop wood
- Haul wood
- Collect kindling
- Leaf rubbings
- Try some of these phone apps to get your kids outside
- Scope out the historical sites
- Bingo
- Tic Tac toe with sticks and stones
- Build a wind chime with sticks, leaves and stones. Or maybe you can find shells at the beach to use!
- Go berry picking
- Find some cool shapes in the clouds
- Wood whittling
- Identify the birds you hear
- Identify the plants you see
- Star gazing
- Make a wish on a shooting star
- See an outdoor movie
- See an outdoor concert
- Play horseshoes
- Build a slingshot with elastic bands and sticks
- Use those same elastic bands to make a natural paintbrush by attaching different types of foliage to a stick!
- Mini golf
- Play frisbee
- See if there’s a frisbee golf course nearby
- Everybody show off your hoola hooping moves (this is particularly hilarious if the adults get involved!)
- String up the hoola hoops in trees and use them as targets to launch pool noodles through
- Climb a tree
- Make a ring toss game out of glow sticks
- Nature art
- Decorate your very own walking stick with ribbon, yarn, paint, beads, etc.!
- See how many different animal tracks you can find and see if you can figure out who they belong to
- Build a stick tower, how high can you make it?!
- Build a stick raft, does it float?!
- Nature weaving. Lots of beautiful examples here on Pinterest
- Squirt gun race using solo cups. Poke a hole in the bottom of the cup, hang it on a string so that it lays horizontally, now you can squirt water into them to make them slide along the string!
- Play rhythm cups with more solo cups
- Make a fairy garden
- Make a wire wrapping craft with rocks
- Obstacle course. String some rope between trees and see if you can manoeuvre through without touching them
- Play the parachute game but with a beach towel and a beach ball! Better yet use a water balloon and see how many times you can toss it before it breaks!
- Nature names – Use leaves, sticks, etc. to spell out your names!
- Scope out the other sites at the campground. Is there one you’d like to try next time? If so be sure to make a note in your Camping Passport App!
- Enter your current trip in your Camping Passpost App!
- Meet your neighbours
- Do yoga! What better place than the great outdoors?!
- Bring a big piece of fabric the kids can colour. When it’s all filled in frame a piece of it as a souvenir!
- Tell ghost/campfire stories
- Try a new recipe. One of our favourites is ham, swiss cheese and apple pie filling in a sandwich maker over the fire. Yummmm!
- Take a nap!
- Read a good book. One of the most recent books I read which I LOVED was “Wild” by Cheryl Strayed.
- Enjoy a nice peaceful morning coffee outdoors. Don’t rush, there’s no hurry to get anywhere!
- Sing songs around the campfire, bonus if somebody has a guitar!
- Go on a photography walk, how creative can you get?! Remember to change your perspective, get down low to try to imagine how the ants and spiders see things, get up high for a bird’s eye view!
- Skip rocks
- Watermelon eating contest. Great way to meet the neighbours, ask if they want to join you!
- Fill a basin of water and go bobbing for apples.
- String apples up in a tree and see who can take the first bite, do this blindfolded for added difficulty!
- Make campfire banana splits! Leaving the peel on, cut the banana length wise, stuff it full of chocolate chips, marshmallows, peanut butter, any other topping you can think of… wrap in tin foil and place over the fire to melt! When it’s ready eat with a spoon!
- Make campfire cones! Same as above but this time use waffle or sugar cones. The stuffing possibilities are endless!
- Pick wildflowers
- Make a flower crown
- Play cards
- Play boardgames
- Have extra packing room? Bring some lawn games like Giant Jenga or Yardzee
- Visit the visitor centre
- Play balloon tennis using blown up balloons and fly swatters
- Put on a puppet show
- Make a grateful journal
- Fly a kite
- Roll down a hill
- Play in a river
- Collect river rocks
- Play charades
- Find a farmer’s market
- Bean bag toss
- Play hide and seek
- Collect bugs
- Go for ice cream again!
- Make a lemonade stand
- Go on a picnic
- Do a random act of kindness such as haul wood for somebody!
- Make your own little spa, soak your toes in warm water while enjoying your favourite drink!
- Visit a waterfall
- Dance in the rain
- Jump in puddles
- Feed the ducks
- Play beach volleyball
- Learn a card trick
- Learn a magic trick
- Make a nature bird feeder! Tie string around a pinecone, roll in suet or lard, cover in birdseed and hang in a tree for the birds to enjoy!
- Put on a talent show (you’ve been working on that hoola hooping right?!)
- String together pop can tabs to make a bracelet
- Collect bottle caps and make a wind chime out of them
- Set up a pyramid of cans and try knocking them over with a ball or use a pool noodle like a javelin to knock them over.
- Set up lawn bowling with empty cans
- Play catch
- Tubing
- Waterskiing
- Float down a river in a tube
- Invent a new drink
- Try paddle boarding
- Try yoga paddle boarding!
- Find a Parks Canada Red Chair and take a picture with it!
- Move out of the camper one night and sleep under the stars!
- See some fireworks
- Go white water rafting
- Wake up super early and watch the sun rise
- Stay up late and watch the sun set
- Go to a petting zoo
- Make a list of 150 things you love about Canada!
- Build a campfire
- Practice lighting a fire without using matches or a lighter
- Wherever you are, take a moment to check in. Take a deep breath, be grateful, enjoy the moment!
- Roast marshamallows
- Make S’mores
- Make Bannock in a Bag! Before leaving home, put 3 cups of flour, 2 tbsp. baking soda and half of a tsp. of salt into a large Ziploc bag. Seal and shake. When you’re ready on site add half of a cup of lard or softened butter and 1.5 cups of water and then while still in the bag have the kids squish it all together. Now you can either bake for 15-20 minutes in foil packs (sprayed with non-stick spray or oil) over the fire or wrap around a hot dog and bake it that way!
- After dark give the kids some sparklers to play with
- Visit a look out point
- Take the kids to the park
- Go on a leisurely walk and see where you end up. You’re camping, no need to be anywhere at any specific time!
- Even if you have a camper do the dishes outside! We always do and it makes this boring task way more fun!
- Get out the colouring books, this can be relaxing and some good down time for kids and even “kids at heart” as well!
- Put the kids to bed!
- Have a drink by the fire, maybe sneak another snack that you didn’t want the kids to have!
- Sleep!! Maybe even sleep in a little, but not too much so that you can…
- Wake up and do it all over again!!
What’s your favourite camping activity?
