Our family has discovered a love of camping and for now, let me just state that it really is glamping because I do not do tent camping, at least…not yet. We like to stay in RVs or cabins, but traveling to a camp ground or lake house is what we love! Going in the Spring or Fall is my personal favorite, when the weather is just perfect and we can spend a lot of time outdoors. We love family camping trips!
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On a perfect family camping trip with kids, we will spend all day outdoors fishing, hiking, and cooking our food over the campfire. In the real world, there is a lot of downtime and it is important to have things planned for times when half of the family wants to rest, the fish aren’t biting, the weather is not cooperating, or the sun goes down before everyone is ready for bed. I have compiled a list of fun ideas to do with the kids on your family camping trip, especially for those times! Check out these camping must haves.
If you have a travel Blackstone griddle for camping, try out these delicious Blackstone recipes for your next camping trip!
Travel Games
Games like the 6-in-1 Travel magnetic games® is great for the car ride, but also can be played at the campsite or cabin and doesn’t take up much room at all. Simply turn the knobs to switch between Checkers, Chess, Backgammon, Parcheesi, Chinese Checkers, and Snakes and Ladders.
Also pictured above is the i-Top™. All you need is a table top, bench, or even a concrete slab to have endless fun. This cool plastic top has LEDs that count the number of spins. You can unlock hidden features and compete in multiple challenges.
Another fun idea is Charades for Kids! With three levels of clues, each card has one pictured clue, so no reading is required (although the combination of the picture and its corresponding word reinforces early reading skills). Younger players can act out a toothbrush, a cat or a bumblebee. Older children can read the simple words and phrases and act out actions like eating spaghetti or playing guitar! It’s a great game for the whole family.
Check out this post for insuring a campervan if you want to take camping to the next level!
Check out these fun camping accessories!
Fun Games for Kids
If you have extra room in the car, packing a few board games or other games for kids is a great idea. Our four year old is really loving Shark Bite and the older kids love the Game of Life – Pets edition!
Food Challenges
Our boys are ALL ABOUT food challenges on YouTube, so I decided to secretly pack away some chips and have a “Chip Challenge” while camping in a cabin recently. They LOVED it and I filmed it all! See the full video here.
Geocaching
I was amazed to find out how many people go geocaching! It’s such a fun way to explore as a family. See my full post on geocaching with kids.
Fishing for Kids
If fishing is on the agenda, make it easier for both you and the kids with the Rocket Fishing Rod.
Sports Games
Plastic Bottle Bowling is a fun game to play when the weather is nice, and only takes a few items like old beverage bottles, a ball, and some food coloring!
Water Soccer is great for those hot days on the campsite. We played this at home, but it’s easy to transport on your camping trip. All you need is water, the Goliath beach soccer ball, and for extra fun, a tarp and some baby soap.
Water games are always a hit! The Goliath Hydro Zoom Ball is best for older kids 8 and up, but it is lots of fun! The ball zooms between the two players and the water balloon inside will randomly pop!
We have found that packing a football, soccer ball, and a frisbee always prove to be a good idea on camping trips and vacations. These are the easiest things to pull out and play with, if weather is good! And if you have an older child and time to devote one on one, a bow and arrow is something you can practice with if you have a wide open space with no possibility of people walking around.
The boys love any type of active competitive games, so they love Connect 4 Shots!
Singing and Dancing
Sometimes it is fun just to have a family dance party or a karaoke party with the family! And what better songs to jam to than these songs about family!?
What is your favorite thing to do while camping with kids?
To get your kids ready for their first camping trip, try a backyard camping experience first!
