Camping is one of those exciting outdoor adventures that help you bond and explore with your friends and family. While deciding on a good camping site, make sure you keep in mind that the place can provide some fun camping activities for families. To help you get a fair idea, we have listed down some interesting ones to get you started! We have also added some fun outdoor game ideas to make it all the more memorable for you and your family!
Fun Camping Activities for Families
When it comes to outdoor camp activities, the location and surroundings of the campsite play a crucial role. Camping is often more fun when done by a lake or a place that offers some hiking trails. Also, picking a time of the year and a place that offers great weather and clear skies is important to be able to make the most of it! Let’s have a look at a few of the outdoor camp activities you can indulge in on an ideal camping trip!
- Fishing – If you choose to camp by the side of a lake, it not only provides a great view but also makes for some interesting fishing time. Whether it is your first time teaching the kids, or you are a pro at fishing, the possibility and anticipation of catching a fish is too exciting for everyone young and old!
- Kayaking – With lake-side camping, you can also relish the tranquil waters by kayaking or boating. You can do this early morning or early evening, to enjoy the cool crisp air along with the gentle ripples of the slow-moving water. Make sure you are confident about venturing out into the water, with all the safety gear in place.
- Collecting Treasures – The beautiful aspect of camping is exploring the woods and outdoors. You can have paper bags and small boxes in place for the kids to venture about and collect stones, pebbles, twigs, leaves, acorns, fruits, and heaps of giggles and stories on the way!
- Hiking – Camping is often coupled with exploring the surrounding trails. Ensure that you know the terrain around the campsite to come prepared with proper hiking gear to make the most of your explorations. You can set out in teams of 3-4 people and take different paths to reach a common point. This way you would have more insight and experience to add to your camping trip!
- Cycling – Some campsites offer lovely natural trails in plains and meadows. That’s when you can set out cycling to explore as much as you can. Carry a few essentials like water, a compass, a camera, and a phone (not necessarily) with you, to get you back to base in time, even if you have wandered far and wild.
- Stargazing – One of the dreamiest and easiest camping activities is just to lay down a blanket on the ground, plop it up with some cushions, and simply lie down watching the stars twinkling in the clear night sky. Away from the hustle and smog of cities, as you take time to trace constellations, you can let yourself bask in the vast glory of the universe.
- Bonfire – After exploring the terrain in the daytime, as the evening sets in, it changes the camping ambience altogether! Lighting up a bonfire, and huddling around it, with drinks, barbeque, stories, and music, makes for one wholesome experience! You can bring out your guitars, strum and dance to your favourite tunes, or bring out the creepy stories to keep everyone hooked, nonetheless, making for special memories filled with joy and laughter!
Now that you have explored all possible camping activities, let’s armour you with some fun outdoor game ideas to make sure you have a memorable experience!
Outdoor Fun Games for Family
- Frisbee – When it comes to outdoor fun, one cannot go wrong with a game of frisbee. Just that one piece of budget-friendly equipment and ample space to play is all you need to have fun with your friends and family! Make teams and record catches and misses to amp up the game further!
- Sack Race – Now, who doesn’t love the potato sack race? But here, you can use your sleeping bags instead! Simply zip yourself up halfway up to your waist, and hold onto the sleeping bag, as you race to the finishing line! Make sure it is a flat and even surface, to avoid injuries for kids and younger children.
- Badminton – This is another no-brainer! Get some rackets and a stack of corks, play in singles or doubles, and make sure you keep a scoreboard! Morning, afternoon, evening, or under camp lights, you are bound to have a fun time in the wilderness!
- Flashlight Tag- This game is an upgraded version of hide-and-seek, and the fun part is that you can play it in the dark! While everyone finds their hiding spots, the seeker goes around with his flashlight, using it to tag the ones hiding! Make sure this is done under adult supervision, as the kids may wander off their path in the dark.
- Campsite Pictionary – Sitting by the bonfire or gazing at the lake, all you need is a stick and some loose soil or sand, to draw your masterpiece. You can be wild with your ideas and objects that you draw while giving your friend a chance to guess what you are trying to sketch!
- Skip Stones – If your campsite is by a lake or pond, this one game is a natural must! Spend some time collecting a few perfectly flat rocks, and hurl them across the lake one at a time! The one with the most distance covered or the most number of skips across gets to win this fun challenge!
- Scavenger Hunt – How can a camping trip be complete without some scavenger hunt? Make a list of things that the kids need to look for in the wilderness. Add details like colour, shape, number, or particular kinds of birds, leaves, or fruits for the kids to spot and tick off their list!
- Simon Says – When you find the kids getting bored or too excited, this is a perfect game to grab their attention and keep them engaged in a fun way! One player becomes “Simon” and gives simple and short instructions for the rest of the group to enact! For example- touch your nose, clap your hands, jump up high, etc. The players who do it wrong, miss it, or act even when Simon says” is not mentioned, are moved from the game.
- Uno -This is one of those classic card games which can keep young and adults busy anytime! Everyone takes turns to match the cards with colour or numbers trying to get rid of all their cards as fast as possible! When they have one card remaining they have to announce “Uno” to let others know they are close to winning! Watch out for the +2, +4, reverse, and skip cards that can turn the game anyway anytime!
With all the camping activities and outdoor game ideas listed above, we are sure that you can now look forward to your next camping trip with renewed fervour and enthusiasm! Remember camping in the outdoors is all about making fun memories and there is no one particular way of making the most of it!
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