Camping Games

For long evenings around the camp fire, camping games are a great way to keep the family entertained.

A family camping trip can be a great opportunity to relax and enjoy yourselves together. However, there’s a pretty good chance that at some point during the trip, the kids are likely to get bored with the traditional camping activities of fishing, hiking, swimming and boating. When this happens, you have to be ready with a few camping games to keep them interested. Fortunately, there are lots of options available to entertain yourselves in the great outdoors, and none of them require batteries!

Board games can be an excellent choice, especially if you bring travel versions that make it hard to lose the pieces. Beware of overly complicated board games in the wilderness, but checkers, chess, and Battleship all come in easy portable versions that are fun to bring with you and can be played in the tent or outside. Cards, Uno, Memory, or other similar boxed games without boards can also be a lot of fun. Once again, keep an eye on all the pieces, but don’t feel like you can’t bring them.

There are lots of traditional car games that work well, too. Twenty Questions, I Spy, I’m Going On A Trip and many similar games can add a half hour of fun to your event. Counting games are great for smaller kids, and can be used to keep track of animals seen on a hike, colors of flowers, and how many stars are visible at night. Identifying the constellations can be a fun camping game, too - especially if you are camping somewhere that light pollution usually makes it hard to see the sky.

Catch is another good choice, as are other sports that don’t require a lot of equipment or open space. Many families do well by bringing a football to throw around. Kids will also enjoy tag and hide and seek. Just make sure that you lay out some specific ground rules for safety with any games that require them to roam around. That will make sure that you can find everyone when the time comes, and will reduce the chances of injury. Scavenger hunts also make fun games while out camping.

There are lots of choices available when it comes to keeping the family entertained while you go camping. Think up a few game activities before you leave, and you won’t have to deal with boredom in the great outdoors. Camping can be a lot of fun, especially if you make sure to bring a few games.