Family Camping Trip Ideas That Will Keep Everyone Happy

Camping can be a great way to bond with your family with a backdrop of serene mother nature. It’s peaceful, refreshing, and away from the daily distractions that steal you from giving your loved ones the attention they deserve. 

From discovering the great outdoors to keeping campers of all ages entertained, here is a list of fun-packed family activities you can do together. 

Tell Stories By The Campfire

The best way to bond with your kids is to tell anecdotal stories. This activity also works if you are camping with extended family members so you can get to know each other better. Campfire stories are captivating if no one is distracted by their phones. A good way to start your campfire story circle is to get everyone to put their phones in a bag till the end of the activity. 

If you feel like you are not a great storyteller, you can always research a few prompts before your trip and use them to build a story with your family. Children are imaginative and love creating stories, so you may have a solid camping tradition for the future. 

Stargazing At The End of the Day

If your camping trip aligns with the new moon you are in luck. The stars shine the brightest during this lunar phase. If you are an aficionado bring a telescope so you can show your kids the cosmic wonders. You can also check a stargazing calendar to see if any special events occur during your camping trip. 

Stargazing is easier in a family camping tent such as a wall tent with its giant door and window flaps that can be folded for the nighttime view. 

Play Charades

If you have the numbers then play charades. It is a great way to fill hours of your time and an interactive game that everyone in your family is equally participating in. Charades can make you laugh and make new memories. Families can get competitive and this turns the game into a rewarding activity. 

You don’t need to be next to the campfire or need clear skies. It could be raining and you can play charades in your cozy 4-season canvas tent comfortably. 

Start a Sing-Along

If a person in your family plays an instrument pack it with your tent and supplies. Even if anyone doesn’t play an instrument you can start a family sing-along with songs that your family loves or suggests. Just remember to be careful and not disturb your neighboring campers if it is nighttime. 

Play Birdwatching Bingo

Pack binoculars for you and the little ones. List birds that are native to the area and make bingo cards of them. Anyone who can spot all the birds on the card wins the game. Birdwatching fosters appreciation for wildlife in children. They learn patience and appreciate the value of observing nature. You can hike to the closest spot with the most sightings and have a picnic too. 

Organize a Scavenger Hunt

Who doesn’t enjoy a scavenger hunt? Make a list of items that your children can search for and collect. Hand them small paper bags to store all their items. Or get them to take pictures of what they have found on the scavenger hunt list and you can make a memorable art collage of all your kids’ pictures. 

Play ‘Capture The Flag’

Capture the Flag is a game where you split into two teams and hide your team’s flag and the opposing team has to infiltrate your side and capture the flag without being tagged. Tagged players have to freeze and can be freed by players of their team. This game requires both your mind and stamina. It is an excellent developmental tool for kids and is an all-around entertaining activity for everyone. 

Learn To Skip Stones

You may have seen other people do this and always wondered if you could skip stones across the surface of the water. With the lake near your campsite, you can test your skills. Find a flat rock and compete with your family on who can make a single rock do the most skips. When your rock skips, it does give you a tiny burst of joy for your achievement.

Find A Trail

Campsites will usually direct you to the nearest trail for hiking. Go on a hike with the whole family so you can explore beyond just your campsite. If you are hiking on a mountain, it could be a little challenging for the young ones so be prepared to carry your kids. The view from the top will be worth it. 

Go Fishing

If you like fishing it is time you introduced your family to this hobby. Fishing is a good way to spend some quality time together and talk. It doesn’t even matter if you catch anything, but if you or your kids do you can mark that memory with a picture. 

Go Tubing

Get inflatable tubes and floats for tubing in the local lake or river. If you are camping at a waterfront campsite you will probably find paid tubing trips on offer. Otherwise, deflated tubes take up very little space in your bag. This is a must-include activity if you are camping in the summer. You can lounge in the tube as it lulls you around the water. 

Play Cornhole

Cover your cornhole board with glow-in-the-dark paint so you can play this game at night as well. Find a board that is foldable so it is easy to pack and travel with. Cornhole is a fun activity that gives everyone an equal chance of trying their hand at the game. 

Go Kite Flying

If the campsite is on a plain area or an open range, you can fly kites with the kids. Check the wind conditions. Wind blowing at 8 to 15 miles per hour is the ideal bracket for flying your kite. It will be easy to store the kites in your family camping tent. 

Draw

Inspire the artist in your family. Pack a few drawing and coloring supplies and reserve a day where you sketch the horizon. The only instructions should be to draw what you see. You will be surprised how different each canvas turns out in the end. It may also tell you what each of your children liked or was focused on the most during the trip. You can frame these pictures as memorabilia from the trip. 

Play Wink Murder

You can play this game inside your tent. Everyone gets to pick a piece of paper from a cup which assigns them their role out of which is one detective and one murderer. The murderer will then have to wink to kill each player in the circle and the detective out of the circle must identify the murderer before everyone has died. The murderer has to wink without the detective catching him or he loses the game. 

Play Simon Says

Simon Says is a simple yet engaging game. One person has to head the game by saying prompts such as “Simon says lift your arm” or “Simon says close one eye” They have to build the pace and to keep up the players must follow instructions. At any time the person can say a prompt without adding “Simone says…” and anyone who follows that particular prompt loses the game. 

Do A Round Of Two Truths And A Lie

This is the perfect game if you are camping with people you don’t know very well. Every person participates by telling two truths and one lie about themselves. Everyone gets a chance to guess which statement is a lie. The person who guesses accurately the most wins the game. 

Play Flashlight Tag

This is how you play hide and seek outdoors. Equip whoever is It with a flashlight. To find other players this person has to shine their flashlight on them. Just be sure to teach your kids not to shine the flashlight in other campers’ faces. 

Make a Limbo Bar

Use a hiking stick or a broken branch to make a limbo bar. Everyone can then limbo under the stick as you keep lowering the stick at every level. The person who can limbo dance the lowest wins. 

There are countless activities and games you can choose from. Remember camping is not about the fanciest games or the biggest activity. You can have a lot of fun with whatever is the most accessible thing to you even if it is just a fishing rod or hiking boots.