If you’ve been wanting to head out on a camping trip with the family but you’re stuck on family-friendly camping activities that everyone can enjoy, don’t fret. These are some of the best family-friendly camping activities that are great for little kids, big kids and even kids at heart.
From scavenger hunts to hikes and everything in between, these are the family-friendly camping activities that will keep everyone happy and entertained all trip long.
Organise a scavenger hunt
Scavenger hunts are always a hit when it comes to camping activities, and they’re great for campers of any age. It’s also the perfect way to get out into nature, explore your campgrounds and familiarise yourself with the surrounding area.
The adults and the big kids can write up the scavenger hunt items to be found, and the younger ones can be the scavengers. If you’re in a larger group, making it a challenge or dividing people into teams to encourage some healthy competition could be the perfect way to make a scavenger hunt more exciting for older kids and adults, too.
Organise a games night
If you’re going with a large group of family and friends, organising a games night could be a great chance for some much needed bonding time. Ask all the campers attending the trip to bring their favourite game, be it a board game, a card game or something else entirely and spend the night enjoying some family time with your loved ones.
A games night is best suited to a camping trip that has good weather as strong winds or rain could really put a dampner on the evening–no pun intended.
If you’re going with a smaller group or you would prefer a more luxurious camping experience that allows for games night in any conditions, there are always options like New Forest Glamping. Opting for glamping allows you to experience all the best bits of camping (and the activities that come with it) without letting any unfortunate weather get in the way.
Build a campfire
Building a campfire is a quintessential camping activity that is great for the entire family. You can involve every member of the family in the campfire building process by designating members to find and forage for the materials you’ll need. Small twigs, bark, sticks and larger logs are some of the essentials you’ll need to build a successful campfire.
Make sure you’ve got ample adults present if there are little ones nearby as an added safety precaution. You could even draw a line around the firepit and inform all the children present they are not allowed to enter the circle as an extra measure to keep everyone safe.
Try camp cooking
This one goes hand in hand with building a campfire, but there’s nothing more fun and family-friendly than doing some campfire cooking. You can make a range of different delicious snacks on the fire from after-dinner sweets to savoury snacks and everything in between – it’s all about getting creative! Smores are a classic sweet treat that are super easy to make and great fun for the whole family, too.
If you’ve never made a smore before – you’re missing out – here’s a step-by-step on campfire smore cooking that is guaranteed to impress even the fussiest family members.
- Place a square of chocolate on your favourite sweet biscuit
- Roast a marshmallow on the fire until gooey and golden brown
- Place the hot marshmallow on top of the chocolate and sandwich it all in with another biscuit.
It’s that easy! The perfect after-dinner sweet treat absolutely everyone will love.
Try stargazing
One of the best things about going camping is being away from the city lights and having a clear sky that allows you to see the stars in all their glory. If you’re lucky enough to get a clear night on your trip, lay out a comfy picnic blanket, cuddle up with your kids and check out the night sky to see what constellations you can spot.
If you’re really lucky, you might even be able to catch a shooting star!
Go on a hike
There are few better ways to explore than with a family hike. Do your research on the location you’re heading to and bookmark potential hikes that will be best suited to the age of your campers. There are so many family-friendly hikes out there, whether you’re looking for something short and flat for little ones or you want something a bit more challenging for the big kids, a family hike really is the ultimate bonding activity.
Check out the wildlife
If you’ve got budding wildlife lovers with you on the trip, listening out for and identifying local wildlife is a great way to spend the time when camping. Do some research before heading off about the kinds of wildlife you may be able to spot on your trip, and then involve the whole family in looking out for them.
Listen for bird calls, check for footprints and see just how much local wildlife you can spot before your camping trip comes to an end. You could even print out some pictures of animals you expect to see for your kids so they can mark off if and when they see them.
Get Into The Great Outdoors & Have Fun!
There are so many great family-friendly camping activities that make camping great for anyone of any age. Whether you want to get out into nature and sleep under the stars or you’d prefer something more luxurious (but still outdoors) like a glamping experience – camping has something for everyone.
Soak up the last few months of summer by organising a camping trip the whole family will enjoy!
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