Engaging Outdoor Activities and Crafts for Kids While Camping
Are you planning a family camping trip and dreading the inevitable “I’m bored” from your little ones?
We’ve got you covered with a wide range of outdoor activities and crafts for kids while camping.
These ideas will not only keep them entertained but also help them connect with nature and foster creativity.
Two Approaches to Camping Activities
- Wait it out Sometimes, letting children find their own entertainment can lead to amazingly creative outcomes. It takes about 45 minutes for kids to settle on something to play. However, if you need to get dinner started or want some structured fun, we’ve got plenty of nature-inspired activities to help.
- Provide Activity Suggestions With a little inspiration and a few simple items, you can keep your kids engaged and happy. We’ve divided the activities into no-prop and minimal-prop categories to make it easier for you to plan.
Pro Tip: Prepare a camping craft bin filled with essentials like duct tape, scissors, twine, beads, paint, and paintbrushes. This way, you’re always ready for crafting fun!
Nature-Inspired Activities
No-Prop Activities
These activities require only items found in nature.
1. Nature Mandalas Create beautiful mandalas using rocks, berries, flower petals, pine needles, and seashells. This relaxing activity encourages mindfulness and creativity.
2. Target Spear Throwing Sharpen sticks into spears (with adult supervision) and create a target on the ground for a fun and engaging game.
3. State Leaf Map Collect leaves and create an outline of your state. Fill in the map with leaves and place a rock on your hometown. This activity is both fun and educational.
4. Nature Tic Tac Toe Collect sticks and rocks to create a natural tic tac toe game. Paint or draw X’s and O’s on the rocks or use nature-inspired objects.
5. Stick Mazes Gather sticks and create a maze on the ground. Take turns navigating the maze for hours of fun.
6. Leaf Buntings String leaves together to create beautiful nature garlands. Use them to decorate your campsite.
7. Animal Shapes Draw an outline of an animal or shape and let younger children fill it in with petals or other natural materials.
8. Fort Building Encourage your kids to build forts using branches, leaves, and beach towels. Let their imaginations run wild!
Minimal-Prop Activities
These activities require some pre-planning and a few basic materials.
9. Snack Necklaces Materials: Circle-shaped candy/snacks, string, needle Create wearable snack necklaces that kids can enjoy while hiking.
10. DIY Boats Materials: Cardboard, wood, sticks, tin foil, paper Build boats using natural materials and test them out on a nearby creek or body of water.
11. Decorate Walking Sticks Materials: Sandpaper/sander, feathers, duct tape, beads, twine Personalize hiking sticks with decorative items. This craft is both fun and practical.
12. Watercolor Nature Art Materials: Nature materials, watercolor paints, paintbrush, paper Collect natural materials and incorporate them into beautiful watercolor paintings.
13. Rock Painting Materials: Acrylic paint, paintbrush, rocks Paint rocks with nature-inspired designs or encouraging sayings. Hide them around the campground for others to find.
14. Pine Cone Bird Feeders Materials: Pine cones, peanut butter, birdseed, string Spread peanut butter on pine cones, roll them in birdseed, and hang them with string. This craft doubles as a fun wildlife observation activity.
Camping Games
Don’t forget to pack some compact games with sturdy storage containers. Card games, board games, and yard games are perfect for camping fun.
We hope these outdoor activities and crafts for kids while camping inspire you to get outside and enjoy nature. The creative possibilities are endless when exploring and playing outdoors.
Follow and subscribe to Discovering Anew for more activity ideas and camping reviews.
