Camping is a great way to spend time with family and friends, but it can get boring if you don’t have any fun games to play. In this blog post, I am going to outline some of my favourite family camping games for the whole family. These are all really easy to play and will keep everyone entertained for hours on end!
Best Campsite Games
What better way to spend the day with family and friends than by playing games? Camping is a great place for some quality time with your loved ones, but you may find that the days can get long and boring without any activities. In this blog post, I will share my favorite outdoor camping games for all age groups! These are easy to play and will keep everyone entertained for hours on end. Whether or not you have an agenda of things you want to do during your camping trip, these games are perfect for when it’s time to just kick back and relax. So grab some snacks and enjoy!
Camping is a great way to spend time with family and friends, but it can get boring if you don’t have any fun games to play. In this blog post, I am going to outline some of my favorite family camping games.
I love camping! It’s so much fun to be able to enjoy nature and the outdoors all day long. For our kids, there is nothing more fun than setting up the tent, sitting around the bonfire and playing games.
Scavenger Hunt
For this Scavenger Hunts game, you will need to split the group into two teams. One team is given a list of items that they must find in order to win. The other team designates one person as “it”. All members of the first team are blindfolded, while all members on the second team have their eyes uncovered.
The “it” player then chooses an item from his/her own list and selects someone who has their eyes uncovered and tells them what it is (if he/she can’t remember it).
Upon hearing what it is, that person takes off their blindfold and goes off with both teams to find that item. If they do not know where that object is located, they can ask anyone at any time.
Geocaching Hunt
Geocaching is a lot like a treasure hunt. One player is designated the finder, while the other players are “hunters.”
The finder hides the prize (typically toys or objects) and draws around its location on a map for all of the hunters to see. The hunters go out into nature, using GPS technology to search for their desired item. After they’ve found it, they can submit their discovery to Geocoder online! It’s a great game for kids and adults alike.
Hiking Relay Camping Game
Hiking Relay Camping Game – Divide up into teams of two, with one person on each team standing at the base of a hill. When you yell “go”, the first person on each team will run up to the top of the hill and grab a rock from there, then head back down and hand it off to their partner at base camp. The partners now have two rocks and must repeat this process until they’ve reached five or more rounds (or alternatively set your own number). The first team to reach the goal wins!
Frisbee golf
Frisbee golf is a great game to play when you’re camping. Rules are the same as with golf, but instead of hitting a golf ball, you throw a frisbee into a laundry basket or hula hoop or marked any other way circle. The objective is to get the frisbee inside the circle with as few throws as possible.
It’s a great alternative to typical passing and throwing a frisbee.
Cornhole
Cornhole is a game that can be played by two people or more. It’s very simple to play, but you need the proper equipment and some practice.
Cornhole is an outdoor bean bag toss game that’s fun for all ages! You’ll need at least two players (although 4-6 players work best) and one set of cornhole boards. Each board has four holes in it; there are eight bags used during each round of play. The objective is to toss your bags into the opposing team’s hole while preventing them from doing so on your side. If you’re playing with kids, use smaller bags, so they have an easier time tossing them into the holes!
If you don’t have cornhole boards or bean bags, you can always play by digging small potholes and throwing pinecones into them.
Ring toss
Ring toss is a really simple game and can be played with just two people or more. You’ll need to use a board to display the game and some rings for the players. The goal of this game is to throw your ring onto the board without going out of bounds or hitting one of the posts. Round robin (a whole group) competitions are best for this game because you can play with everyone at once! For younger children, it might be easier if you turn the board around so that they don’t have to straddle it, and there are fewer chances of falling off.
If you don’t have a ring toss game, you can easily play using plastic bottles or put some sticks vertically.
For a nighttime version of the game, you can use glow sticks or, even better to make rings to throw from glow in the dark sticks.
Capture the flag
Capture the flag is really fun to play with friends or family. This game can be adapted to different age groups and skill levels. To play, you’ll need at least two teams of at least two players (although more players allow for more team combinations). Each player should have a bandana or some other item that identifies them as a member of their team. The goal is to capture the opponents’ flag and return it to their base without being tagged or touched by an opponent. There are many ways to set up a “flag”, but one option is to designate one end zone as the “home” end zone and place your “flag” in this area, then line the rest of the field with flags marking the other end zone as the “away” end zone.
Tic Tac Toe
To play Tic Tac Toe, you’ll need a tic tac toe board or marker and some paper. For the camping version of this game, sand and a stick or finger will be enough. In the top left corner of your paper, draw three vertical lines going down the page. Write “X” in the first vertical line, “O” in the second vertical line, and nothing in the third. In the bottom left corner of your paper, divide your lines into three rows with two horizontal lines (to make nine boxes). Draw an X in the first box of each row, an O in the second box of each row, and nothing in the third box of each row.
Molkky
Molkky is originally a Finnish game quite similar to bowling as you need to hit the pins with a ball, but with a twist. Each skittle has a number (from 1-12) that is calculated after being knocked down. The Molkky finishes when the first person gets exactly 50 points.
camping activities
Limbo Dance
Limbo Dancing is an easy game to play that can be done with just a rope! You’ll need two people: one being the leader of the limbo and one being the follower. The follower will stand behind the long rope with their arms stretched overhead, and the leader will drape themselves over the other side, with their arms also stretched. The goal of this game is to have fun dancing (even if it’s not graceful!) and to get low enough so that you’re parallel with the ground. If you do go low enough, don’t forget to hang on tight to both sides of the rope so that you don’t fall in! Alternatively, you can use a hiking stick or any stick instead of the rope.
Limbo dance is one of these family camping games that brings lots of laughs.
Petanque
Petanque is a great lawn game that is usually played on patios or in the streets with friends. It’s very popular in France (Boules), and in there in almost every village you can find people playing it in the afternoons.
You’ll need at least two players ( four to six players work best). Each player should have their own set of three metal bowls. The object is to be the first player who throws all of their bowls and knocks away all of the other player’s bowls around them.
Potato Sack Races/Sleeping Bags Race
The object of potato sack racing is to sprint as fast as you can while having your legs stuck in a sack or alternatively in a sleeping bag. The object of the game is to be first at the finish line.
An obstacle course
If you are in nature, building an obstacle course may be even bigger fun for dads than for kids to play it. But even if the kids are not old enough to play, they will love watching you build it. Camping games for kids don’t have to be boring!
Water balloon hot potato
To play Hot Potato, you need a few people (ideally around 5-8) and some water balloons. One person starts the game by holding onto one of the water balloons with their hands behind their back. The other players form a line in front of the person that has the water balloon. When they say “go,” everyone tries to pass the water balloon to someone else before it blows up in their hand. Whoever ends up with the water balloon when it pops is then out of the game.
It’s a perfect game for a hot sunny day as. Definitely, you will get wet. plus, it’s a perfect alternative to a water balloon fight or water gunfight, which are good summer family activities
Canteen Water Relay
You can play this game with two or more players. Divide into two teams and line up on opposite sides of the playing field. The first person from each team should stand at their team’s end line and fill a water bottle to the brim with water, then flip the lid closed and put it on the ground next to them. At “Go!” you run towards your opponent’s end zone, flip your water bottle open (just enough for one drink) and take one sip. Run back to your team’s end zone before flipping your water bottle shut again and putting it on the ground. The second person in that line should do what the first person did, then repeat until all players have had a turn. Each time you successfully make it
Mosquito bites game
The fun starts when each of the campers gets a sheet of red dot or other stickers. I get my from amazon and use them on daily routine charts.
The whole group decide on the forbidden word connected to camping like “camper”, “tent”, or “sleeping bags”. The word should be one that is difficult not to use while camping. Every time one of the family members uses the “forbidden” word is getting a red sticker that resembles a mosquito bite.
The game finishes after the time agreed, like an hour or when you finish some activity like setting up the tents, building a fire.
The camper with the biggest amount of red dots – mosquito bites lose.
Noah’s Ark Game
Noah’s Ark game is a memory game where the first player begins by saying Into “Into Noah’s Ark went one (animal starting with a).” For example, “Into Noah’s Ark went one Alpaca.” the second player has to repeat what the first player said and add animal starts with the letter “b” and says, “Into Noah’s Ark went one alpaca, two badgers and it continues. When one of the players makes mistakes, he/she is out of the game, and the rest continues until the rest of the alphabet or until only 1 player last.
Hacky Sack
Hacky Sack is a kind of football game where instead of football, you use a small round bag filled with sand or rice, which should be kept as long as possible in the air without touching the ground by kicking it.
Boardgames
We love boardgames and playing them is our favourite way of spending family time. What you need to take with you is a picnic table and some of your favourite board games. I listed ours below.
- Splendor – Splendor is one of our favourite games. The goal is to accumulate as much wealth and prestige as possible by trading gems and collecting 15 points.
- Connect Four – connect four is a game for two players. The first player places four of his/her pieces in a horizontal, vertical or diagonal row on any vacant space on the board. The second player now tries to connect four of their own discs by placing them side-by-side horizontally, vertically, or diagonally on any vacant space next to the first player’s pieces. A player wins by creating an unbroken line of four discs (horizontally, vertically or diagonally)
- Cluedo – Cluedo is a detective game where you need to solve mysteries and sass it out with friends and family in this classic murder mystery party. Your goal is as simple as solving a murder.
- Other games we love to play include Sorry, Sushi Go, Spotit.
Best Camping Games to Play After Dark
What games can we play at night?
Camping games are a fun way to keep the party going and also introduce new activities for some of your campers. After dark is the perfect time for long time camp talk to introduce other games if they don’t have time during the day due to hiking or being in nature.
Glow-in-the-Dark Bowling
The rules of the game are the same as in bowling, but instead of regular pins, you can use water bottles with a glow stick inside them to make them more visible.
Flashlight Tag
Flashing Tag is a great game for everyone, it’s based on a regular tag game, but since it’s dark, the “tagger” doesn’t run to catch someone else but instead of trying to “tag” the person with the light from the flashlight.
Flashlights games are always a big hit with kids during camping trips. We prepared an article with a selection of the best flashlights for kids.
The alternative night game with flashlights can hide and seek where the seeker finds
Game to play around the campfire
Sitting around a campfire is probably the best part of camping, singing campfire songs, eating s’mores, having a long camp talk, frying marshmallows or sausages on a long stick. All of it can be even funnier with these extra games.
Truths and a Lie
Truths and a Lie – one of the members of the family or friends tell about himself some actual facts from life or invented story. The other or appointed person must guess if it’s the truth or a lie. It’s probably one of the most favourite campfire games.
Campfire Stories
Campfire Stories – This is an excellent Camping Game for children. Campfire Stories are great because they’re not too long, and everyone can participate in the storytelling. If you out of ideas, you can toss storytelling cubes. They always help.
Telephone
The game of Telephone can be played in any group setting but is often played as a children’s party game. The goal of the game is to send information from one person to another without anyone misunderstanding the message. To start, a short phrase or sentence is spoken quietly by person A to person B, then person B pass it to C, and it continues until the last person who and speaks the final phrase aloud, it’s supposed to match what person A said originally, but generally is not which gives lots of laughs.
I spy
Everyone knows how to play I spy as it the favourite childhood road trip game. But in the case of playing it at the bonfire, when it’s dark, it gets a new level because instead of spying on big things, we can spy on small like “eyelash” or a “fingernail”.
Never have I ever
It’s a typical drinking game In this game, but it can be modified to suites all family members. Each player takes turns saying something they’ve never done before. If anyone has done that thing in the past, then everyone else points at them while shouting, “Never have I ever!” The person who just spoke must do something as penance for having broken the rules. This continues until no one can think of anything new to say (or until people are too drunk in drinking versions of the game).
Knot Tying
Learning how to tie a knot is great fun and a very useful thing to know. You can either learn how to do the knot.
Best Card Games
Camping is a great time to bond with friends and family. It’s also a perfect opportunity for introducing new games that you can’t play during the day because of hiking or being in nature.
The best card games are those you don’t need much equipment for but still offer lots of fun for everyone who plays them. The following three games are perfect as they’re all easy to set up, don’t require any materials other than playing cards (which we always have on hand when camping) and maybe a picking table.
UNO
UNO is a great card game for everyone. to play; you can use UNO cards or regular cards and play using the same rules. It’s fun for kids and teens and parents alike.
Go Fish
It’s a card game for two or more players, in which each player tries to collect one of each kind of playing card. You start with dealing seven cards each. The first player asks – “fish” any of the other players to give him a card which he already has in his hand to get the full trick. If the other player has the card, he must give it. If not, he answers, “go fish,” and the first player draws the random card from the rest of the cards. If he draws a card he was requesting, he plays further. If not, another person is asking for cards, knowing already what cards the previous player had as he was asking for them.
The game finish when all the thirteen tricks have been one and the winner is the person with the biggest amount of tricks.
The game is great as it involves paying attention to what everyone was asking, and quite often, children can easily win with an adult.
Fun Family Camping Games for Families
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families campground with access to the play area