Camping is a wonderful way to unplug and connect with nature. Whether you are in your backyard or backcountry camping far from home, getting outdoors can help to relieve stress and improve your health. If your family gets bored without the internet, these great games can help to make camping fun.
Scavenger hunt
Here is an oldie but too good to not play. A scavenger hunt is an excellent way of kick-starting your trip. Take a walk through the campgrounds or a nature trail close to where you pitch your tent. Before you start hunting, make a list of the things you want the other players to find.
For example:
- Heart-shaped leaf
- Acorns
- A birch tree leaf
- Smooth skipping stone
- Pinecones
Don’t pick flowers or other sensitive items that could damage the environment. The first person or team that returns to the campsite with all the ‘treasures’ wins.
The animal signs game
This is forest charades at its best! You don’t need anything to play this game except a great imagination.
Ask everybody to sit in a circle so that you can all see each other. All players should pick an animal and try to act out something that animal does. For instance, if you choose a hen, you can put your fingers in front of your mouth to signify the beak.
Do your sign and then mimic another player’s animal. That player then takes a turn. Keep passing turns around the circle until someone messes up. If someone messes up, they are kicked out of the circle. Begin with the last successful person to make the sign. Keep playing until there is only one person left.
Pterodactyl
This game is suitable for the whole family and can be done indoors, outdoors or around the campfire.
Ask everyone to sit in a circle where they can see each other. You can laugh, smile or do anything as long as other players do not see your teeth. If you show your teeth, you are out of the game. The good players stay to the end.
Anybody can start. The first player will turn to the player on their left and say “pterodactyl” in a funny voice. The point is to make others laugh hard so that they show their teeth!
S-P-U-D
This game requires a soft ball and is excellent for groups and is best played outside.
Select one player to stand at the center. The others form a circle around them. The player in the middle then shouts another player’s name and throws the ball upwards. The person whose name was called should recover the ball as everyone runs away from the center. Once they recover the ball, they shout S-P-U-D, and everyone must freeze.
The camper can then take three steps and throw the ball at another camper. The other camper can dodge the ball but should not move their feet. If hit, the player takes an “S”. If the thrower misses, they take an “S.” The rule is that when a camper reaches S-P-U-D, they are out.
Chubby bunny
You will need a bag of marshmallows or more depending on the number of player.
You play the game in rounds. At first, everybody will have one marshmallow in their mouths. During the second round, you will all put an extra marshmallow in your mouths and say “chubby bunny.”
Only those who can say the word without spitting out the marshmallows can stay in the game. If you can’t, you are out. Continue playing as you add a marshmallow every round. Remember that you are not allowed to eat the marshmallows during the game.
Story building
This activity allows the campers to bond while enhancing creativity. Start a scary story. Each camper gets to add a sentence as the story goes around the circle.
I and my family absolutely love camping. This article is very informative for me, enjoyed reading it. Will try these camping ideas for sure.