Camping Toys and Activities for Kids
With summer on its way, you’ll be needing camping toys and activities to keep the kids busy whilst camping! Obviously camping is a fun activity in and of itself and I love the screen free time camping provides for the family. However, sometimes you need a few outdoor activities up your sleeve to keep the kids busy whilst you relax and enjoy your family camping trip. We know that whole reason you’ve brought the family camping is so they can have some outdoor fun and memories by the campfire, right?! So here are our favourite toys and activities to keep kids of all ages happy and exploring in nature and inspire their love of camping and the great outdoors! And if you’re off on your first camping trip, you’ll need our list of Family Camping Essentials!
Looking for toy free camping activities? Check out this our article with tons of ideas for outdoor games that can be played with kids of all ages.
Table of Contents
Camping Activities
And, you might want to grab this nature activity journal that’s perfect for taking camping too!
If you’re off camping with kids – then you must read our Top Tips and Hacks for Camping with Kids!
Outdoor Escape Room
If you’re camping with friends – why not create an outdoor escape room? An escape room is an exciting and unique outdoor activity for kids and adults that encourages team building and problem solving by working through a series of puzzles. Escape Kit has themed downloadable, printable escape rooms that are perfect for kids aged 6-14. There’s every kind of theme from Superheroes to Pirate Treasure to Harry Potter – there’s an escape kit for everyone!
Best Camping Toys and Activities for Kids
Outdoor Toys to take Camping
If you want some ideas for outdoor activities to make and take on a camping trip try our 100 Nature Crafts for kids for ideas.
Active outdoor toys and camping activities
- Hoops, cones and bean bags. (These are perfect for setting up your own obstacle course find out how in our post on Outdoor Games for Kids.)
- Frisbee
- Waboba Backnine (this is a great game where you throw mini frisbees to see who gets closest to the target – like boules but with frisbees!) This game is perfect for camping because it folds down flat and fits in a small space!
- Poi Spinners (my kids love learning to dance with these, there are lots of fun YouTube clips of dances to do!)
- Hula Hoops provide hours on fun! (if you don’t have the space – you can buy an inexpensive one and gift to other kids on the campsite when you leave!)
- Bubble Kit If you’re heading to a large campsite, take some bubbles but bubbles can affect the waterproofing on a tent so make sure you play the bubbles not too close to any tents. This bubble set is small enough to pack for travel but it comes with a variety of different bubble blowers so you can try making giant bubbles or tons of smaller ones! Get the bubble kit here!
- Stomp Rocket (If you just choose one thing to take to a campsite – let it be a Stomp Rocket!) This thing can keep the kids entertained for hours! It always attracts other tent’s kids so it’s a perfect way to make friends too!
You can buy the Stomp Rocket from Amazon.
- Rock paint (for painting rocks you find on the Campsite)
- Yoyo A yoyo keeps kids busy and takes next to no space to pack. We like this Mega Spin Light Up Yoyo from Wicked Uncle as it spins really fast and is great for playing at night too!
- Waboba Pro Ball Great ball that’s small and super light, great for playing catch and even bounces on water!
- Sand toys Sand Toys make great camping toys for collecting mud, rocks or even taking to a beach if you’re lucky enough to be near one. These sand toys are plastic free and eco-friendly.
- Smart Ball – obviously a ball is a great outdoor activity for camping but if you’re short on space, they can be bulky to bring along. That’s why we love this inflatable ball which packs down small but it also lights up and has a sensor which you can use to count your ‘keep ups’. This adds a great competitive element for groups but also means it can be entertaining for kids to play by themselves too. Buy the smart ball from Wicked Uncle here.
If you’re staying with a group for your camping trip – you’ll love our outdoor games to play with kids!
Water Games for Kids to Play Outdoors
These water games are perfect for Camping!
Quiet Camping Games and Activities
Toys to inspire kids love of nature
- Go Find It Cards (hours of outdoor fun with this game)
- Collecting Tubes (for storing nature treasures kids find on the campsite!)
You’ll also want to check out our gift guide for outdoorsy kids for more ideas! And try this camping word search!
Night Time Camping Toys and Games
Our kids always go to bed later on a campsite – anyone else? It’s part of the reason why they love camping so much! So, if your kids are like ours you’ll want to pack some glow in the dark games to keep them busy as the sun goes down!
- Finger Lights (little lights that go on fingers, perfect for writing your name in the air!)
- Glow Sticks (we love these ones because they are bright and last for a whole night)
- Torches and Lanterns (not strictly a toy but kid friendly toys and lanterns can be great fun for outdoor nighttime exploring or creating shadow puppet plays on the tent walls! These shadow puppets are great for tent wall plays!)
Best travel games to take camping
You need small, portable games to take camping – preferably games which don’t have too many small pieces and can easily be picked up without too many rules. Oh and preferably those games that can be played by multiple people of different ages. Here are some of our favourite travel games to take camping!
- Travel Qwirkle – A great travel game for kids of all ages because it’s as simple as matching colours and shapes but it also can be fun to play using tactical manoeuvres!! It’s one of our favourite board games so it was great to find a travel version! Buy Travel Quirkle on Amazon here.
- Solitaire (Card Game Classic) – You don’t need a board or pieces, just a standard deck of cards (or even your phone) to enjoy this timeless solo game. It’s the perfect travel companion because it takes up no space, is easy to set up, and can be played anywhere from a picnic table to inside a tent on a rainy day. Card games like Solitaire are great for unwinding after a hike or while waiting for dinner to cook over the fire. Want to brush up on the rules or try new versions? Here’s how to play Solitaire with tips, variants, and digital play options.
- Misty – A great game that packs up small and is good for 2-5 players. It’s best played with kids over 6 and maybe a little older if you like strategic play, you have to be able to predict each other’s moves as some cards carry more points than others! The only problem is you can’t play it on a windy day because you need to lay the cards out in front of you – other than that, it’s a fun travel game for kids! Buy Misty on Amazon here.
- Twin It – Twin It is a great game that works well to play in pairs and teams and in groups up to 6 so it works well if you’re camping in groups. It takes around 10 minutes to play, which is perfect for kid’s attention spans but you might find it addictive and keep playing! It’s a little bit like snap but with more complex patterns and colours – comes in a tin which makes it perfect for camping! Buy it on Amazon.
- Would you Rather – My kids love this book – a great one for kids to quiz each other on once it’s ‘lights out’ in the tent and it’s a brilliant activity for long car rides too. We have loads more ideas for keeping kids entertained on a long car journey in this article.
- Madlibs – Strictly more of a book than a game but can be played by yourself or in a group. It’s an educational word game where you substitute words to make up funny stories! I love that they are cheap as chips and there are so many versions. Buy them on Amazon.
- Dobble – A matching game that’s good for young and old!
- Uno – A total classic and good for kids aged 4+
See more of our favourite travel games.
Hope these toys and activity ideas help you have a great camping trip!! Happy adventuring! If you’re tent camping then you’ll need these 10 essentials for family camping!
If you find yourself ‘Camping in the Rain’ then you’ll need our top tips and tricks and a handy camping checklist to help you survive camping in the rain as a family!
And if caravanning is more your thing – you’ll love to check out these family caravan parks with excellent facilities.
*This Post contains Affiliate Links which means I may make a small commission if you click on the links. It doesn’t cost you any more though and I only recommend products I genuinely love! All thoughts, words and photos are completely my own unless stated*
NB: Some of these products were gifted for review but all opinions are my own (or my kids!).
