Camping can be such an overwhelming endeavor. There are clothes to pack, food to prep, and most importantly, gear to organize. With our minds busy trying not to forget anything essential, activities to do around the campsite are sometimes overlooked. When everyone is done with the hiking, fishing, or other major outing for the day, it’s nice to have some options to fall back on if the down time at the campsite gets a little boring.  

Scavenger Hunt

Scavenger Hunts are such a fun activity to do with a large or small group, and regardless of age, it’s always a hit. If you have young kids, creating a scavenger hunt with pictures would be nice and will make it easier for them to participate. However, this will take a little prep before heading out on your adventure. With an older group, create a scavenger hunt where everyone has a phone to take pictures of certain items around the campground. It will be fun to see all the pictures at the end and this alone could keep you entertained for hours. If you want to keep it more low-key, use paper, pens, and a little creativity to create a list on the fly. Scavenger hunts are great since you can adapt them to fit any group of people.

Card Games

 Sitting around a table playing card games is one of many great memories of camping with my family. We always travel with a couple decks of cards, just in case we have some down time to play. If you like rummy, a fun version of this is Five Crowns. This does take a little longer to play, as a full game isn’t over until you have played thirteen rounds. For those that don’t love playing cards another game that doesn’t take up much space in Bananagram, a fun take on scrabble. Just like most games they have many versions of this game to pick from, but all follow the basic rules of scrabble.

Art Project

The best part of camping is seeing beautiful landscapes and animals that you normally don’t get to see back home. Take the opportunity to let your artistic side out! If you travel with children, colored pencils or markers and paper are must haves. Have everyone draw something they saw that day, and then you will have a great memento to take home and remember your trip by. Another fun option is to make art with leaves or other items you find in nature – but make sure to bring glue and thicker paper for this. As you’re hiking, collect items to make your great masterpiece once you get back to camp. Click here for more ideas of fun crafts to do while camping that take a little more prep to accomplish. 

Have fun and enjoy the time with your family and friends away from your daily routine!