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How many of you have happy memories of family camping trips? All too often we get caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. The kids are going to school and coming home to do their homework in the afternoons. You are going to work. Weekends may be the only time you get to spend valuable time with your family.
To get away from the mundane routine of everyday life you decide to take your family on a camping trip. Holidays are around the corner and what better way to spend quality time with the family than to take them camping?
Camping is for relaxing and connecting with nature. It’s also about reconnecting and having fun with your family. You can do this by finding games to play while camping with the family. If you’re going camping with a tent, playing cool camping games in a tent is a sure-fire way of keeping the kids entertained in the evenings. It’s even more fun when the whole family plays together.
There are many outdoor camping games you can play with your kids but how about ending the day with some fun games to play in the tent? If you’re looking for fun family activities to play at night-time or for those days when you find yourself indoors because of rainy weather, then read on.
Cool Family Camping Games for Kids and Adults
We have compiled a list of games which can be played by both kids and adults. This list will also make planning for your camping trip easier.
1. Two Truths and a Lie
This is a great game to play if you have teenagers in your family. It’s simple, fun and does not need any equipment or materials.
Sit in a group. Each person gets a turn to play. When it’s your turn, tell the group two truths and one lie about yourself. Everyone in the group gets a chance to guess which statements are true and which one is a lie. You then reveal your truths and lie. Whoever answered correctly goes next. If more than one person was correct, the person seated closest to you goes next.
2. Once Upon a Time
Storytelling is popular with people of all ages. Create your own story by playing this game with your kids.
One person starts by saying “Once upon a time” and the next person adds their own sentence, continuing the story. See how many times you can go around the circle before the story ends.
3. Shadow Hand Puppets
Do you have young kids? If you do, you’ll love this next idea! Spend hours entertaining them with shadow hand puppets. The only item you will need is a flashlight.
Let your kids take turns holding the torch. Ask them to shine the light onto the side of the tent. Now the real fun begins as you create shadow creatures by using your hands. This can be done by twisting your hands and fingers into different shapes and angles. Ask the kids to guess what your creature is or even show them how to make their own shadow hand creatures.
4. Thumb Wrestling Tournament
Kids love a bit of competition thrown in when playing games. Adults can join in too.
Two players are seated facing each other. Raising their right hands, each player grasps the other one’s fingertips with their own. Wriggling their thumbs, the aim is to grab the opponent’s thumb and pin it down for a count of five. It’s not as easy as it looks!
5. Simon Says
This is a good game to play with the younger kids. Trying to get your kids to calm down after the excitement of a fun-filled day outdoors? Use this game to use their last bit of energy before going to sleep, so they don’t try and stay up too late.
The adult normally plays the role of Simon. Explain to the kids to follow the instructions given by “Simon.” For example, when Simon says “Simon says wriggle your toes,” the kids must wriggle their toes quickly. If Simon says, “Wriggle your toes” (without saying “Simon says …”), then the kids must be still. The one who performs the action that time, is out.
6. Chinese Whisper/Broken Telephones
Here is a game that can be played by everyone no matter how old they are. It does not require any materials either, which means less items to pack!
Players sit in a circle, close enough to whisper into each other’s ears. The first person whispers a word or phrase into the ear of the person on their right. Each player passes on the word or phrase until it reaches the last person who says the word or phrase out loud. This game brings much amusement as often the word or phrase has changed by the time it reaches the last player!
7. Story Telling
You can never go wrong with packing a few of your children’s story books. As your kids snuggle up into their sleeping bags, let them nod off to sleep listening as you read them their favorite stories.
8. Card Games
When looking for things to do when camping with family, packing a deck of cards is always a good idea. Here’s a list of card games to play with all ages:
- Slapjack
- Play or Pay (instead of buying casino chips for this game, use matches)
- Snap
- Cheat
- Crazy Eights
- Old Maid and Uno (both classic card games for the younger kids. The sets can be found in any toy store)
- Canasta (a card game from the Rummy family best played with your teenagers)
9. Board Games
Other fun camping games for families are board games. Boxes are easy to pack and don’t take up too much space, so remember your family’s favorites:
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Quality time is everything, games are great for laughter & memories
Quality time together is what every family seeks, and camping adventures offer a perfect way to bring you and your loved ones together. Every child remembers their holidays spent outdoors.
Camping in a tent adds an element of excitement to the holiday while bringing your family closer to nature.
With a bit of planning and preparation ahead, including camping games for families will guarantee a memorable trip for the whole family.