If you really want to get to know your family then go camping with them. When all is quiet at the end of the day and you are all sitting around the campfire chatting you will find out things about your loved ones that you never knew.
This is because you don’t have the normal distractions you have at home, such as TV, social media or even thinking about the next day at work. I have made a complete post of the benefits of camping with family here.
Now that you have your family with you it’s time to enjoy your time together. Kids just want to play and we’re often too busy to enjoy life with them.
Well not anymore. I have created a list of games that my kids and I love to play. They are all simple games that even you might remember from your own childhood. You don’t even have to be camping to play them.
1.I Spy
This is an old favourite of mine that I sometimes use in the car on the way to the campsite to try to make to kids enjoy the journey. It is simple to play.
- Pick something that you can see that is within your surroundings
- Once you have chosen an object you then use the first letter as the clue.
- So, you say, “I spy with my little eye something beginning with (letter)” If it’s a tree then you would say “T”
- The others take turns to guess what it might be.
- Whoever guesses correctly gets to take to next go
- If your kids are young and can’t spell yet, replace the first letter clue with a color clue.
- Instead say “I spy with my little eye something that is (color)”
2. Sharks and Fishes
This is a very simple game but is great fun. It works best with 10 or more people but you can play with less.
- You will need a wide open area. The greater the number of people, the greater the area you will need.
- It starts off with one person being the shark. They stand in the middle of the area.
- All of the others are the fish (for now). They all stand in a line at one end of the area.
- The fish must run to the other side of the area but if the shark touches a fish with both hands then that fish will become a shark for the next round.
- The important thing here is the two hand touch. It makes it much more difficult. No grabbing or pushing.
- The fish line up again but this time there will be 2 or more sharks that they have to get past.
- Keep doing this until there is no fish left. The last fish wins.
3. Snap
I wasn’t going to put in a card game but this is so easy to do that I couldn’t resist. This works best for a small number of people. 4 at most.
- First shuffle the cards and deal the entire deck between the players. The cards should face down.
- You then take turns producing a card from the top of your deck. No one, including the player that is placing the card, see’s what the card is until it is placed on top of the card that the previous player dealt.
- Each player takes a turn to place a card.
- If a card is placed and is the same number as the card underneath you have to be quick and slap the cards and shout SNAP! Anyone can snap, not just the person placing the card.
- Whoever wins the snap gets to keep all of the cards.
- Begin again
- If you run out of cards you will have to still pay attention as you could still snap you way back into the game if someone else places a match.
- Whoever has the most cards at the end wins.
4. Twig stack
This is a games that will test your kids problem solves abilities along with being fun.
- The only real rule is that the twigs must not be bigger than the diameter of your finger and the length of you hand.
- You can either work together or make a competition out of it to see who can build the tallest twig stack.
- There are endless ways that this can be achieved. It is fun to see what your kids will come up with
5. X’s and O’s
No paper? No problem. Just use a stick to draw in the dirt. I’m sure most of you know how to play but for those who don’t I will explain below. This is a two player game.
- First draw a grid so that you have nine squares
- One person is X and the other will be O.
- The objective is to get three of your letter in a row, vertically, horizontally or diagonally.
- The youngest usually goes first but it doesn’t really matter
- If you see that your opponent will get the three in a row in their next turn you will have to put your letter in the way to block him/her.
- It is possible that there is no winner.
- Just rub it out and start again.
6. Sword fighting
I don’t think I need to explain much here. There is no real winner in this game. It is just fun to be pretending to sword fight. Lots of parents won’t let their kids play games like this in the fear of them getting hurt. As long at the swords are prepared properly there is very little risk of injury. They may get a few knocks but that’s life.
- The best swords are basically just a stick. Make sure it isn’t too long. About the length of your kids forearm.
- Make is out of light wood and nothing with a point or sharp edges.
- And that’s it. Let them at it. If you of them come crying just tell them to be more careful and let them get back at it.
7. Cowboys and Indians (superheroes)
I’m always amazed at the imagination of children. Give then a stick that shaped like a gun and that stick becomes their gun. I used to play this with my brothers when I was a kid. We would have a arsenal of guns and bows. The bows would just be a bent stick with a shoelace tied to each end. These days cowboys and Indians aren’t a big thing. They prefer to call the game superheroes. It’s amazing the hours of fun they can have with just a few sticks and some cord.
8. Treasure hunt
This is a great way tp spend a few hours but it does take some planning.
- After you have everything set it starts by you giving your family a clue of where the treasure might be.
- Once they get to the new location, guided by your clue, they will have to look around for the next clue (which you will already have hidden).
- Once they find that they will be off again to search for the next clue.
- You can have as many clues as you like.
- They will eventually come to the treasure, which can be anything you like. Candy or a small gift that you knew they wanted. Make it something rewarding.
9. Simon says
This is another family favourite that has stood the test of time. You can have as many players as you like.
- Everyone stands around in a circle so that you can see each other.
- One person gives the commands and all of the others obey, but only when they start the sentence with “Simon says”
- When you give a command, (like stand on one leg) without first saying “Simon says” and someone carries out that act then they are out.
10. Catch, Don’t catch
This is a great game for the slightly older kids. You do need a ball or something about that size to play and it works best with more than 6 people.
- The person holding the ball stands in the middle of a circle created by the other players.
- The person in the middle starts to spin slowly
- When they decide to throw the ball at one of the other players they must shout “catch” or “don’t catch”.
- If the player catches the ball when the thrower said “don’t catch” then they are out and vice versa.
- Last player left wins.
- You don’t have to pass to each person in sequence. Keep the players guessing who is going to get it next.
11. Who am I?
The chances are that you have played this yourself some time in your life. It can be adjusted to suit the age of your kids. If the are really young then use objects or animals rather than people.
- First write the name of or draw a picture of the object or person onto a small piece of paper.
- Then stick the piece of paper to the forehead of the person that will have to guess “Who am I?” They must not see what is on the card. An elastic band works well for keeping it in place.
- The paper should be visible to all player except the guesser.
- The person that is guessing must then ask questions to try to figure it their identity. The question must be asked in such a way so the the answer will be either yes or no.
12. Two truths and a lie
It can sometimes be hard to get your kids talking, especially when their a little older. I have found this game to be a great way to get the conversation going. You will find out things about your loved ones that you never knew.
- You all take turns at telling two truths and a lie.
- Once it have told the other players your three tales it is up to them to choose which one is the lie.
- Try to make the lie believable so that it is hard to pick out from the truth.
13. Spud!
This is another one that you will need a little extra space for. It works best with more than 5 players and is suited to older kids.
- You will need a ball. Pick someone to be the thrower. It doesn’t really matter who.
- All of the other players form a circle around the thrower.
- The thrower must throw the ball straight up as high as they can.
- When the ball leaves the hands of the thrower and is in the air the other player must run away from the thrower a far as they can.
- The thrower must quickly catch or retriever the ball. Once he/she has the ball they must shout SPUD! The other player must stop running and stand in one spot when spud is called.
- The thrower can now take 3 massive steps towards any of the other players and throw the ball to try to hit one of them.
- If the thrower hits you then it is your turn as thrower. If they don’t then they just go again.
14. Duck, Duck, Goose
This is one for the younger kids. You don’t need any equipment or a lot of space to play this game. It does work best with children of similar ages.
- This will work with 4 people but the more you have then better.
- You will first have to pick the “fox”. I usually just pick the youngest. It saves arguing among the kids.
- All of the other players sit in a circle facing each other with their legs crossed
- Have then circle as big as you can. The players should be about an arms length apart.
- Once they are seated the fox must walk around the circle tapping the players heads while saying duck or goose.
- Typically the fox will say duck several time before picking the goose. This will build the suspense.
- Once the fox does pick a goose then it is time to run.
- The goose must jump up and chase the fox around the circle of other players.
- The fox must try to get to the space where the goose was without being caught.
- If the fox makes it to the space then the goose will now become the fox and the game starts over.
15. Obstacle races
If your kids have a competitive streak then this is a great way to tire them out before bed. This can be one for the whole family.
- Have a look around at your environment and try to pick out natural obstacles such as rock’s, low branches or anything else that could be classed as an obstacle. You have to choose to suit your child’s age. Have your kids help. The chances are that they will enjoy making the course as much as racing it.
- Create a course that joins up all you obstacles and get racing.
- First, time how long it takes for each of your family to complete the course.
- You can have as many goes at this as you like but whoever is the fastest wins. Don’t hold back here to let your kids win. You will see why in the next step.
- But it’s not over yet. It’s time to have a race between you all at the same time but with a difference. You will all have a handicap that will be determined from your timed runs.
- So the slowest person will go first and the fastest will start last
- For example, If the slowest person completed the course in 3 min and the next slowest was 2min 30 sec and the fastest was 2 min then there would be 30 sec between the start times. So another words, the first sets off then 30 secs later the second will go, then the fastest will be 30 secs after that. You will have to adjust this depending on the times you got for the time trials.
- It should end with everyone crossing the line at the same time.
- This is a great way for sibling of different ages to really compete against each other.
16. Pass the water back
This is perfect for hot days when you don’t mind getting a little (or a lot) wet. It also promotes teamwork.
- There can be as many players as you like. You only need two jugs or cups of equal size but if you have more then all the better.
- It start with all the players standing in a line.
- The person in the front has a jug full of water
- They must hold the water up over their head and tip the water behind them
- The player behind has another jug. It is their job to try to catch as much of this water as they can.
- It’s then their go to tip the water behind them until they reach the last person. If you only have 2 jugs then the first person will pass it to the third when they are done, and so on.
- The object of the game is to have as much water as you can by the end.
17. Target practice
I used to spend hour doing this when I was younger when I had to wait for things. It is a great way to pass a bit of time by yourself but you can make it competitive when played with others.
You simply pick up some stones or sticks and throw them at a nearby target. The target can be anything. A soda can, a bigger rock or even a branch of a tree. You don’t have to go setting up the game, just aim for whatever is lying around.
18. Chubby Bunny
When you all tired out after a long day’s play the fun isn’t over yet. No family camping trip would be complete without marshmallows. Your kids will love this game because they get to have extra treats and it is so funny.
- When your sitting around the campfire give everyone a marshmallow
- They must all put it in their mouth but they must not chew.
- Everyone then takes turns to shout “CHUBBY BUNNY”
- If they are able to say it without spitting it out the marshmallow then they can move on to the next round
- You all get another marshmallow. So that will be two in your mouth.
- Repeat the process until everyone is out.
- Everyone’s a winner.
I hope you enjoy this small collection of games. There are many more, especially if you want to play card games.
Why not try to come up with a new game with your kids? That in itself could be an interesting pastime.
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