Best Outdoor Camping Games and Toys for Family Fun

Great Camping Toys and Games for Family Fun at the Campground

Fun camping toys create a great opportunity for the entire family to have amazing outdoor adventures at the campground!

How often do you hear “I’m so bored” at home? Yup, we hear that a lot as well. Creating a the perfect camping experience the whole family will have so much fun on is hard work. And the last thing you want to hear is “I’m so bored”!

Our ultimate guide to the best camping toys and games helps busy parents stock the right games for the whole family! After all, having the wrong games and toys is worse than having no games at all!

Family time in the great outdoors means so many chances to create laughs, smiles and memories for years to come. What are the best ways to have unplugged fun when camping? As a family of camping enthusiasts, we love unplugging when we escape from our busy city lives!

Pro Tip: Use our games and toy checklists for ideas on games your young explorers will love!

TL;DR – Ultimate Guide to Camping Toys & Games for Family Fun

Fun for Everyone: Handpicked toys and games that guarantee fun for the whole family on camping trips.
Beat Boredom: Say goodbye to “I’m so bored” with our ultimate guide to outdoor entertainment.
Age-Appropriate Selections: Toys and games specifically chosen for young kids, older kids, and family activities.
Physical and Educational Benefits: Encourages physical activity, critical thinking, and imaginative play.
Family Bonding: Creates opportunities for laughs, smiles, and making memories that last.
Pro Tips Included: Handy checklists and expert advice to make game and toy selection a breeze.
Indoor and Outdoor Fun: Options for all weather conditions, ensuring the fun never stops.
Portable and Durable: Picks that are easy to pack, carry, and can withstand the rigors of outdoor play.
Gift Ideas: Great gift suggestions for outdoor-loving kids and families.
Memorable Moments: Transform your camping experience with games and toys that bring joy and adventure.

Benefits of Outdoor Toys and Games

Camping is a natural way to disconnect from our superconnected lives. Our family loves hiking and exploring waterfalls, natural arches, scenic overlooks, National Parks, State Parks, and more. Exploring the great outdoors usually consumes most of our daytime activities, but when we return from a day of exploring, we use outdoor toys and games to unwind and relax.

Outdoor toys and games encourage physical activity, critical thinking, imagination, and family bonding. Studies show that playtime helps reinforce skills we learn. One of our favorite games at the campground is Trekking the National Parks. This dimensional game pushes players to develop and deploy strategies to accumulate points and win the game. These critical thinking skills carry over to hiking, exploring, and life!

Simple games like Ladder Ball and Washers teach teamwork and cooperation. Basic skills like scorekeeping, sportsmanship, and focus are important when participating in these games.

Ladder Ball - Ladder ball is a low impact game that involves tossing a set of balls held together by a string towards a ladder about 20 feet away. Depending the ladder rung the balls land on determines your points for the round. — Ladder Ball

The hidden benefit of outdoor toys and games is the games help hours pass quickly!

Pro Tip: Don’t leave the indoor games at home! On a rainy day at the camp site indoor games help pass the time!

Selecting the Best Toys for Different Age Groups

Use our FREE checklist to find ideas for the best outdoor toys and games for kids of all ages!

For Young and Little Kids

Keeping younger kids entertained and occupied helps kids associate fun memories of play with camping. Younger campers often have wonderful imaginations that create games and campground adventures.

Campgrounds also remind us of the neighborhoods we grew up in, where everyone is friendly, kids are always running around outside, and kids can be kids.

We recommend bringing along some of your child’s favorite toys or games. When camping, packing space, and weight are often valuable commodities, so choose small and lightweight toys or games.

For us, this included some cars or trucks for Jack or dolls for Madeline. In the summer, we would bring water toys to use in the campground pool or a nearby stream.

Other fun toys include sticker books, the license plate game for the car ride, kids’ binoculars, glow sticks, bubbles, books, stomp rocket, jump ropes, dress-up clothes, or if you have the space, ride-on toys.

Glow sticks and bracelets help create fun glow-themed nighttime parties.

Dress-up clothes, like princess costumes, were one of Madeline’s favorite toys for years. These make perfect camping toys because they are easy to pack, don’t take up much space, and encourage pretend play by younger kids.

Pro Tip: We recommend not including toys or games with lots of small pieces. Keeping up with the small pieces at the camp site can be a challenge!

For Older Kids

Outdoor toys and games for older kids are easier and harder to plan for on your next camping trip. As our kids continue maturing, their interest in toys and games evolves.

Our kids go through cycles where certain outdoor toys are fun while others are less fun.

Lately, pickleball has been a big hit at our house—so much so that we have paddles and a portable net.

Madeline and Jack enjoy unconventional outdoor toys like hammocks. Now, they enjoy setting up a hammock, swinging, or relaxing with a good book. Both of our kids enjoy reading!

Other fun toys include bikes if staying at a campground with paved roads, walkie talkies for various campground adventures (like scavenger hunts!), water guns, nerf guns, sidewalk chalk, craft kits, compasses (for orienteering), and gaming consoles. I know the idea is to spend time in the great outdoors, but depending on the trip length, weather conditions, accessibility of power, etc., this may save you money compared to the campground arcade!

Bikes everywhere — Bikes were parked everywhere on Mackinaw Island

For nighttime fun, glowsticks or bracelets to share with kids at the campground mean super fun games of nighttime hide-and-go-seek! Walkie talkies can create a super fun scavenger hunt that helps kids of all ages explore the campground! For older kids that are more “tech savvy” parents can incorporate an app like What Three Words into the scavenger hunt!

The goal is to encourage both play and stimulate our kids’ minds while exploring the natural world and making new friends!

Toys That Bring the Whole Family Together

Family camping trips and outdoor adventures are among the last remaining places where families can create lifelong memories together. On a recent trip, Madeline shared that this was her favorite spring break because we enjoyed time together as a whole family.

Unless we are camping, we rarely allow ourselves time to slow down, spend quality time together (away from the TV), and play games. Camping gives us the “excuse” we need to spend time together as a family!

Indoor Games

Indoor games bring our whole family together. Some of our favorite games include board games, card games, and dice games.

Board Games: Board games encourage critical thinking and developing strategies to win. Generally, our favorite time to play board games is in the evening after dinner as we wind down and get ready for bed. Lately, Trekking the National Parks has been our go-to board game!
Card Games: Card Games can quickly break up the “I’m bored” moments. A standard deck of cards is small and doesn’t take much room in a backpack or camper, and it offers endless games. Some examples include Go Fish, Crazy 8s, War, Spades / Hearts, etc. Specific card games like Uno, Uno Flip, Happy Salmon, and more are appropriate for all ages!
Dice Games: When it comes to dice games Yahtzee, Farkle, and Lef-Right-Center. Dice games are fast and encourage strategic/critical thinking. These games are much more fun when all participants are old enough to understand the rules.

Outdoor Games

Camping is about spending time in the great outdoors and a few of our favorite games for outside are:

Spike Ball is an amazingly fun game using a round net a few inches from the ground (like a trampoline) and an inflated ball. The game can be played with 2, 3, or 4 people. 4 people makes for the most fun and the proper way to play. Players need to be energtic and nimble. — Spike Ball

Ladder Ball: Encourages hand and eye coordination. Minimal physical activity is required so the entire family can play!
Spike Ball: This game is best described as organized chaos. Players get a lot of physical activity and need to be nimble to volley the ball back and forth. It’s super fun!
Washer Toss: Like Ladder Ball, Washer Toss is a low-impact way to spend time in the great outdoors as a family!

Pro Tip: Plan ahead for your next camping trip and Include in your camping gear a board game that the entire family will enjoy!

Innovative Toys for Creative and Physical Play

The best kids toys develop younger kids creative minds in a fun way.

Some innovative toys to encourage imaginative play include Magna Tiles, Magna Doodle, The License Plate Game, and age appropriate art or crafting kids.

Magna Tiles offer hours of entertainment as younger kids construct buildings, cars, or even recreate the camp site set up with their favorite toys.
Magna Doodles or Etch A Sketch let kids draw and be creative, share with mom and dad, and then create a new design.
The License Plate Game is a perfect toy for the long drive to the great outdoors. This helps keep younger kids engaged on the drive and is an easy and fun way to have hours of entertainment.

Outdoor toys like bikes, ladder ball, spike ball, stomp rockets, kites, and water guns encourage physcial activity at the campsite.

Pro Tip: Games and outdoor toys make great gifts for grandparents or others who want to help younger and older kids have a blast on their next camping trip!

Educational and Skill-Building Toys

Exploring the natural world provides a great opportunity for the entire family to build new skills.

When visiting National Parks like Yellowstone or Glacier, including some binoculars is a perfect way to view wildlife. Using binoculars helps kids feel closer to the wildlife while teaching the important lesson of respecting the power of wild animals like bison, bears, wolves, etc. Planning ahead for these adventures means older kids can take part in developing a plan to spot these animals on your drive through the National Park.

Learning to use a compass and map can be a life-saving skill. Many state parks offer ranger-led programs that teach outdoor skills. Often, the tools (e.g., compass, and maps) are provided. These are excellent opportunities for skill-building as a whole family!

The Essentials for Outdoor Play

An important reminder is to make sure the outdoor toys you bring to the campground can withstand the elements and the rigors of outdoor play. A perfect camping adventure could end in tears if a pop-up rain shower ruins a favorite toy.

Pro Tip: Card or dice games make perfect outdoor camping games for families that backpack because these games don’t take up much space!

Toys as Great Gifts for Outdoor Lovers

Download our best outdoor toys and games checklist HERE.

Wrapping Up the Ultimate Outdoor Camping Toys and Games Guide

Whether you’re soaking in the sun by a lakeside, hanging out at a well-equipped RV resort, or a cozy campground in the woods, these handpicked toys and games are your ticket to an unforgettable family experience.

Camping games offer a great opportunity for family fun; from imaginative play for the little campers to strategic challenges for the older ones, games bring the whole family together under the starlit sky. Our goal was to arm you with ideas that not only fend off the dreaded “I’m so bored” moments but also enrich your family’s outdoor experience with laughter, learning, and loads of fun.

Remember, camping is more than just an escape from the hustle and bustle of daily life; it’s creating lifelong memories. The right toys and games play a pivotal role in making these memories and blending the beauty of the great outdoors and natural world with family time.

Pro Tip: Before you set off on your next adventure, revisit our game and toy checklists. They’re your secret weapon for ensuring every camping trip is packed with joy, adventure, and moments that your family will cherish for years to come.

Gear up, get out there, and let the fun begin! Whether it’s a spirited game of Ladder Ball, a strategic session of Trekking the National Parks, or an evening of smiles and laughter with card games, these moments are the treasures of camping life.

The best stories are often found between the pages of a national park passport filled with stamps from the great outdoors. We can’t wait to hear all about your adventures and the new favorite games and toys that made your camping trip extra special.

Happy Camping from all of us at Our Campfire Unplugged! 🏕️✨

About Us

Mike & Sara began RV camping in 2020 and instantly loved the lifestyle. We found the thrill of exploring new places, breaking our vacation routine, and crossing off all those “one-day” trips a blast! At Our Campfire Unplugged, we enjoy sharing our experiences to help fellow travelers live their best lives.
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