15 Scout Activities for Camping Fun

Looking for some fun activities to get into with your family while venturing outside? Well, we are ridiculously excited to give you this list of games and adventure endeavors. It covers a wide variety of ages, along with having everything from DIY games to affordable game kits.

Try these outdoor activities for camping fun on your next family adventure!

1. Nature Scavenger Hunt Adventure
2. Cloud Hunt Adventure
3. Charades
4. Card Games
5. Backpack Table Tennis
6. Play Baseball
7. Alphabet Game
8. Bubble Machine
9. Meditate
10. Knot-Tying Race
11. Barrel Toss
12. Rubik's Cube Contest
13. Find Star Constellations
14. Make S'Mores and Biscuit Cups
15. Go Geocaching

Want to play a fun card game with the whole family on your next family camping trip? Try the Backcountry Game - Appalachian Trail Edition!

•  Go on a nature scavenger hunt adventure - Either use a digital list or scraps of paper and adjust the list based on your yard. Some ideas for the hunt: pine cone, ladybug, hawk, dandelion, pink flowers, white flowers, 4 ants, squirrel, fish, acorn, buzzard, spider, and mushroom.
• Go on a cloud hunt adventure -  Spot 3 different types of clouds (Find a diagram here). Once you identify the different types, see how many different animals shapes the clouds are making. Bonus points if you see the same animal as the people you are playing with!
• Charades - This one is always hilarious. While camping, I like to keep with the animal and outdoor theme. Some personal favorites: bee, tiger, possum, inchworm, tree, tornado/hurricane, horse, kangaroo, chicken, monkey, sunrise, and rock climbing.
• Card games -  For these card games, take it back to the classics – I loved Go Fish when I was growing up and it is easy enough for youngsters to get into as well! Use a standard pack of cards or grab a fancy “Go Fish” set, but here are the rules for using the standard pack.
• Backpack Table Tennis - Grab a table and snap this onto it and PLAY! Bonus that it can be snapped onto almost any table, so even when you move your adventures back inside, you can let the kiddos go to town in the living room (so you can have some uninterrupted #workfromhome time).
• Play some baseball -  America's Pastime? YES. The best part about this Nightbat set is that it lights up, so you can even play at dusk! 
• Play the Alphabet Game -  using plant/animal names from your hammock. For those of you who have never played before, go through the alphabet starting with the letter ‘A’ and work your way through ‘Z’ by finding plants or animals that start with that letter. For example, you see an ant that counts as your ‘A’ and then you move on to the letter ‘B’. First-person to get all the way through the alphabet wins.
• Grab a bubble machine -  Honestly, there is something so magical about watching bubbles and it is definitely the most fun for younger Scouts as well.

From backyard barbecues to backcountry campouts, the ENO TrailFlyer packs a ton of fun into a handheld bag!

Scouting makes the most of the time parents have with their children!

• Meditate -  Wait, wait! Don’t just skip over this one with an eye roll! It doesn’t have to be a long, drawn-out ordeal. The whole reason you went camping was to pull in some solitude and be closer to nature, right? This one is all about that – sit down in your chair or in your hammock and close your eyes. Start by bringing your thoughts and awareness to your hands (they can be face down on your legs or folded loosely in your lap). Take 10 slow, even breaths. Move your attention off of your hands and listen for one sound in nature to zoom in on (maybe the sound of the leaves shaking in the wind). Take 5 long, even breaths. Move on to another sound and pull that one to the front of your mind. Repeat as many times as you want. To end, bring your attention to your hands once more. Finish by taking 5 breaths and then slowly open your eyes. Review what came up for you and what you noticed with your group! It is ok if it was hard or if you feel like it “didn’t work”. The point isn’t to have thoughts, it is to sit for a bit and notice your natural surroundings. My 4-year-old will sit in my lap with me for a little bit and breathe with me because she thinks it is a fun "quiet" game, so yes, you can package this in an appealing way!
• Have a knot-tying race - Practice your knot-tying skills with some friendly competition. If you need a refresher on various knots, this knot-tying kit not only shows you 40 different knots but also comes with a cord.
• Barrel Toss -  Play this one with the whole family - for younger players, move their lines closer to the barrel and keep moving back for increased difficulty.
• Rubik’s cube contest - or learn how to solve a Rubik’s cube. 
• Find different star constellations - I love the Night Sky app because it has so many features – you can make it as complex or as simple as you want. This mini star finder and this deck of star gazing cards are also great additions to help you learn more about the night sky.
• Make s'mores and biscuit cups - This tool is the best - it lets you cook basically anything over a fire. Grab your biscuit dough (thanks, Pillsbury!), grab your s'mores trappings, and anything else you want to cook over a fire pit, and hop to!
• Go Geocaching -  As you may have guessed, there's an app for that and there is both a free and paid version (depending on how into it you and your people get). It is a great way to get all ages involved in the same thing.

Want to play baseball at your next BBQ or family camping trip? Get the Nightbat Set!

Have a few favorite games that are perfect for family camping trips or backyard campouts? Let us know by leaving a comment and by sharing your pictures with us on Instagram! Find card games, backpacking, and family camping equipment at ScoutShop.org—the official online retail store of the Boy Scouts of America.