There’s nothing that says summer quite like gooey s’mores or maybe some banaboats roasting over the fire—yes, it’s camping season! In fact, roughly 40 million people go camping across our great country each year, pitching tents throughout our national parks, near high altitude mountain lakes and next to rivers where you can plunge in when the heat gets too intense. There’s something about setting up camp in great outdoors that teaches us to appreciate the tranquility and scenery of nature.
We pack up our belongings and adorable children then hit the road for that camping spot reserved 5 months ahead of time. We do so because when kids camp, they learn valuable life lessons. And while they may not appreciate it until they get a bit older, camping helps create memories that will last a lifetime and expand their world beyond the playground, iPads and pre-packaged snacks.
Even if your kiddos share in your excitement to roast marshmallows over the fire and explore the outdoors for the weekend, the inevitable statements of boredom or “are we there yet?” questions are bound to occur at some point throughout the trip. Being prepared with some fun camping themed games and printables can be a great response to these moments. So with summer slowly fading on us, we’re loving these camping focused printables and games—designed to keep your kiddos occupied and engaged during that sweet last trip.
One of our favorites are the animal tracks explorer cards. Each card depicts different animal paw prints, including information about the size of the tracks and critter fun facts. Print these out, punch a hole in the upper left corner of each, and secure them with some yarn or a lanyard, so your child doesn’t lose them while they’re scouting out the campsite. To get this printable, Click Here.
For more of these cute outdoors printables, you can check out this list of summer camping games for kids.