Camping Fun and Games For Families

by: Trisha Novotny
24/7 MOMS

Are you planning a family camping trip?  Plan ahead for some family fun with one or two of these Camping trip games or activities to create simple family memories.

Bubble Fun - Bring along the wands, bubble and buckets and allow your kids to spend hours blowing bubbles all ages enjoy this activity.  Get creative and have contest biggest bubble, smallest, most creative etc.

Domino's - Pick up an inexpensive set of Domino's and teach your family this good ole' fashion game.  There are a variety of games to play and are generally included inside your box of Domino's.  Click here for additional game instructions.

Exploring- Take a family day hike.  Ask the camp host or forest Rangers for hiking trail information.  Be sure to take a back pack wit water and snacks.

Game Of Cards - Card games are a well loved camping game and can become a family tradition for all ages.  Click here for fun Card game ideas and instructions.

Camp Fire Stories - Is someone in your family a great story teller?  Assign them the fun each night of telling an ongoing campfire story each night prior to bedtime.  Be sure it is suitable for all ages listening - unless you want little ones in your sleeping bag that night.  Another idea would be to read a book each night around the campfire.

Camp Fire Sing-along - Get out the guitar and start a campfire sing along.  Click here for lyrics to traditional campfire songs.

Where are we - Prior to leaving for your camping trip go a little research on the history and tourist attractions near your campsite.  Teach your kids something new about the area or terrain.

Cloud Watching -Remember when you were little and you would look into the sky and imagine the clouds were different animal or scenes? Grab a blanket place it out i an open area and lay down with your kids and imagine what the clouds could be.

Lawn Games - Camping is the perfect tie to teach your kids lawn games such as Bocce, Croquet, Frisbee, Croquet, Horse shoe, Ladder Golf, Capture the flag, Lawn darts.  Click here for ideas and instructions.  Also google Lawn Games for more ideas.

Outdoor Cooking- Camping is a great time to teach kids cooking.  So when making your camping meal plan think about a dish or two that you can have your children help you cook.  Try making Foil packet meals that all ages can participate in creating.

Skits - Have a skit night where everyone breaks in to groups and comes up with camp skits.  You could plan ahead with ideas and scripts for those that have never participated in camp skits.

Frugal Spring Vacation Ideas

It’s Spring Break season and our kids will be ready to party kid style with a fun and relaxing week. So, if you didn’t already book your flights to Hawaii fear no more we have some frugal ideas for you. 

Let me first warn you to NOT book every moment of your kids spring break with activities  allow them to sleep in a bit, relax and do noting but play. Remember your school vacation days that seemed full of endless hours of playing with no schedules?

Save money this Spring vacation by creating your  own home to be  Spring vacation getaway with a little preparation and planning.  When vacationing at home you don’t have to pack, you get to sleep in your own bed, and enjoy your own time schedule.

A few Spring break planning tips:

-       Plan SIMPLE meals that are easy to prepare

-       Designate field trip days and stay home days

-       Get your kids involved in the planning

-       Search for coupons for both activities and dinning

Here are some ideas 24/7 MOMS gathered for both at home and on the road locally that is.

Family Field Trip Fun:

Zoos and more:

Head out to your nearby museums, zoos, galleries, factories, historical sites and other tourist attractions.  Many museums and zoos offer free days. Be frugal and find out what these times are and plan accordingly.

Park Hopping :

Map out local parks you have been wanting to visit both in your local city and nearby cities. Spend the day hopping from park to park then vote at the end  of the day for the best park.

Take a hike:

Seek out simple hikes and trails that your family can enjoy together – don’t forget a day pack filled with snacks and liquids.

Out to Lunch : 

My kids love the treat of eating out.  Lunch time menus tend to be less expensive so why not eat a late lunch and get in on the less expensive prices.

Story Time and Other Library Activities:

Many public libraries offer spring break events , such as story times and “meet the authors, etc. Visit the web sites of your local libraries for time and locations of activities.

Volunteering with Your Kids:

Teach your kids to give back to your community, church, local schools etc. by seeking out ways you can volunteer together from serving at a mission to asking to pick-up and do yard work at your local school, helping at church etc.

At HOME Fun:

Cooking/ Baking:

Kids love to create in the kitchen so have a morning or afternoon of baking and cooking lessons for you kids - create a new recipe they have not had prior or create their favorite recipe.  You could even include taking them shopping for the supplies.

Movie DAY Time:

Have a day time movie event -  you could create a fun at home MOVIE experience with neighbor kids . Rent movies, or better yet, borrow DVDs from the local libraries, then watch the films. Prepare popcorn and  drinks to serve during movie time. You could even create a movie snack bar with candy, treats , pizza , popcorn.

Game Day:

Pull out  the board games and puzzles that are filling the closets. Invite over a few school friends or neighbors and have a game marathon. Serve treats or a meal

Scavenger Hunt:

Create clues and have your kids go in search of a prize. This could be an indoor or out door hunt.  Search Google for hunt ideas.

Craft Day:

Do your kids have unused craft kits or supplies – get them out and get ready for a day of crafting – even cans of playdo make for a fun afternoon of creating.

Spring Cleaning:

Recruit your kids to help with Spring cleaning Offer to pay the kids to help you clean out and get organized Or give them a reward.

Already Paid :
What do you already belong to or have memberships  to?  YMCA, Zoo,  Netflix…..what about gift cards and coupons - inventory your resources and use them during Spring break

Do Nothing:

If your kids generally have a lot of scheduled activities after school, then offer them a week of doing nothing. having a week to relax together would be a fun change and could re energize your kids.

AS we always say here on 24/7 MOMS "Keep it simple and make every moment count."

What fun simple frugal ideas do you have?

Image: Sujin Jetkasettakorn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Special Spring Break Ideas

Spring break offers the last extended break for children before summer begins. This year, think about different ways to celebrate this time off from school with a special trip, vacation or family planned activity that will elicit smiles from the little ones – big or small.

· Visit the Relatives
For families that live a long distance away from other family members, spring break can allow for a surprise visit outside of standard holidays and get-togethers. This spring, consider surprising your family with a special visit from the grand kids, nieces or nephews and bring everyone together again. During road trips, you and the kids can spot license plates from other states and try to name the capital of each plate’s state. You can also play funny storytelling games where you start the first sentence of the story, your child has to make up the next part of the story and then the next person in the car takes a turn and so on. Soon you will have a wacky hodgepodge of a story that everyone improvised together.


· Frugal Family Fun
You don’t have to spend a lot to have fun with the kids during spring break this year. Try staying in and creating a life-sized self-portrait. Visit your local crafts store and purchase a giant piece of paper that is as tall as your son or daughter. You can even try using butcher paper from your deli, which could work also. Once you have your paper, lay it on the ground at home and have your child lie on it while you trace his or her entire body on the paper. Once you have the basic form, your child can go to town decorating it and drawing whatever he or she wants on the form. When your child is finished, take a picture of the self-portrait with the artist standing next to it.

· Go Local
If a big trip isn’t in the cards this spring break, try something local. Consider taking your children to the premier of the newest movie they are dying to see. It will cost a little more than a normal matinee, but they will feel special when they know they have seen the film before anyone else and will likely want to brag about it. Doing this lets you show your child you understand their world, makes you feel like a rock-star mom and gives you the chance to share the movie details with friends who might be considering a film outing for their own family.

Anna from Kumon shared these fun ideas.