Best Summer Camp Activities For Parents To Make

Making kids happy is a challenging task for parents, especially during summer vacations. You need to come up with a list of ideas that kids will love. Camping is a fun activity. It keeps a child engaged in fun and adventurous activities. 

Again camping needs to plan in such a way that your kid doesn't get bored. You need a backup of fun activities like games, projects, experiments, and more. Also, you need the best kids camping tent that is comfortable for them. You are supposed to take care of lots of stuff. Here is the list of such activities that engage adults as well as kids. To through full guide to exploring new camping ideas. 

Day on the field

Field Day is a favorite among kids of all ages because they can try all kinds of outdoor challenges. Provide several stations with group activities such as three-legged races, water balloon hot potato, relay races with eggs on spoons, potato sack races, beanbag tosses, sprinkler limbo, and super soaker tag. 

Bring the kids outside for fun games they can get wet, dirty, and exhausted. Children should be grouped by cabins, start at one station, and rotate to another station when the air horn sounds.

Do you want an activity that doesn't require a lot of equipment? Take a look at Cup-for-Cup, which requires only buckets and water.

• Each group stands in line to fill their cups with water from a bucket.
• Following that, they lift the cup over their heads and pour as much water as possible into the cup of the person behind them.
• All remaining water is poured into an empty bucket by the last person in line.
• Until they reach a fill line, groups must repeat this process and then move on to the next activity.

Carnival in a cabin

Allow children time in the morning to brainstorm a carnival game they can create with things they find in their cabins or nature. After that, let the kids rotate from cabin to cabin playing carnival games they made. 

Other supplies you can provide are:

• Dispose of empty cups and bottles
• Rubber ducks
• Ping pong balls
• Balloons
• Bean bags
• Hula hoops
• Face paint

As campers complete activities, you can give them a stamp or a sticker as a reward. 

Battle of the Junkyards

Campers must build a machine using only the items you give them based on an old TV series from the early 2000s. The activities can be as simple or as complex as you wish, depending on the time available and the age of the campers.

If your campers are comfortable using tools, you can challenge them to build a catapult with scrap lumber, ropes, and cloth to launch water balloons. Divide campers into groups and have them compete to see which catapult can launch a water balloon the farthest. 

If you want to build a cage for an egg with younger kids or indoors, give them lightweight materials and tape. Each team will drop their cages from different heights to see which protects the egg from the highest. No matter which junk you choose, this is one of our favorite summer camp activities.

Facts and Myths 

There is a bunch of myth-busting activities for kids on this list, and many of them don't require a lot of equipment. Here are a few that work well at camp:

• Yawning campers to see if they're contagious
• Relating fingerprints with stamp pads and paper.
• Testing your ability to close out a table without breaking it by using second-hand plates.

During a particularly hot day, you can crack an egg on a hot surface to see if it is cooked by the sun.

Rockets of Alka Seltzer

Children love creating rockets and launching them into space, right? There is no better way to teach a little bit of science than with a rocket-powered by an alkaline-seltzer? 

A rocket decoration template and instructions are available on PlayfulLearning.net. It is fun for kids to launch rockets and measure how far they travel.

Scavenger hunt for nature

You can customize the level of difficulty of your scavenger hunt based on the age of your campers, so they can be as challenging or as simple as you'd like.

This is one of our favorite downloadable nature scavenger hunts. You could also create your list by researching the plants and birds that are local to your camp.

One Note:  Before you begin the camp activity, be sure to teach campers how to identify poisonous plants that they will come in contact with.

A water balloon dodgeball game

Water balloons make dodgeball more enjoyable. Summer campers will enjoy this activity during the hot summer days when they want to cool off. Different colored balloons can be given to teams, and you can track who has the most hits. Next, have the two top teams compete in a dodgeball match.

Ninja Warrior training

It isn't necessary to have a warped wall to create an obstacle course; you can adapt your existing camp equipment, and incorporate it into a fun and safe course.

You can also get creative by finding new ways to use items at camp. Obstacle courses can be constructed using boxes, tree stumps, chairs, and other items. 

You can divide the children into teams and have them do a relay race through the obstacle course. If all team members complete the course, the winner is the first team.

Human Foosball

Although there are online instructions for building foosball courts, you can also build one in an open field by drawing 12 rectangular lines in chalk. The players must stay within their defined areas and pass the ball to their teammates from there. 

The fun teamwork activity your kids will enjoy every summer will be set up once you get the court set up. 

Showcase of talent

A child loves showcasing his or her exceptional talents. To entertain your audience, you only need a stage and a standing area. 

Organize a talent show after dinner, after the kids have had time to play and rehearse their roles. By providing an assortment of props they can use in their act, you can make it even more fun for the kids.

Consider asking a few counselors to suggest a group activity for their whole cabin if you're worried some campers may not participate.

Sun-powered ovens cooking 

You don't need a fire to make s'mores-kids can also use solar ovens to bake their favorites. To melt s'mores into a gooey mess that children love, you'll need aluminum foil, a pizza box, and a few other supplies. Learn how to build a solar oven here. It must be fun if NASA says so!

Volcanoes

Volcanoes erupting are a favorite activity for kids. While learning a little about science, you'll also get muddy. 

Here's a simple outdoor volcano activity you can do. There is only one thing you need for this project: a water bottle, baking soda, vinegar, and dirt. You can add a few drops of red food coloring to make it look like real lava spewing out of the volcano. 

Woodwork

Woodworking and handling woodworking tools are popular with children. We have compiled a list of projects kids can make using woodworking. Starting with simple projects, then moving to more complex ones like birdhouses or hanging planters, as the children become adept at using woodworking tools safely will be rewarding. Kids can enjoy having several wood projects from their summer at camp.

The next best thing to a woodshop at your camp can be popsicle stick projects. We recommend the following suggestions:

• Marble mazes
• Bookmarks
• Miniature hockey sticks
• Picture frames

The Beadery

Beads are a favorite tool for creating bracelets, necklaces, suncatchers, and more for kids. Ensure your Beadery has a wide selection of wooden, plastic, metal, glass, and other beads, as well as a variety of stringing cords. Make a few ideas on how to inspire the kids and then let them loose with their imaginations. To teach kids how to make friendship bracelets, you can also provide a cord, string, or yarn.

Fidget spinners are another fun bead project that's perfect for kids with ADHD. Making a shape out of bendable wire, then threading larger beads that will spin around. These can be hung from lanyards around campers' necks to help them stay focused during activities.

A bird feeder

Bird feeders can be made by covering empty toilet paper rolls in peanut butter and raffling them in birdseed, and then stringing them together for hanging. You can also build bird feeders out of a woodshed if you have one. Track the different types of birds that show up at their feeders during the summer. Ensure that they have enough supplies to keep their feeders full. The kids can write down birds in their area and check them off their list as they encounter them.

Playing a Game 

For campers with neuromuscular disorders, trivia is an excellent indoor activity, well suited for those with limited mobility. (See here for more ideas for campers with neuromuscular disorders.) Here is a list of questions you can use as a starting point. Our favorite way to include trivia about your camp is to ask questions about it. What year did it start? What is the number of campers each summer? How experienced is the camp director? There are many ways to incorporate your camp culture into this activity.

You can incorporate physical challenges into trivia games if you end up playing outdoors. Likewise, we aren't going to try to convince you to give it a go if you feel like it; we reserve that right for you.

Summer camp final thoughts

You can make your kids' summer a highlight by providing them with summer activities. Hopefully, these suggestions will give you plenty of ideas to make camp a memorable experience that your kids will look forward to year after year.

Let us know what activities you would like to see at summer camp. Are there any great ideas we should add to this list?