Do you love camping with kids? We do at our house. Taking some camping toys for kids with us makes for a more enjoyable trip all around. Space in the car is always tight though so over the years I have worked out the best things to take with us to keep the kids happy and entertained throughout the trip.
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Toys to take camping for kids
Taking kids camping without any toys is completely unthinkable. That’s why I’ve put together this list of the types of toys I consider important to take camping. You need toys that keep them busy during the drive to the campsite, activities to keep them occupied whilst you put up or take down the tent (unless they are old enough to help) and toys for time spent in the tent. And of course, space is at a premium in your car, campervan or caravan.
We have favourite toys that come on every camping trip, like our go find it cards to as they are perfect for family walks. We have lots of travel games that we rotate which ones we take and I’ll often pick up new art supplies or I spy books, especially for a trip.
I hope you find plenty of ideas for your next family camping trip.
Outdoor toys to take camping
You’ll spend a lot of time outdoors when camping. Camping is one of our favourite outdoor activities for children. You’ll soon rack up plenty of hours of outdoor play whilst camping. Some basic outdoor toys can help but also aren’t always needed if you know plenty of outdoor games for children.
Here are some of our favourite outdoor toys.
SEEKERS magnetic scavenger hunts
Magnetic scavenger hunts are fantastic camping toys for toddlers and older children too. We reviewed the starter pack last year, find out all about it in my SEEKERS magnetic scavenger hunt review. They have some great add-on packs like this one for * camping which is great for keeping toddlers entertained whilst walking around the campsite. Another great add-on is the * car journey pack which is perfect for the drive to and from your trip. Find the base * starter pack here.
Go find it cards
Go find it cards are a great travel toy to have in your bag for walks which I’m guessing you’ll do whilst camping. We love * our set and have recently added the * second set of cards to our collection too. They’re great for a quick and simple way to get children to enjoy a walk. They also help develop vocabulary on walks too. Each card has a different sensory description for something you can find in nature. There are colours, textures and so much more.
Beach toys
If you’re camping near the beach, you’ll need to pack some beach toys like buckets and spades, a football or perhaps a bat and ball. Toys that can be used on the beach and at the campsite are great for saving space in the car too. You also need to check out my post on beach activities for children, I promise they’ll be some new ideas for you.
Kite
We love taking a * kite camping. You can take it to the beach and some campsites have enough space. It’s such a simple, classic childhood activity but kids love flying kites. Choose a simple diamond one for your first kite as they are the simplest to fly.
Travel games
Card games and compact board games are great for playing by the tent in an evening or even inside the tent on wet days. There are so many great travel games available for all ages. Here are a few of our favourites.
Art supplies
Art supplies are great for keeping children entertained both on a long drive and in the tent. Perfect if children get up early or if you have to spend any time in the tent. We like to take paper and colouring pencils or washable felt tip pens. Colouring books are also a good idea if your kids enjoy them. These * camping colouring sheets are fantastic.
Another idea is to take a scrapbook or * nature journal. Kids love collecting and saving things on their travels. You could add photos or tickets from attractions to make a holiday diary in a scrapbook.
How about taking some road trip activity sheets to keep the kids entertained. Thes ones look fantastic fun * Road trip activities.
Ad – Find it books. We were recently sent these gorgeous books to review and I am more than happy to promote them to you all as we love them. They are great for using in the car, at the campsite and on days out. They’re filled with things to spot, fantastic facts and activities like spot the difference, dot to dots and other puzzles.
There are four books to choose from :
Toys from home
Don’t forget to pack that favourite toy that your child won’t sleep without. A few books for bedtime stories will be useful too. We also give the kids a small bag each before our trips, to pack a few favourite toys for the journey and the camping trip. They often bring things like Duplo, dolls or cars.
What toys do you recommend taking camping? I’d love to hear in the comments below.
More posts to make your next camping trip even better
- Find more camping activities for kids of all ages here.
- Taking a toddler camping? Find my top tips for camping with toddlers here. You don’t want to go camping with young children, without reading this post.
- And here’s what to pack. What do I need for camping with a toddler?
- Still looking for more ideas for toys to take? Find the best travel games for long journeys here.
- If you need more ideas for things to do on a walk with kids, you’ll love this post.
- Camping toys make great gifts. Find more gift ideas for everyone here.
- Find some great gifts ideas for map lovers here – gifts for map lovers
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