Whether you are working with preschoolers at a campsite or you simply want to bring them on a camping trip, there are a variety of activities out there that can help make the experience a fun and educational one.
Camping-themed activities provide preschoolers with the opportunity to learn more about the world around them, strengthen their skills, and have fun throughout the process! Read on to learn more about 20 different indoor and outdoor activities that all fit within the preschool camping activities theme.
1. Camping Bingo
This camping-themed bingo game helps preschoolers learn vocabulary. Using tokens and a bingo card, children need to mark three images in a row based on the calling cards that are read aloud.
Learn more: Teachers Pay Teachers
2. Stained Glass Camping Lantern
This adorable camping stained glass lantern is a simple yet fun activity. Using a lantern template, children add materials like glitter, crayons, and tissue paper to create their lantern. The beautiful mosaic designs that are created can be enjoyed by displaying lanterns on any open classroom windows.
Learn more: Glued to My Crafts
3. Can You Build a Camping Tent?
In this fun science center activity, children will need to use their creativity and problem-solving skills to design a camping tent. With the help of mini marshmallows, toothpicks, and napkins, this activity is one of many camping STEM challenges that preschoolers will love creating.
Learn more: Preschool STEAM
4. Glowing Camping Lantern
For this project, children are given a water bottle, paint, construction paper, and pipe cleaners to create a functional camp lantern. This project is an excellent way to teach students how to be resourceful and use their creativity.
Learn more: The Crazy Outdoor Mama
5. Forest Animal Circle Time Song
This collection of circle time songs makes for an exciting way to help preschoolers work on their oral language development and vocabulary. Children learn and use new action words while moving around and having some fun. These songs are sure to become any preschooler's favorite camping songs.
Learn more: Fantastic Fun and Learning
6. Animal Track Stamps
This camping theme preschool activity helps children learn more about the animals that they love. After looking at a book about animals, children get to decide which animal track they want to recreate and then make a functional stamp using sponges and cardboard squares.
Learn more: Green Kids Craft
7. Color Scavenger Hunt
A color scavenger hunt is a great way to get preschoolers excited about spending time outdoors. Children must use their creativity to find objects in nature that match the colors they need, making their time outdoors an experience that is filled with fantastic fun and learning.
Learn more: I Heart Crafty Things
8. Camping Yoga
Camping yoga is a good way to add some camping trip fun while helping preschoolers work on their gross and fine motor skills. There are many camping-themed poses that children get to do, such as canoe (boat pose) and tent (reverse warrior).
Learn more: Pink Oatmeal
9. Popsicle Stick S'mores
In this amazing camping theme craft, children use their creativity and imagination to create their own s'mores. The s'mores are built by using just a few materials, including jumbo popsicle sticks, paper, and glue. This is another easy craft that would be a great addition to any camping lesson plans.
Learn more: Glued to My Crafts Blog
10. Feed the Raccoon
This simple yet fun game for children can help preschoolers practice their alphabet and letter recognition skills. Children take turns picking up a fish cutout from the pile. If they read the uppercase letter and lowercase letter on each fish correctly, they feed it to the raccoon.
Learn more: East TN Family Fun
11. Tree Bark Rubbings
This activity calls for easel paper, tape, and access to a nearby tree. Once the easel paper is wrapped around the tree, children are encouraged to color on the easel paper however they want. This camping sensory activity is a simple way to entertain any preschooler.
Learn more: I Can Teach My Child
12. Camping with 5 Senses
This craft activity encourages preschoolers to explore how their five senses are used throughout the camping experience. Children are given a card for each of their senses, and they get to illustrate what they see, smell, hear, touch, and taste for some camping fun.
Learn more: Teachers Pay Teachers
13. Nature Name Activity
The nature name activity is a creative way to have preschoolers practice their pre-writing skills and letter recognition. Children are tasked with finding objects in nature, such as pine cones and leaves, that can help them spell out their names.
Learn more: Mrs. Jones' Creation Station
14. Forest Animal Playdough Mats
These playdough mats are another fun and creative way to help preschoolers practice their fine motor skills. Children have a choice between a variety of forest animal cards, and they use playdough to trace each picture.
Learn more: Etsy
15. Pine Needle Discovery Bottle
This discovery bottle calls for just a few materials: plastic bottles, pine needles, and glitter. By placing the pine needles inside of a bottle and adding glitter, children can get a closer look at the different features of pine needles. This is a great addition to any classroom nature collection.
Learn more: Teach Preschool
16. Nature Scavenger Hunt Book
This camping-themed scavenger hunt book can be used to make any nature walk a more interactive and educational time for children. Children are encouraged to respond to various prompts, such as “I found something that flies.” and “I found something green” by drawing a picture and coloring it.
Learn more: Early Learning Ideas
17. S’mores Rhyming Words
This s'mores-themed, classroom setting activity is a great way to being the campfire vibe to children. Children are tasked with creating s'mores by putting together words that rhyme. Once given a pile of words, the goal is to pick up one word, place it on the s’mores mat, and then find another word that rhymes with the first word.
Learn more: Preschool Play and Learn
18. Pipe Cleaner Constellations
Another craft that you can add to your camping theme lesson planning involves taking teaching children about the stars and constellations that they can find in the night sky. The activity is designed to challenge children to make different constellations by using pipe cleaners and star beads.
Learn more: 123 Homeschool 4 Me
19. Making Patterns
Making pattern mats involve having children use their critical thinking skills to identify and complete simple patterns. With a diverse collection of camping pictures featured on each mat, these pattern mats are one of many camping theme activities that are fun and educational.
Learn more: Tot Schooling
20. Container for Rock Collecting
For this fun summer camp activity, children enjoy the simple fun of camping by spending time outdoors. They are tasked with filling up their egg carton by finding rocks in nature. As an extension, you can also have children further examine and describe the rocks that they find.
Learn more: Early Learning Ideas
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