Keep the Fire Burning: 8 Fun Games for Your Next Camping Trip
There’s something magical about a crackling campfire, the scent of pine in the air, and giggling kids with marshmallow-sticky fingers. As a mom of four energetic kiddos ranging from toddler to almost tween, I’ve learned that the key to a smooth and screen-free camping trip is having a few go-to games up my sleeve. These no-prep games keep everyone laughing, talking, and making memories. Here are eight of our family favorites:
1. 20 Questions
What is it?
One person thinks of something, typically a noun (a person, place or thing) and the rest of the group takes turns asking yes-or-no questions to figure out what it is. You only get 20 questions to guess it right!
Example: "Is it alive?" "Can it fly?" "Is it something we eat?"
How we play it with kids
We usually let one of the older kids (7 or 9) be the "thinker" since they can come up with something and stick to it. Our 4-year-old loves guessing and usually shouts out the answer halfway through whether it's her turn or not. We often have to reminder the older kids, that she is younger and does not fully understand the concept of the game. We hold the rules loosely.
A campfire twist
Sometimes we narrow the category ahead of time to make it easier or camping themed, like “something at the campsite” or “a type of animal.” And if the kids get stuck, we start tossing in silly hints with dramatic voices, which somehow turns it into a comedy show every time.
2. Telephone
What is it?
A classic whisper-down-the-line game! One person thinks of a phrase and whispers it into the next person's ear. The message gets passed along the line until the last person says it out loud, usually with hilarious results.
Example: Start with “The purple raccoon packed a peanut butter picnic,” and end with “The purple balloon smashed a peanut butter chicken.”
How we play with kids
We try to keep the phrases short and silly for the younger ones. The older two (7 and 9) love to create their own phrases, while our 4-year-old just repeats whatever jumble she heard with a proud grin. With our toddler, although he does not speak fluently, we like to whisper a single word like “marshmallow” and wait for the cute reinterpretation. Often times he just mimics what he hears from his siblings.
A campfire twist
We make the first person, says their phrase with a marshmallow in their mouth. This causes extra giggles and maybe a little sugar rush!
3. Would you Rather?
What is it?
A game of silly choices, players take turns asking, “Would you rather…?” questions, and others answer.
Example: "Would you rather, eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich made by your sister's feet or brush your teeth with tuna fish?"
How we play it with kids
My older two (7 and 9) love coming up with their own questions and typically come up with more pretty unique questions. So we usually let them just do their thing. With our 4-year old we typically have to whisper a Would You Rather question into her ear, so she can still play along.
A campfire twist
We turn it into a glow-stick vote: one color means "A," another means "B." Everyone holds up their stick! Most definitely not necessary but adds in a little extra fun.
4. Signs
What is it?
A fast-paced guessing game where one person is in the middle with their eyes closed while the rest of the group secretly passes around a “sign” (a small hand movement, silly face, or gesture). When the person in the middle opens their eyes, they have to figure out who’s passing the sign.
Example: scratching your head, flapping your arms, peace sign, nose wiggle, or a pretend sneeze.
How we play it with kids
We pick really obvious and goofy signs for the little ones, things like clapping or sticking out your tongue. My older kids take it seriously and try to distract the guesser by faking moves. This game is best played with a larger group though, at least 6 people, so we only play this game when we go camping with friends.
A campfire twist
We play it with flashlights too, one flick means “pass the sign,” two flicks means “guess now!” It adds a secret agent vibe, especially once it’s dark and the fire is crackling. Or we you can use it as a distraction tactic, so the sign does not get detected as easily.
5. Campfire Charade
What is it?
A classic acting game where players silently act out a word or phrase, and the others try to guess what it is. No talking, just gestures, dramatic faces, and lots of flailing arms.
Example: “Roasting a marshmallow,” “Riding a bear,” “Making s’mores,” or “Getting chased by a mosquito.”
How we play it with kids
We keep the prompts super simple and familiar, especially for the younger two. Sometimes we whisper a word to our 4-year-old like “cat” and let her meow and crawl around, which always brings giggles. For the older two, we typically write 20 word/phrases and put them in a ball cap for them to pull from. We love to play boys verses girls in our family.
A campfire twist
The losing team has to make the winning team their s'mores.
6. Name That Song
What is it?
My husband and I will search Disney songs, and movie soundtracks on our phone. We will pick one at random. Everyone else tries to guess the song or movie they know it from. First person to get it right wins the round!
Example: The soundtrack to Frozen or a theme song, “Let It Go” or "Hey Gabby" are instantly recognizable for kids and adults alike.
How we play it with kids
We keep it simple by using songs the kids already know, but they typically blow us away by how quickly they pickup the correct song titles, within seconds of hearing the tune. For our younger two kiddos (2 and 4 years old) we find familiar and easily identifiable songs we know they know.
A campfire twist
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7. The Alphabet Game
What is it?
Each person adds a sentence to a silly group story, but their sentence must start with the next letter of the alphabet. Go from A to Z (or as far as attention spans allow)!
Example:
A: “Alligators danced on the picnic table."
B: “But then a raccoon stole their salsa.”
C: “Clearly, the alligators were not pleased.”
How we play it with kids
We keep it flexible, if someone gets stuck on a letter, we help or skip it. The older two (7 and 9) get more creative, while our 4-year-old usually says something like “Jumping jellybeans!” no matter the letter, which we now count as a wild card. We often have to keep track of what letter of the alphabet we are on and help remind them of possibly words that would make sense. Keep it light hearted and fun.
A campfire twist
We make the story about our own camping trip. The rule? Every sentence has to connect somehow to something we did (or hope to do) that day. Like spotting a frog, roasting marshmallows, or planning a bear-proof dance party. It becomes a hilarious mix of real memories and wild imagination, and it helps the kids remember the day in the most creative way possible.
8. Two Truths and a Lie
What is it?
Each person takes a turn saying three “facts” about themselves or in general: two of them are true, and one is made up. Everyone else guesses which one’s the fib!
Example: “I’ve eaten a worm, I hate peanut butter, and I sleep with socks on.”
(Lie: She loves peanut butter.)
How we play it with kids
This one’s always a hit with our older two. They get super creative and try to stump us with bizarre claims like, “I saw a squirrel doing a backflip.” My son, in particular, is notorious for remembering the most random history or science facts, so more than once, he’s actually fooled us, just because it sounded too wild to be real. We usually help our 4-year-old come up with her list, or let her join the fun by guessing the lie each round. But it always ends in lots of laughs.
A campfire twist
We turn it into a mini competition, if your lie fools everyone, you win a reward: an extra s’more, a bonus marshmallow, etc. It adds just enough friendly competition to keep everyone focused and giggling.
In Conclusion
No matter how rowdy or sleepy your camping crew is, these games can will spark laugher and connection! That's all I can hope for as a mother. So I’d love to hear what your family plays around the fire, or how your kids put their own spin on these games!
