Summer and camping go hand in hand, and there is nothing quite as wonderful as sharing the summer camping experience with your kids. Part of the reason my family lives the RV lifestyle is to spend more time experiencing camping and making memories together, and I think every family should have the opportunity to do the same.

There are many things you can do to ensure your camping trips are memorable. Obviously, traditional camping activities such as hiking, fishing, and campfires should be on the agenda, but the less-common activities below are great options as well.

Go on a Treasure Hunt

Hunting for treasure is fun for everyone. After all, it gives the hunters a great opportunity to pretend they are pirates, and who wouldn’t love to have that chance?

Luckily, you too can have that chance by going Geocaching with your tribe. This real-life treasure hunt adventure is a great way to spend some family bonding time in nature. Check out the Geocaching website for more info.

Or, Hide Some Treasure of Your Own

Many RVers have taken up painting and hiding rocks in the campgrounds they visit. The rocks are then found by others, who have the option to keep the pretty decorations or hide them somewhere else for other lucky campers to find.

Your family can join the fun by holding a morning rock-painting session on your campsite and using the evening to explore the campground and find perfect hiding places for each work of art.

Who knows? You may even have the good fortune of finding a rock or two while you’re at it!

Play Games in the Water

Swimming is a big part of camping for most people. This is especially true during the hot summer months when keeping cool becomes difficult. Why not make your camping swimming sessions even more fun by playing some water games?

The plastic cup race is one silly option. To play, each person puts a plastic cup into the water in front of them. They then spray the cup with a water gun, using the stream of water to make the cup move. The first person to get their cup to a predesignated finish line is the winner.

Other fun ideas include “Marco Polo”, water gun fights, and “hot potato” played with a wet sponge.

Play in the Dark

After the sun goes down, most campers can be found sitting around campfires telling stories and singing songs. While you will definitely want to have the classic campfire experience, there is nothing wrong with mixing it up on occasion.

One of the best ways to make your nighttime camping activities more interesting is to add glow sticks. For instance, a game of glow-in-the-dark ring toss can be played by replacing the rings with glow necklaces. Likewise, a glow stick hunt can keep everyone entertained for a while.

I hope these ideas provide you with the inspiration you need to make this year’s camping trips some of the best yet! Have an idea you’d like to share? Please do so in the comments below.

About the Author:

Chelsea has the amazing opportunity to take part in full-time RV living and traveling with her tiny tribe. She homeschools her five-year-old son as they travel, and takes full advantage of their unique situation by using the entire world as her son’s classroom. A group of total Disney fanatics, Chelsea and her family often find themselves in the Orlando area in order to visit the Disney parks, but they have also visited over 25 of the 50 states with plans to see many more along the way. No matter where her travels take her, Chelsea enjoys riding bikes, gazing at beautiful sunsets, finding new coffee shops, Irish dancing, and sitting around a campfire with her family.

You can join her adventures through her blog, Wonder Wherever We Wander.

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