A family vacation is a great time to connect with your children on their level, teach them things your parents taught you, and just generally have fun! Here are some campground games to get your family vacation started the right way:
“Notice the Details”: in this game, each participant is suppose to find the tiniest detail they can in nature- whether that’s a vein in one of the leaves or a tiny ant carrying a crumb bigger than itself. To make the game more difficult, try to find a tiny detail in each color- brown, black, white, red, orange, yellow, etc. This is a great way to appreciate nature and stop to enjoy the little things!
Campfire Stories: instead of telling scary stories that will keep your kids from sleeping, try this variation of campfire stories: one person gives an object, a character name, and a conflict for the character. For example: eggs, Miley, late for work OR bicycle, Arnold, lost in the woods. The stories can be short and sweet or long and drawn out. You can assign points for how much laughter each story brings or you can simply enjoy the creative storytelling. Take turns by going from youngest to oldest, in a circle, or by drawing numbers from a hat.
Red Light, Green Light: a classic but a good way to keep your kids running around and their heart rates up. Have one person stand at one end of the campsite and all the participants stand at the opposite end. To make the game more interesting, add prizes for first and second place, such as “first gets to pick the next game or be the traffic light, second gets to make the first smore”
Freeze Tag: another classic but add a nature variation- to freeze the participants must name a plant, type of tree, or for the older players a National Park. Players can only stay frozen for 3 seconds before running off again so have a list of plants and trees handy, or use Bethy Creek’s wifi to pull one up on your phone quickly!
Butterfly and Bird Watching: how many birds or butterflies can you spy? And how many different species? Did you know that the average lifespan of a butterfly is one month, and for small butterflies, it’s only one week? Getting your children to participate and look for our little winged friends will give them a better perspective on the beauty of life. Turn appreciating the birds and butterlifes into a game by seeing who can identify the most species of butterfly or birds during the trip.
Bethy Creek has lots of space to stretch out AND to play a few games. Also, with all of our shaded areas, you and your family can enjoy time together without getting burnt by the sun!