Here is a list of kids camping accessories that we find useful to keep the kids engaged when they are camping. Nothing spoils a trip faster than a bunch of whiney kids. For full disclosure as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases which helps fund content on this site. Don’t forget the sunscreen and bug spray!
1.) Explore the outdoors – look for animals, bugs, and interesting plants.
Amazon has these cute little explorer kits with binoculars, backpack, net, and bug catching tools that the kits loved! We also got them this book full of outdoor activities – they loved making crafts from items found outside. Extra nets are always handy, our oldest is pretty good at catching butterflies. A catch and release aquarium is wonderful for exploring minnows or tadpoles. My girls love these explorer hats that keep the sun off!
2.) Go Fishing
Our oldest wanted to try her hand at fishing so we picked up an inexpensive fishing rod. We let her pick out the bait/lure, which was this bright pink smelly bait that we haven’t had much luck with yet but she thinks it’s cute. We picked up bobbers as well that look like these that I found on amazon. I also purchased this fishing kit from amazon incase we really caught a fish (which as yet to happen).
3.) Bubbles – Music – Chalk
Self explanatory – kids love chalk and bubbles and everyone (okay – almost everyone) loves a dance party. If we are at a site that’s paved they could draw with chalk to keep them occupied while we do other things like cook. The girls like these longer bubble wands as they are easy to make tons of bubbles. We’ve also purchased lots of these battery powered wands which work great for a season or two but our kids are rough on them and they never seen to last but they sure to love them so I just keep buying replacements! We have a JBL bluetooth speaker that came with our camper which has very good sound to it – perfect for summer dance parties. We take turns deciding which songs to play.
4.) Kites
If you have some space away from trees (beaches work great) and a little wind you can fly a kite. Our kids like to be in control of their own kites so make sure you purchase a few. Something like the ones below would work great.
5.) Board Games and coloring books for rainy days
We got a set of waterproof games they are wonderful. We have a waterproof deck of cards, uno, and spot it which is helpful to have some splash proof games while traveling. We have our set of favorite board games, like checkers, guess who, and they love jingo. There are some links below for suggestions.
6.) Water and Beach/Sand Toys
The kids are obsessed with playing with these shark net toys, it provides us hours worth of entertainment and fun to see which shark can get the fish. We also got a kit of sand castle building toys, a few squirt guns and a large mesh bag to keep it all in.
7.) Nighttime fun
Once it gets dark we break out the glow sticks, the kids enjoy them and we like being able to find them in the dark quickly. The kids love roasting marshmallows on the fire and we got these telescoping sticks that work great. After we get done cooking over the fire, the kids enjoy throwing a packing of color flames on there to see all of the different colors that come out. We also got some UV flashlights to look for things that glow in the dark.
