The perfect family camping adventure requires lots of planning – we’re talking about weeks in advance!

The destination, campsite location, and all the necessary camping gear and supplies required so that each and every family member won’t feel left out or bored needs meticulous decision-making for sure. For children especially, things have to be fun and dynamic. Ensuring this can be a tad bit difficult. Thankfully, the payoff makes it well worth it though!

We decided to compile the best seven activities that you can undertake the next time you set out on a family camping adventure. Read on to change the way you camp – for the better.

Playing a good ol’ game of hopscotch

Hopscotch is a game that can be entertaining for adults and children alike. For those who are unaware of the rules, the player only needs to hop through the grid course taking care to avoid the square with a marker in it. This grid course will include single squares and double squares. The fun thing here is that every square can accommodate only one foot. If a player loses balance and ends up with both his feet when only one was allowed, he loses. Trust us, it is very fun!

Here, you’ll need to make a hopscotch grid on the ground using a stick. You can also include your child and ask him or her ideas when creating the grid. The idea here is to make it a family activity and carry out the game in a fun, jovial manner.

Carrying a paintball gun when you leave

An excellent recreational sport, paintball is suitable for all ages. You can design several different games revolving around the use of paintball guns as well, which makes it perfect for family camping.

Our personal favorite is the ‘Capture the Flag‘ game. In this case, you need to create two teams, each of them having two flag sites on the opposite side of the ground. Every player should be aware of the location of the flag and whoever is in their team.

The goal here is to retrieve the flag of the rival team and bring it to their own base without getting shot. Another rule here is that the flags cannot be hidden or removed under any circumstances by any member. Any player that gets shot more than twice or thrice ends up getting eliminated. In the end, the team that has the last member standing or who are successful in capturing the flag will be the winner.

You can also try out other games such as ‘Predator vs. Prey’ or ‘Team Deathmatch’. The possibilities to innovate in paintball are endless, really.

Going for a hike

Taking your teenager or toddler on a hike to explore new trails and habitats can be an enriching experience for them.

Involve your children in the process by giving them a compass and a map to increase the thrill factor. If you see anything out of the ordinary or maybe even wild animals, instantly call their attention to it. Try to make it as fun and organic as you can. Sometimes little challenges that hiking on rugged terrains offers can be an exciting prospect for the little ones.

In the case of older teenagers, you can give them more flexibility to roam around the perimeter. Just tell them to be cautious.

Flashlight tag

Once it gets dark, this game could be really fun. After appointing a tagger, give him a flashlight and proceed to play a game of tag as you usually good. The only difference here is that instead of physically tagging the players, the tagger will use the light to flash at them.

If you have toddlers with you, always hold their hands as they might lose balance and hurt themselves.

Singing and dancing around the campfire

Family camping can be a fantastic way of bonding with your loved ones. You get to spend time with people who mean the world to you without any distractions. So why not use the time and just co-exist?

Simply gather the entire gang around the campfire and take out that guitar for this specific activity. If nobody knows how to play the guitar, you can always take a Bluetooth device with you and play songs on it. Have a little karaoke session giving everyone the chance to unleash their inner Madonna or Michael Jackson.

Scavenger hunt

Being out in the wild, you can play a scavenger hunt around the theme of nature. Simply select 10 to 20 items that can range from a flower to an interestingly shaped rock and jot it down on a piece of paper. Distribute these sheets to every participating member and set time duration. When the time is over, everyone has to assemble right where they had started. Whoever checks out every item on the list or has the maximum items, wins the game.

Younger children can become co-participants as leaving them alone wouldn’t be a great idea. Also, warn every player to not wander too far from the campsite. Safety should never be given lesser priority.

Reciting and listening to scary stories

This is a camping tradition that honestly, is equal parts fun and scary. We would like to warn you though that every child might not be comfortable with this game. Hence, you should be vigilant and use your discretion. If you feel that it might be too risky, you can always opt for the above-mentioned activities for a fun time. This one would be better suited for older teenagers and adults.

If you do decide to proceed with this, hold this activity after dark, around the campfire. You can also mimic the actors in movies where they hold a flashlight right to the face for maximum effect and then proceed to tell your scariest stories.