Kids at Camp
Boredom-busters for ages 1–12—plus free printables to bring along.
Table of Contents
- 🖨️ Free Printables (print before you leave!)
- 🎨 Trip-Themed Activity Packs (new!)
- Anytime Boredom-Busters
- By Age
- Camp Jobs Kids Love (and that actually help)
- Water & Beach Fun
- Rainy-Day & Tent Time
- Evening & Night
- Our Camp Rules (we all help!)
- A Few Grown-Up Reminders
🖨️ Free Printables (print before you leave!)
Print these at home and toss them in a folder or clipboard. Each opens in your browser; use your browser’s Print (or “Save as PDF”) to print. Great for quiet time, car rides, and rainy afternoons.
| Printable | What it is |
|---|---|
| 🔎 Nature Scavenger Hunt | Find-it list for the trails and campsite |
| 🎲 Campsite Bingo | 5×5 bingo of camp sights & sounds |
| 📓 Camp Nature Journal | Draw-and-write page for each day |
| 🎣 Fishing Log | Record every catch (and the one that got away) |
| 🎒 Kid’s Own Packing List | Let kids pack their own bag |
| ⭐ Kids’ Camp Sign-Up Chart | Claim a job and an adventure each day (with a star chart) |
Tip: print a few copies of the scavenger hunt and bingo so each kid (or family) has their own. Bring crayons/markers, a clipboard, and a pencil box.
🎨 Trip-Themed Activity Packs (new!)
We made a whole set of puzzle and coloring pages about our trip — campfires, the canoe, Cuivre River critters, and the Fourth of July. The art is black-and-white line art designed for the colored pencils and watercolors we picked up, so everyone can join in on a rainy afternoon or quiet evening.
| Pack | What’s inside |
|---|---|
| 🔤 Camp Word Searches | 5 word searches — Campsite, On the Water, Missouri Critters, On the Trail, Fourth of July (answer key included) |
| 🔠 Camp Word Searches — Advanced | Same 5 themes, harder — big 25×25 grids with 25 words each (answer key included) |
| ✏️ Camp Crosswords | 5 crosswords with kid-friendly clues — Camp Basics, Water & Fishing, Forest Animals, Cuivre River Adventure, Summer Cookout (answer key included) |
| 🖍️ Camp Coloring Pages | 10 coloring pages — tent & campfire, canoe, deer, raccoon, owl, the big catch, turtle, s’mores, fireworks, cave explorer |
Watercolor tip: for the coloring pages, print on cardstock or thicker paper so the paint doesn’t buckle. Plain paper is perfect for crayons and colored pencils. Answer keys for the puzzles are on the last page of each pack — keep those with a grown-up!
Anytime Boredom-Busters
Stuff to do that needs little or no gear:
- Build a fairy house / fort from sticks, bark, and rocks.
- Rock painting — collect smooth rocks, paint them, hide them around camp.
- Stick fishing poles — tie string to a stick and “fish” for leaves in the creek.
- Bug safari — magnifying glass + bug viewer; count how many kinds you find.
- Nature bracelet — wrap tape sticky-side-out around a wrist, stick on leaves/petals.
- Pinecone & acorn toss into a bucket (move the bucket back for a challenge).
- Camp Olympics — sack races, balloon toss, ring toss, three-legged race.
- Story chain — one person starts a story, each adds a sentence around the fire.
- Shadow tag / flashlight tag at dusk (with boundaries).
By Age
Littles (1–3)
- Sand/dirt play with cups and scoops
- Splashing at the beach shallows (always held/PFD)
- “Collect the pinecones” bucket games
- Bubble-blowing, board books, a familiar comfort toy
Preschool–Early (3–6)
- Scavenger hunt (picture version), bug viewer
- Beach sand toys, gentle creek wading
- Coloring, sidewalk chalk on the pad, bubbles
- “Help” jobs: carry sticks, rinse veggies, stir (cool) pots
Big Kids (7–12)
- Fishing on their own rod, tandem kayaking
- Bike the easy trails, hike to a bluff view
- Camp bingo, nature journal, whittling a marshmallow stick (with supervision)
- Lead the campfire s’mores, learn a knot (see Savvy Camper)
Camp Jobs Kids Love (and that actually help)
Give kids a “real” job—they love responsibility:
- Firewood crew — stack and count the wood
- Water runner — refill the drink jug
- Table setter — paper goods and napkins for dinner
- Trash patrol — micro-trash pickup (bottle caps, twist ties)
- Tent zipper monitor — keep tents zipped (bug patrol!)
- Camp greeter — say hi to neighbors, learn good-neighbor manners
Water & Beach Fun
(See the Swimming page for safety rules.)
- Beach digging, sandcastles, and “river” channels
- Crawdad and minnow hunting in Big Sugar Creek (water shoes!)
- Float races with sticks/leaves
- Skipping stones
- Tandem kayak “expeditions” around the shoreline
Rainy-Day & Tent Time
When a storm parks over camp:
- Card games (Go Fish, Uno, War) and travel board games
- The printables above (bingo, journal, scavenger hunt)
- Flashlight shadow puppets, story-telling
- Coloring and camp-craft supplies
- A drive to a rainy-day day trip (Meramec Caverns, St. Louis museums)
Evening & Night
- Firefly catch-and-release (gentle hands, then let them go)
- Naturalist program at the amphitheater (details)
- Stargazing — find the Big Dipper; spot satellites; make a wish on the first star
- Glow-stick games after dark (and on July 4 instead of fireworks)
- S’mores and one last story before bed
Our Camp Rules (we all help!)
A camp this big stays fun when everybody pitches in. These rules are easy—you’ve got this! 💪
- 🎆 No fireworks or firecrackers at the campground—they’re not allowed here. But we’ll watch the big show in Troy, and you get glow sticks after dark!
- 🍽️ Use the paper plates and cups (the Older Smiths brought a giant stack). Toss them in the trash when you’re done so our camp stays clean.
- 🥤 Food and drinks stay outside the campers—only water goes in. Open a drink? Finish it, then put the empty in the trash.
- 🚪 No in-and-out the camper door! Every time it opens, bugs sneak in and the cool air sneaks out. Be in or out—then keep it shut.
- 💧 Filled your water bottle from the filter pitcher? Fill the pitcher back up for the next person.
- 👟 Stay on the paths—don’t walk through other families’ campsites (or the neighbors’).
- 🩲 Hang up your wet stuff—swimsuit, towel, and shower bag go on the wet-stuff line, not on a bed or table.
A Few Grown-Up Reminders
- Set boundaries on day one: where kids can roam, the buddy system, and “no water without an adult.”
- Headlamp for every kid for night bathroom trips.
- Tick check every night (how-to).
- Sunscreen + water on repeat—outdoor kids in July dehydrate and burn fast.