20 Best Summer Camp Activities For Kids

Summer is the perfect time for kids to explore new adventures and make lasting memories. With so many exciting activities to choose from, summer camp is the ideal place for fun and learning. Here are fantastic summer camp activities for kids that will keep kids engaged, active, and full of joy all season long!

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List of 20 Fun Summer Camp Activities for Kids

Let’s check out the best summer camp activities for kids that you need to include this season. 

1. Minute-To-Win-It Games

Minute-To-Win-It games focus on quick thinking and the ability to act within a short period. You can have math puzzles, language games, science quizzes, and other exciting activities incorporated into the game. The objective is for kids to complete the task or solve the puzzle within one minute. Points are awarded for each completed challenge, and the game ends when all tasks are completed or when time runs out. The child or team with the most points wins!

2. Scrapbooking

Kids can be encouraged to collect memorable items from around the camp area, both inside and outside, and add them to their journals. The memorable scrapbook can be made in the form of an experiential art piece, with kids learning how to preserve precious items.

3. Arts & Crafts

Let your child engage in unique indoor summer camp activities for kids by making paintings that incorporate elements of nature. They can find leaves, pebbles, sticks, and other items to make their creations come alive. This activity fosters creativity and allows kids to explore natural materials in a fun, artistic way.

Related Reading: Awesome Ideas for Summer Craft for Preschool Kids You Can Do Right Now

4. Scavenger Hunt in the Grass

Outdoor activities for summer camp are incomplete without some form of scavenger hunt. Create a summer camp-themed list of items for kids to find, such as specific leaves, flowers, rocks, or even small toys hidden around the area. To make it more challenging and educational, you can add math puzzles or riddles that need to be solved to find the next item on the list. This activity encourages kids to explore, solve problems, and have fun outdoors. The game ends when all items are found, and the child or team who finds the most items wins!

5. Indoor Digital Learning

Using online learning platforms, you can have kids play educational games around solving fractions, finding verbs, and filling in the blanks. These learning games are bundles of fun and can be designed to improve the application of textbook learning.

6. Outdoor X-O

You can make a giant tic-tac-toe board with some rope and some frisbees for kids to enjoy. You can have team members make strategies around where to place the X and the O if the kids playing can’t see the entire frame.

7. Talent Show

Kids can put on a talent show for their friends at camp and display a range of abilities, including playing guitar, singing, dancing, and comedy. This is a great way to bring out innate creativity and social development while improving self-confidence and teamwork skills.

8. Photography Session

You can host a photography session, teaching kids about the basics of shooting in nature. They can learn about the art of framing, forming perspectives, and the right way to take pictures of nature. You can bring a professional camera or teach via 4K smartphones.

9. Math Tug of War

This twist on a tug of war involves answering math questions and having a team member added or subtracted from either side. Teams get to pull in more members if they answer more questions correctly.

Related Reading: Best Math Brain Teasers for Kids

10. Book Reading Sessions

Books can be an immense source of inspiration for kids, making the outdoors the perfect environment to listen actively. You can read picture books, novels, and nonfiction works to engage kids in an open atmosphere.

Related Reading: Funny Children's Books to Read With Your Kids

11. Bird Watching and Nature Trails

If you can explore the nearby trails, bird watching and documenting sights can be great summer camp activities for 3-5 year olds. You can carry notebooks, pencils, binoculars, and other accessories to make the experience more attractive.

Related Reading: Best and Fun Ice-Breaker Games & Activities for Kids

12. How Tall is That Tree?

This is one of the great summer camp ideas for kids, as it combines learning and fun. Have the kids measure the length of the tree’s shadow and their own shadow, then use these measurements to estimate the tree’s height. This hands-on activity helps kids understand and apply geometry in a real-world context.

13. I Spy With a Twist

You can play I-Spy and have the clues answer math or science questions. Questions can be prepared in advance, with kids having to guess quiz-based questions that begin with intriguing math problems. This is a great example of summer camp activities for students, as it combines the classic fun of I-Spy with educational elements. 

14. Camp Map

This summer camp kids’ activity asks children to draw a map of the entire camp area. Through trial and error or by providing them with the proper techniques, they can create a map of the site and any trails walked through.

15. Rock Painting

Finding rocks that look like specific items and painting them to look like objects is a great summer camp kids’ activity. Children can run around the yard or out in the garden to find stones that resemble a house, an ice-cream cone, and other interesting objects.

16. Ice Pops

Kids can make ice pops with water, food coloring, juice, and other interesting liquids, to make the most creative ice pops in camp. You can also prepare unique molds that kids can use to add liquids inside.

17. Outdoor Scrabble

This is one of the best summer camp activities for kindergarten that requires printing out giant letters and having teams play giant scrabble to form words on grass. The activity can strengthen your kids’ abilities in forming words, pattern recognition, and collaborative play.

Related Reading: Best Outdoor Games for Kids of All Ages

18. Spray Painting

Spray painting on chart paper, cardboard, T-shirts, and walls can be a fun and creative activity for kids to play. Divide the kids into teams and let their imaginations run wild as they create their masterpieces. You can prepare a reward for the team with the most creative art piece. This activity not only encourages creativity but also teamwork and artistic expression.

Related Reading: Creative Indoor Activities for Kids

19. Hold the Maze

You can have two rows of 10 kids holding strings that resemble lasers. Kids from the other teams must pass through these lasers to get to the other side without touching them. If a player touches a string, they have to start over. This game promotes teamwork, agility, and concentration as kids navigate the tricky maze of lasers to reach the finish line.

Related Reading: Best Indoor and Outdoor Team Building Activities for Kids

20. Friendship Bracelets

This is a great activity to end the summer camp, as it involves hand-eye coordination and an eye for creativity and fashion. You can provide bracelet kits to kids and have them work in teams to make bands for everyone.

3 Tips for Making Summer Camp Kids Activities Exciting

One of the most important things to remember is to make summer camp kids activities a fun and exciting experience. This ensures that children take away positive learnings while putting their best foot forward when participating.

1. Making Summer Camp Kids Activities Multisensory

A great way to make summer camp activities for kids more exciting is to use props, multimedia games, online learning platforms, puppets, and toys, to make activities fun. Your kids can get excited about the best activities in the camp and form memories that will last them a lifetime.

2. Improving Participation Through Collaboration

Activities that ask kids to collaborate in the process actively will outperform passive one-to-many focused activities. Whether painting or playing tag, activities should be active and collaborative for kids to participate organically.

Related Reading: Best Summer Activities for Kids

3. Incorporating Time Off & Self-Reflection Time

Summer camps are only effective when kids get to take away something transformational each year. Children can accomplish this with some self-reflective time with activities such as meditation, kids’ yoga, mindfulness, etc. 

Related Reading: Best Mindfulness Activities for Kids

Summer camp activities for kids offer endless fun and learning opportunities for kids. From outdoor adventures to creative projects, these activities ensure a memorable and enriching summer experience. Encourage your child to explore and enjoy every moment!

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