In last week’s blog we looked at lots of fun family games and games for the kids that will entertain your children, making life easier and therefore more relaxing for you when you are away in your caravan or camping in a tent. It’s great to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and having bonding time with your family will really create fabulous memories for you all. So this week we thought we would delve further into the idea of fun games for kids that really help to connect the family. However don’t just spend your holiday planning time sourcing fun family games, make sure your caravan, motorhome or tent is in tip top shape…..replace or fix any leaking taps, broken door hinges or toilet problems! You will find every
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A campfire really has a magical way of bringing people together…….the bright golden hues in the dark night, the warm glow on each other’s face, toasting yummy marshmallows and listening to the pops and crackles as the wood burns. Sitting relaxing cosily around the bonfire is definitely a great time to play fun family games. I am sure that everyone has heard of Chinese whispers where one person whispers a short message or saying to the next person and then they pass it onto the next and so on, until it reaches the last camper. They then say it out loud to the whole family, which usually results in a lot of laughter at the errors and changes that have occurred.
Some fun games for the kids include ‘Try to make me laugh’ which involves getting other members of your family to laugh whilst not laughing yourself. One of you is in the ‘hot seat’ and the rest have to try and make that person laugh. Time how long the hot seated camper can go without laughing. Family story time is another lovely idea which simply involves one camper beginning the story with one line that sets the scene. Then the next family member will add a line and so on. This really helps your children’s creative side develop. You and your family will have a much more relaxing time during these fun family games if you are sitting in comfy chairs…….check out all Leisureshopdirect has to offer,
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A great deception game is ‘wink murder’ and there is not a better place to play it then around the campfire on a dark night or around the table in your cosy caravan or motorhome on a rainy evening. One camper is chosen as the ‘Godfather’ and then all other family members have to close their eyes, whilst the Godfather silently taps one camper on their back or on the hand if the game is taking place around a table. This family member is then the “assassin.” She or he must try to kill off other campers one at a time by winking at them. They must try to do it secretly without the others noticing. As soon as a family member is winked at, they must slump over (in dramatic a style as they wish) and play dead. If another family member sees the assassin winking, they must shout out their discovery, pointing at the assassin. The game is then up! They must be sure though because if they guess wrong then they must complete a forfeit at the end of the game. An alternative to this fun family game is to place scraps of paper for the number of people playing in a hat or bowl. One scrap has a circle, one scrap has a square, and the other scraps of paper are blank. All family members draw a scrap of paper and keep it so no-one can see. The murderer is the one who draws the circle and the detective is the one who draws the square. Those campers with the blank scraps of paper are those to be ‘murdered’! The murderer must wink at the other campers to “kill” them without the detective seeing them do it. Once they receive the wink, they may die in a dramatic style without giving away the murderer. The game ends when the detective catches the murderer or the murderer kills everyone except the detective.
Another fun game for kids is Noah’s Ark, which is a memory game for all aged family members. Everyone sits in a circle and takes turns listing animals that went aboard Noah’s Ark, but they have to be in alphabetical order. For example the first camper might say, “I’m going on Noah’s Ark and I’m taking 2 antelopes with me.” The next family member says what the first camper took and adds another animal to it, like “I’m going on Noah’s Ark and I’m bringing 2 antelopes and 2 bears.” The game continues around the circle and if you remember the animals incorrectly you are out, meaning the winner is the last person left in around the fire.
A very clever game that will encourage your children to take notice of what’s going on around them is ‘tap that stick’. Basically you need a stick or something similar (in the past we have used an umbrella, a cooking spatula and a pencil) and the camper who knows the game will do something like rub the end of their nose or clear their throat or place their other hand on their knee. They do this just before tapping the stick on the ground, a cool box or anything you like, whilst saying “I will tap this stick just like you”. They then pass on the stick to the family member to try to perform it right and the original camper acts as judge to see if it is being done properly. Obviously the trick is the rubbing the nose or clearing the throat or doing another signal at the right time as well as tapping the stick in the same way. Most people will focus on how hard the stick is being tapped or where fingers are placed on the stick. The game continues until all family members and friends have noticed the subtle action and are copying it correctly…….you may need to make the action less subtle if some find it difficult to catch on! Although you may be surprised to find that the children get it before some of the adults do!
A great day activity to calm the children down and get them to have a rest is nature art……….spend half an hour scouring the campsite for items like twigs, leaves, sheep’s wool….anything nature has to offer! Then create art floor pictures around your caravan or tent like the seagull in the picture above. Alternatively build twig castles………all children love building sand castles on the beach so why not try this on the campsite? Spend a while collecting twigs of many shapes and sizes and remember to take along some PVA glue. You will all have fun building the tallest, wackiest or most decorative castle. Children of all ages also love painting so take along a set of paints and paint logs to make them into animals……..crocodiles, snakes………animals with legs if you are very adventurous! A bit of wood glue and you can make all sorts of animals. Also don’t forget to take the usual simple things like colouring pens and books……..most children like to drop out and draw or colour on their own. It’s lovely to help them create their own diary of the holiday, by getting them to sit down for half an hour (maybe while you get dinner ready) and draw and write about their day. Obviously when you take children or grandchildren along with you there is inevitably more gear, toys and clothes you need to store in the tent or caravan, so look at these sections to help you keep your home away from home tidy,
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Lastly a fun family game that may appeal more to older children……..Spud! Every person is given a number from 1 to the total number of players and they all stand in a circle around one family member with a ball, who throws it up high into the air and shouts a number. All players run as fast as possible except the family member whose number was called out. This camper must wait to catch (or pick up the ball if it wasn’t a great throw!) the ball and as soon as it is in their hands they shout SPUD and all other players must freeze on the spot. The family member with the ball is allowed to take 3 very large steps towards any player and throw the ball at them. The target camper is allowed to move anything except their feet. If the target camper is hit they get an S but if the thrower misses they get the S. All players form a circle again and the player who got the S goes in the middle to throw and the next round starts. When a family member gets S P U D they are out of the game. Just a minor point……a soft ball is definitely preferable to a hard one or a real spud!!
So take your family camping this coming holiday season…………there is so much to see and do! It will be one of the most memorable experiences for your children and you will soon be booking more family holidays away in the caravan or tent.
