Whether it is around the dining room table at home or the picnic table or tree stump at the campground, kids of all ages like creating crafts related to camping.
Crafts for camping are great because you can make them as basic or complex as you like, depending on your kids’ ages.
Do you like the tissue paper fire to glimmer even more? Put some glitter on it!
Related: 30 Easy Summer Crafts For Kids
Camping crafts for toddlers
Camping Memory Game
Materials Needed: Cardstock or thick paper, markers or crayons, and scissors.
DIY the craft
Cut the cardstock into small squares. Draw pairs of camping-related images on the squares (e.g., tents, trees, campfires, animals). You can also use stickers if drawing is challenging. Mix up the squares and place them face down. Help the toddlers take turns flipping over two squares at a time, trying to find matching pairs. This craft is not only fun but also helps improve memory and concentration.
Nature Wands
Materials Needed: Small sticks, ribbons, beads, and glue.
DIY the craft
Find small sticks that can be used as the base for the wands. Let the toddlers choose ribbons and beads to decorate their sticks. Help them tie or glue the ribbons to the top of the sticks and add beads for extra decoration. The toddlers can use these nature wands in imaginative play or as part of storytelling activities around the campfire.
Handprint Campfire
Materials Needed: Construction paper (red, orange, yellow, brown), scissors, glue stick, and a marker.
How to DIY the craft
Trace the toddler’s hand on the red, orange, and yellow construction paper and cut out the handprints. These will be the flames of the campfire. Cut out brown strips of paper to represent logs. Glue the handprints in a fan shape at the top of the logs to create a campfire. The toddlers can decorate the flames and logs with markers.
Pinecone Owls
Materials Needed: Pinecones, felt or construction paper (various colors), googly eyes, glue stick, and scissors.
How to DIY the craft
Cut out small shapes from the felt or construction paper for the owl’s eyes, beak, and wings. Help the toddlers glue the googly eyes onto the shapes and attach them to the pinecone. Add wings and a beak to complete the owl. These cute owls can be used as decorations or toys during the camping trip.
Easy Bug Hotel
Materials Needed: Small cardboard box or wooden crate, twigs, leaves, pinecones, bark, and other natural materials.
How to DIY the craft
Let the toddlers fill the box or crate with the natural materials to create different sections for bugs to explore. Once the bug hotel is complete, place it in a quiet spot at the campsite and check back later to see if any insects have moved in. This craft encourages observation and learning about insects in their natural habitat.
Bottle Cap Bugs
Materials Needed: Bottle caps, non-toxic paint, paintbrushes, googly eyes, glue stick, and pipe cleaners.
How to DIY the craft
Help the toddlers paint the bottle caps to resemble bugs (e.g., ladybugs, bees, beetles). Once dry, attach googly eyes and use pipe cleaners to create antennae and legs. These adorable bottle cap bugs can be used for imaginative play or as decorations.
DIY Camping Lanterns
Materials Needed: Clear plastic cups, battery-operated tea lights, tissue paper (various colors), glue stick, and markers.
How to DIY the craft
Cut the tissue paper into small squares. Let the toddlers glue the tissue paper squares onto the outside of the plastic cup, covering it completely. Once dry, place a battery-operated tea light inside the cup. The tissue paper will create a stained-glass effect, making a beautiful and safe camping lantern.
Leaf Rubbings
Materials Needed: Paper, crayons (with the paper wrapping removed), and various leaves.
What to do
Place a leaf under a sheet of paper and have the toddlers rub the side of a crayon over the paper. The texture and shape of the leaf will appear on the paper. They can experiment with different leaves and colors to create a beautiful nature-themed artwork.
Binoculars Craft
Materials Needed: Two toilet paper rolls, string or yarn, tape, glue, and markers or stickers for decorating.
What to do
Tape or glue the two toilet paper rolls together side by side to form the binoculars. Attach a piece of string or yarn to the sides so it can be worn around the neck. Toddlers can decorate their binoculars with markers, stickers, or other craft materials. Once finished, they can use their binoculars for nature observation during the camping trip.
Nature Suncatchers
Materials Needed: Paper plates (with the center cut out), clear contact paper, and small natural items like leaves, flowers, and grass.
What to do
Stick a piece of clear contact paper to the paper plate, sticky side up. Toddlers can place their collected natural items onto the contact paper, creating a suncatcher. Once they’re done, cover it with another piece of contact paper to seal the items in place. Hang the suncatchers in a sunny spot to see the light shine through the natural materials.
Painted Stick Wind Chimes
Materials Needed: Sticks of various sizes, non-toxic paint, paintbrushes, string or yarn, and a small piece of wood or cardboard for the base.
What to do
Help the toddlers paint the sticks in different colors. Once dry, tie the sticks to the piece of wood or cardboard, spacing them out so they can clink together in the wind. Hang the wind chime in a tree or on a porch to enjoy the sound and colors.
Camping Story Stones
Materials Needed: Smooth stones, non-toxic acrylic paint or markers, and a small cloth bag.
What to do
Paint or draw simple images on the stones that relate to camping or nature (e.g., a tent, tree, campfire, animal). Once the stones are dry, place them in the cloth bag. During camping, toddlers can use the stones to create and tell stories, using the images as prompts.
Twig Picture Frames
Materials Needed: Twigs (collected during a nature walk), cardboard or heavy paper, glue stick, and scissors.
How to
Help the toddlers arrange the twigs to form a square or rectangular frame shape on the cardboard/paper. Once satisfied with the arrangement, glue the twigs down. Cut out a small square or rectangle from the center (where a photo would go) if using cardboard. Toddlers can decorate the frame with leaves, flowers, or small pebbles.
Campfire Craft
Materials Needed: Cardboard (cut into a circle for the base), orange, red, and yellow tissue paper or construction paper, glue stick, and markers.
How to
Help the toddlers glue the tissue paper or construction paper pieces onto the cardboard to create a campfire shape. They can use markers to draw logs and flames. This craft can be used as a decorative piece during camping activities.
Nature Bracelets
Materials Needed: Masking tape (sticky side out), and small items found in nature such as leaves, small flowers, and seeds.
How to
Wrap a piece of masking tape around each child’s wrist with the sticky side facing out. As they explore nature, toddlers can stick small natural items onto their bracelet to create a unique and colorful nature collage.
Paper Plate Sun Craft
Materials Needed: Paper plates, yellow paint, paintbrushes, yellow construction paper or foam sheets, glue stick, and scissors.
How to do
Help the toddlers paint the paper plates yellow. Once dry, cut out small triangles from the yellow construction paper or foam sheets to represent sun rays. Glue these around the edge of the paper plate to create a sun. Toddlers can further decorate with markers or stickers.
Outdoor Scavenger Hunt
Materials Needed: Printed or hand-drawn scavenger hunt sheets with pictures of common outdoor items (like pinecones, birds, flowers, etc.) and markers or crayons.
How to do
Give each toddler a scavenger hunt sheet and a marker or crayon. Go on a nature walk around the campsite or nearby area, encouraging toddlers to find and mark off items as they discover them. This activity combines outdoor exploration with learning about nature.
Nature Collage
Materials Needed: Paper or cardboard (cut into shapes if desired), glue stick, and a variety of natural items like leaves, flowers, small sticks, and pebbles.
How to do
Take a nature walk with the toddlers to collect different items. Once back at the campsite or indoors, provide them with the materials and let them create their own collage by gluing the natural items onto the paper or cardboard.
Rock Painting
Materials Needed: Smooth rocks (pebble-sized for safety), non-toxic acrylic paints, paintbrushes, water cup, and a protective surface for painting.
How to do
Encourage toddlers to paint the rocks using different colors and patterns. They can create simple designs like ladybugs, flowers, or abstract patterns. Once dry, they can be used as decorations or even as paperweights.
Pinecone Bird Feeders
Materials Needed: Large pinecones, peanut butter (or sunflower butter for allergies), birdseed, string or yarn, and a butter knife (for spreading).
How to do
Help the toddlers spread peanut butter onto the pinecones, then roll them in birdseed until coated. Tie a piece of string or yarn around the top of the pinecone to create a hanger. Hang these bird feeders in trees around your campsite and observe birds that come to feed.
