Keeping your kids entertained without the use of screens is becoming more and more difficult. With some teens, it feels downright impossible. Never fear, parents! Cub’s got you covered with these 10 engaging camping activities for teenagers to peak everyone’s interest…
For Around the Fire…
Try these relaxed yet fun games to spice up your campfire!
Twenty Questions
Get your teen to pick an object, then as a group, ask up to twenty questions to guess what it is! This chatty game is ideal for getting quiet teenagers to pipe up and really engage with everyone around the campfire.
Would you Rather
This is always a fun one for getting the creative and social juices flowing! Connecting with teens can be tricky, a good simple round of would you rather is a brilliant means of sharing some common ground with your children.
Serial Storytelling
Adding onto one another’s stories can be such a laugh. Again, this is an energetic, creative word game that everyone can participate in, old, young, big or small!
Campfire Cooking
Toasting marshmallows, s’mores or even your whole dinner over the campfire is the one of the things that camping dreams are made of! This will peak the interest of everyone in your group, young ones included.
For Downtime…
These activities are great for fleshing out your downtime and giving your teenagers something to focus on, aside from their phones.
Nature as Creative Inspiration
Now, this might only work if you have a budding artist in your family, but this can be an awful lot of fun if your camping clan is willing to get on board! Try and gather a few thoughts or pictures of some of the natural features or wildlife that you came across during the day and use these as a jumping off point for a poem, sketch or even a colourful painting.
Card Games
Everyone loves a good card game, even your teenagers! One simple pack of cards can be the key to hours of entertainment. This saves on space and potential boredom for the whole duration of your trip.
For Adventure Days…
These are activities that can help you to maximise your time spent out in nature with your whole family.
Photoshoots
Yes, this does break the no screen rule unless you’ve got yourself a separate camera and you’ve packed it for your trip. That being said, photoshoots are one of the best ways to create common ground with your teens. Younger people are usually masters of capturing amazing images, let that creativity flow and make a few memories along the way, too.
Biking or Hiking
Spending healthy, active family time together is beneficial for the body and the mind. An adrenaline filled bike ride, a quiet hike to see the sunrise or a brisk walk followed by a picturesque picnic will do the trick! Try to make your workout time a joint experience to make the most out of your quality time spent with your nearest and dearest.
Orienteering
Got a couple of competitive spirited teens in the mix? Orienteering is a great way of combining the competition of a game with the exploration and practicality of a hike. Grab the whistles, maps, water, snacks and sun protection for an awesome day spent outside.
Capture the Flag
Last but by no means least, a classic game of capture the flag. You might be met with eye rolls at first, but capture the flag is pretty much guaranteed to get everyone involved just by sheer nostalgia points alone! This is perfect for bonding with your kids and encouraging a little neighbourly socialising with your surrounding sites.
