Play Animals Game for Kids

by Eddie
(90210)

My family and I went camping at Yosemite National Park. We had a great time.

I have two boys and a girl. My sons are ages 7 and 11, and my daughter is 9. While there, they constantly wanted something to do, so I played this game with them to keep them occupied. It works really well and I have used (and recommended it) since.



Name some animals you might see while camping, or animals that live in the woods. Have each child take a turn role playing an animal, and the other children guess what it is.

This is great fun, especially for younger children who like acting and role playing at that age. They enjoy expressing themselves, being creative, moving around, and making noise. This game is also great because it can be done in a small area such as a contained campsite or tent without problem.

Whoever guesses the animal takes his or her turn acting. Encourage children to make "animal" noises and walk like it. This approach generally works best for younger children, who generally choose obvious and easy-to-guess options such as bears.

For more of a challenge, to play with older kids, or to have the adults join in, add a question element to the game. "Is it a carnivore?" "What color is it?" "Have we seen one today?" are examples of questions the other children and adults can ask the child.

You can choose to ask only yes or no questions ("Is it furry?") or general questions ("How big is it?") This is great because it gets everyone thinking and participating.

We have always had fun playing this game and it is great for families and children of all sizes.

Some examples of animals include squirrels, bears, wolves, chipmunks, deer, mice, owls, beavers, raccoons, birds, skunks, moose, bunnies, opossums, foxes, ducks, etc.

Toddler Day-Camp in the Backyard

by Denise
(Savannah, TN)

Camping is always a fun time for my husband and I. We are anxious to introduce our 3 and 4 yr olds to camping. We're not looking forward to the sleepless nights though and we thought this summer might be too early.

Our solution this summer was to do a day camp for them in our backyard. They ate at their campground, played at their campground, lounged at their campground and had a great time "camping".

I think it was a great introduction to camping for them. Next year we can add on to the camping experience as appropriate.

The experience was good for us because they slept in their own beds so they were rested and fresh and ready to go the next day (and so were we).

It was also good because it helped us construct a better list of things that we need to bring with us now that we are bringing kids with us.

This time I was luck if we had forgotten to "bring" something I could just run back in the house to grab it.

free printable Scavenger Hunt

by Kathy
(Poestenkill, NY )

http://www.squidoo.com/camping-fun-for-kids

This is a great Scavenger Hunt to print before you go. (Free Online)

Nature walk

by Mary
(Illinois)

Take a walk in the woods and see who can find the most animals. My family does this and nobody tells what they found, but writes them down on a little pad and paper! Who ever wins gets to tell the first ghost story/campfire story.