Over the years, a preschool camping theme has consistently been a hit with the kids. I love that it’s a preschool (or kindergarten!) theme that can be used almost any time throughout the year. We tend to use it towards the end of the school year, or for a super fun summer camp for the kids.
Preschool Camping Theme Ideas That Kids Love
Below you’ll find activities that I’ve tried with multiple groups of kids over the years. They have consistently been a hit with the children! I’ll add some other ideas on my “to try” list afterwards, too!
A Camping Treat
The kiddos LOVED this camp-out treat – s’mores on a stick was a definite hit! I have to admit, it made me giggle to see how enthusiastic the children were when it came to eating their s’mores.
Fishing at Camp
We did this as both an indoor activity in our sensory table and an outdoor activity in a kiddie pool. Inside, we used fishing poles made with wooden dowels, magnets, and plastic string (along with foam fish with magnets on them).
Outside, we simple set it up with water and fish in a kiddie pool. The fishing nets came from The Dollar Tree, and the fish were bath toys.
Painting with Marshmallows
I had way too much fun watching the children during this camp-themed process art activity! You can also use the marshmallows to paint letters, create patterns, and to stamp the kids’ names.
Building a Campfire
Obviously, we didn’t let the small children play with fire! Really, if you met me, you wouldn’t want me playing with fire either.
In the building center, the students used long wooden blocks as the “logs”. They got really inventive and chose fire-colored (orange, red, and yellow) small blocks to act as flames. They also had the option of using some red, yellow, and orange tissue paper so the children could build “fires” in the home and block centers.
Tracking Animals
This activity began a bit differently than it ended up! At first, we set out small plastic animals and stamp pads, so the children could make animal tracks. The children had had magnifying glasses and print outs of tracks that different animals make.
Well, our kiddos grabbed the track papers and the magnifying glasses, then proceeded on a hunt for animals! I loved watching their imaginative play!
Pet Rocks
Sometimes the simplest activities make the children the happiest! Our pet rocks definitely fall into this category!
Camping Pretend Play
This was another activity we did both inside and outside. In our home center, we set up a small tent and laid out a few sleeping bags an flashlights. During center time, the children pretended they were on a camping trip.
Outside, we had a larger tent set up. There were also camp chairs, real logs, and pretend food from our home center.
Flashlight Reading
Despite the light pouring in from our classroom windows, the students still seemed to enjoy sitting and reading books with flashlights.
Putting a sheet of paper over the windows to create a darker environment for flashlight reading is also an option. Be sure to check out this list of the best books to read by flashlight!
Campfire Hand Prints
Hand print artwork makes me happy, and I like to do at least one a month during the school year. Handprint and Footprint’s “Handprint Campfire” came out awesome! The children loved having these “campfires” in their end of the year portfolios.
More activities for a preschool camping theme can be found at my Camping Theme Pinterest board. What are some activities you’ve tried with your students for a preschool camping theme?
More Preschool Camping Theme Ideas to Try
There are so many wonderful ideas out there to try with a camping theme, so it probably doesn’t surprise you that I haven’t had the chance to try all of them. Here are more ideas I’m keeping on hold for the next time we having a camping theme with the kids!
Set up a camping small world for the kids in the sensory center or literacy center. Just imagine all of the conversations and oral language development.
Have some parents donate firewood to build and play with outside.
Challenge the kids to make their own rock sculptures in the science center (or try it outside).
Make your own pretend play s’mores for the dramatic play center.
Before having some s’mores as a snack, why not have the kids try this s’mores STEM challenge?
If you want to do more with marshmallows, exploring them with the 5 senses would be a great science activity for the children.
Have the little campers make some animal track stamps to use during art.
Make sure to check out the list of preschool camping theme printables for some other fun activities and free printable resources!
Materials for a Camping Theme
If you’re anything like me, you probably already have your supply closet jam-packed with all of the basic preschool supplies. But sometimes, we have to get some specific items to fit the theme.
Here are my product suggestions for a camping theme (I may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post):
- Marshmallows
- Graham crackers
- Lincoln logs
- Wooden craft sticks or dowels
- Dramatic play camping set
- River rocks
- Sticks or logs
- Kid’s tent
- Kid-friendly lanterns
Printable Preschool Camping Theme Lesson Plans
Save time and get right to the playful learning with our printable lesson plan sets. Each set includes over 30 playful learning activities related to the theme, and we’ve provided different versions for classroom teachers and home preschool so all activities are geared directly toward your needs.
Get your preschool lesson plans here – Preschool Classroom Plans | Home Preschool Plans
You can also find them on Teachers Pay Teachers
This is amazing! We are going to do this at home today & have a little play tent set up too. It’s rainy crummy weather here so this is perfect. Thanks!!
Alicia, I’m so glad you like the camping ideas! They are definitely great even when you’re stuck indoors! Let me know how your camping day went. 🙂
Love your camping theme. What a fun idea! I’m sure my kids would enjoy anything having to do with marshmallows. 🙂
Yay! Let me know how it goes if you try any of these camping activities with your kiddos, Katie. Thanks for stopping by with the kind words.
These are such fun and creative ideas! We are going on a camping trip soon as a family and I was looking for some activities to do as a follow up after our camping trip. I can’t wait to have my kids “build a fire” although I’ll probably have them use paper and sticks. Thanks for all of your great ideas.
I’m so glad you got some ideas from this post, Kirstylee! Let me know how they go if you try them out at home. And have fun on your camping trip. 🙂
Love this, we are doing camping theme next week at preschool/daycare!
Thank you!!! 🙂 Please let me know how your camping week went at preschool!!
Love the ideas! Looks like fun!
Thanks, Debbie!
Looks like a good alternative to real camping to me! lol Thanks for sharing at Mom’s library!
Hahaha! Yep, I have to agree with you, Ashley!
Thanks again for sharing; featuring you this week!
Awesome! Thanks for featuring this post. 🙂
This is such a wonderful post! I’m sharing it on Facebook today to kick off our S’mores theme 😉
You’re awesome, Stephanie! Thanks so much for the share. 🙂
Love the fun ideas & the photos are lovely.
Thanks Kierna! The kiddos certainly enjoyed everything we did. So glad you were able to stop by, and thanks for hosting. 🙂
Great ideas here’s one you may try solar S mores lay out foil on cooking sheet in sun let them melt inthe sun did this with 2 – 5 year old so easy no burning
We haven’t tried that one yet, Corinda! It’s on our to-do list for the next camping theme, though! 😉
Brings back the fun memories we had as children my parent have nine children I’m the third oldest couldn’t afford expensive vacation but camping was our favorite we still get together and go camping but teaching them also to respect their forest friend too so every one can enjoy it too! God bless you all for your ideas
Thanks so much for all your sweet words!!! 🙂
I LOVE the marshmallow snack, marshmallow painting (and I know my daughter would just end up turning that into a snack anyway) and the flashlight reading! Looks like the kids had a great time. Very creative ideas!
Love the ideas! I’ll be featuring you in our Discover & Explore highlight post this week 🙂
Thanks so much, Jacquie! I’m so excited to be featured!! 🙂
I love this idea! I especially love the fishing in the kiddy pool. I’d love for you to come share this at our Pinning for Play link party!
Love the painting with marshmallows idea!
I did a camping theme in my preschool classroom this week,I put up a real tent, with a battery operated lantern, picnic basket with the supplies for somore;s, and camping books to enjoy throughout the day. We read a book talked about the animals we may see, listened to a Itunes campfire, camping video on the ipad with crickets, owls, wolves howling. The kids loved it, then we went to the tables to make somore’s the somore’s we did were Hersheys spreadable chocolate, found by the nutella in the store, marshmello fluff easy spreadable and no heating or fuss! I enjoyed the camping theme as much as the children!
Mary thanks for the beautifull idea. I am sure our kids our going to like it.
Thank you for posting this. Gave me some great ideas for my soon to be 3 year old’s birthday party! YAY! 🙂 I was having a hard time wrapping my head around camping theme without a real campfire because obviously that would be dangerous. lol 🙂 You have some GREAT alternatives!
That’s awesome, Kathryn! I’m glad I could help out a little bit. I hope the birthday party is tons of fun (for mama and the kiddo)!
I just did this with my summer school class and it was a hit! We used Nutella as I had some left over and it was so yummy
Thank you so much for these awesome ideas!!!!!
Glad they were helpful, Caren!
I have done the camping day as a Nanny and now will be using it in our summer preschool program. A bucket of bubbles with various size wands also adds to.the fun.
LOVE adding buckets of bubbles to the camping day activities, thank you!