Kid’s Camp Out Party Ideas

Do you love to camp in the great outdoors? Then a camp out party may be the perfect party theme for you. Perfect for boys or girls, this is a party theme that is great for all ages and can be done on a minimal budget. Take a look below at how we created our own kid’s camp out party ideas for a kid’s camping party, which was a hit with our birthday boy and our guests!

To make things easier, we will divide the party up into categories: Camping Party Food, Games, Décor, and Fun. The idea is to find a few themed ideas for each category. When you tie them all together, your theme (and fun!) will really pop. Let’s get started!

Food:
Some food ideas for your camping themed party could be a hot dog bar, hamburgers, or other grilled favorites. Don’t forget plenty of simple cook out like sides such as potato chips, fruit salad, and pasta salad. For dessert, you can enjoy these easy to make S’mores Pops.

Now, let’s look at how you can make these adorable Campfire Cupcakes. They are the perfect alternative to a birthday cake.

Campfire Cupcakes Recipe:

Ingredients:
Chocolate cupcake mix
White frosting
Red, yellow food coloring
Pretzel sticks
Mini marshmallows

Directions:
1. Prepare and cook your cupcakes to package directions. Allow them to cool.
2. You now want to make two shades of frosting: red and orange. Mix red and yellow food coloring to make orange, and red coloring to make a solid red.
3. In a piping bag, add BOTH frosting colors. It is ok that they mix and mesh.
4. Add a piping tip to your piping bag OR just spread on the frosting mixture with a knife. Notice how the two colors mix to make “flames.”
5. Top each cupcake with a mini pretzel stick with a mini marshmallow added to the end.

The finished Campfire Cupcake looks just like a marshmallow being roasted over a fire!

Looking for more food ideas?

15 Great Family Campfire Ideas

Camp Out Party Games:
What is a party without games? Here are a few you can play during your camping themed party. These are games for all ages and sure to add some excitement!

Bear Hunt
Have the children sit in a circle. You are now going to go on a bear hunt! The idea is for the children to repeat after the adults, all while clapping their hands on their knees to make the sound of walking. Here is how the rhyme will go:

Going on a Bear Hunt (children repeat all these lines after you…)
Gonna catch a bear!
Oh no! I see a _________! (Here you will insert the adventure, a lake, a field, a mountain, etc.)
Can’t go under it!
Can’t go over it!
Have to go through it! (Now you make the sounds and motions of swimming, running, climbing, etc.)

On the final verse, you go into a cave and see a bear! Now you “run” back home, going through all of the obstacles you ran into named above. Add as many sounds and motions as you can!

Bug Hunt
For the bug hunt, give each child a net and bug carrier from the dollar store. Each child is free to raom around the yard and see what critters they can find. Whether they find an ant, lady bug, or butterfly or turn up dry, they still enjoy exploring!

Leaf Prints:
Give children some craft paint, paper, and fresh leaves. Allow them to apply paint to the leaves and press them to the paper to create stamps. The images the leaves create are quite unique and fun.

Décor:
Get your party space looking festive with these décor ideas. All of these are simple enough even for the less experienced crafter, and are fun enough even for children to help with. The idea is to create a campsite feel for the space that is natural, laid back, and fun!

Kid’s DIY Camp Out Party Decorating Ideas

Mini Camp Site
Nothing will invite your guests to a camp themed party like a mini campsite. To create ours, we used a small tent we found at a discount store for just $15. We set up some pop-up chairs around it, blankets, and some logs of wood for a pretend fire. Kids loved eating round this little setup and adults actually sat down and visited around it as well. You can add any other details you wish such as stuffed animals, camp supplies, etc.

Camp Supplies:
We had a selection of camp supplies greeting guests when they arrived. On a chalkboard, we wrote “camp supplies” and pointed children in that direction. In this stash, we had bug nets and catchers, lanterns, bubbles, and chalk. You can add any other supplies you wish. We were able to find all of these items at our local dollar store, helping us create a space that was decorative and functional on a budget.

Party Supplies: Let’s Go Camping Party Packs

Fun:
There are plenty of items you can add to your camp themed party to make it even more festive. We had a vintage camper that we hung our bunting from and invited guests to visit around. If you know someone with a camper who may be willing to set up, this can be a fun detail.

Check Etsy or Ebay for camping themed clothing. There are all sorts of children’s shirts and onesies with tents and campers on them for the birthday child to wear.

Enjoy a bonfire or game of flashlight tag if your party goes into the evening.

Send guests home with a party favor such as the trail mix bags we mixed up. Here is how you can make your own.

Trail Mix Party Favors

Supplies needed:
Plastic snack bags
Twine
Scissors
M&M’s candies
Banana chips
Mini marshmallows
Peanuts

Directions:
Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl stirring well. Place half of a cup of mix in each bag and secure with twine. If you wish, you can allow each child to assemble their own, or, create a trail mix bar for guests to create a mixture of their favorite.

We placed our bags on the tables as décor, so they served that function as well as a party favor function.

See how easy it can be to create a fun yet frugal camping themed party? Give these ideas a try and you can create the ultimate camping party too!

Looking for more camping fun? Check out these Camp Out Party Decorating Ideas.