15 Camping Crafts for Preschoolers
There’s a lot to love about camping, and there’s even more to learn about it. Show your preschoolers what camping is all about from the comfort of the classroom.
Here are 15 camping crafts for preschoolers that make the perfect sidekick to any thematic camping unit or standalone lesson.
As an introduction to staying in the great outdoors, discuss the different kinds of sleep shelters. Teach your preschoolers about the variety of modern tents and indigenous dwellings such as tipis, yurts, igloos, and grass huts. Follow up the lesson by building a paper tent (that doubles as an adorable keepsake) or creating an “indoor tent” using materials from around the classroom (e.g. pillows, blankets, chairs).
Take your preschoolers camping right in your classroom with this fun Campground Construction activity from Preschool With a Purpose! And bonus: we’ve included a free camping-themed Hidden Pictures puzzle, too. Download both activities!
Sleeping outside is only part of the camping adventure. Children love to learn about building a fire, as evidenced by the sheer volume of crafts dedicated to it! These foil painted campfire and handprint campfire crafts are perfectly suited for little hands. Have leftover cupcake liners? This cupcake campfire craft puts them to good use and is simple enough for students to complete pretty much independently.
The subject of building a fire is a perfect segue into other camping activities, like outdoor cooking. From mountain pies to s’mores, who can resist yummy campfire snacks?! There are countless kids craft ideas revolving around these goodies. Some are edible, pulling double duty as craft and snack heroes, like these indoor s’mores on a stick. Others, like the craft stick s’mores, are just plain adorable. A nice hybrid of the two is painting with marshmallows: eat some, create with some!
There’s a lot to do and see when camping, so encourage movement and mindfulness with a nature walk. Give each child a paper bag to collect natural materials for a craft: leaves, sticks, flowers, and anything else they can use to make their own tree. Another option is for your preschoolers to bring a collection of natural materials from home. The final products are trees as beautifully different and unique as their little artists.
No camping trip is complete without all the animals! Talk with your preschoolers about what campers hear and see at night, and then use leftover materials from the nature walk to make tree bark owls or pinecone fireflies. If natural materials aren’t in abundance, these bandage lightning bugs are a fan favorite because they use one of children’s favorite things: boo-boo bandages! Another easy option, using only seven materials, is this clothespin firefly.
Birdwatching is another fun camping activity, and what better way to check out all the different species than with homemade binoculars. Get a closer look by luring birds near with one of these tempting bird feeders. Children can also take the feeders home and invite nature into their own backyard or outdoor space. One animal no one wants to invite closer is a bear, but learning about them sure is fun! Cardboard tube bears are easy and cost-effective crafts, and they’re guaranteed not to steal campers’ snacks!
To enhance all these camping crafts for preschoolers, accompany them with a nature white noise soundtrack. A fantastic visual and auditory addition to any lesson, the sights and sounds are the perfect way to turn craft time into an immersive camping experience. Just don’t be surprised if the soothing crackles and pops from the fire put the class to sleep!
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About the Author:
Stephanie Jankowski is an educator and author who lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. When she's not teaching or writing, she's spending time with her children, Brady, Ella, and Lyla, and marveling at just how short the years really are.