Campfires are great for relaxing and spending time with friends and family. Not only do they keep us warm and illuminated at night, but they also provide us with a much-needed break from the everyday entertainment of televisions and mobile phones. Therefore, having a few fun things to do while sitting around a campfire is a must.
This way, everyone can enjoy themselves and have a good time. Here are ten fun things to do while sitting around a campfire:
Table of Contents
10 Fun Things To Do While Sitting Around A Campfire
1. Make S’Mores
One of the most iconic experiences (especially to any young camper) on an outdoor trip is the reward of a gooey tasty s’more at the end of the night.
In case you’re not familiar with these delicious fireside treats, they consist of a roasted marshmallow and chocolate sandwiched between two graham crackers.
You can get creative with your s’mores and experiment with different types of chocolate or even different kinds of crackers, but the classic recipe is always a winner.
To roast the perfect marshmallow, hold it close to the flames without letting it catch fire. Rotate it slowly until it’s evenly toasted all around.
Then, sandwich it between the graham crackers and chocolate and enjoy!
2. Tell Stories
One of the best things about sitting around a campfire is that it’s the perfect opportunity to share stories.
You can tell stories about your childhood, your life experiences, or even make up a story on the spot. If you’re feeling extra creative, you can even act out your story with some help from friends.
Telling scary stories is a popular campfire activity, but make sure to choose a story that won’t keep everyone up all night, especially if you’re camping with little ones.
You can bring a book along to help get your story ideas flowing, or look up some campfire stories online before your trip.
Bringing a Madlib’s book is also a great way to get everyone involved in the story-telling process. Madlibs is a game where players have to fill in blanks with different parts of speech such as nouns, verbs, and adjectives, to create a funny or silly story.
This is a more interactive way to tell a story since everyone gets to contribute.
3. Sing Songs
Music is a beloved pastime of many people, and there’s no better place to enjoy it than around a campfire.
You can bring an acoustic guitar or another instrument to play some tunes, or simply sing along to your favourite songs. Some great compact instruments include harmonicas, ukuleles, and kazoos.
If you don’t know how to play any instruments, you can still enjoy singing campfire songs. You can simply sing or make up your own words to popular songs that everyone knows.
Don’t know of any campfire songs? No problem! There are plenty of songbooks and online resources that you can use to find the perfect tunes for your group.
4. Play Card Games
Cards are a great way to pass time while sitting around a campfire.
There are many different card games that you can play, such as Go Fish, Old Maid, War, and Crazy Eights. If you’re feeling competitive, you can even have a tournament to see who the ultimate card game champion is.
You may need to set up a little side table to play some of the more complicated card games, but it’s worth it for the entertainment value.
Make sure to take some time to learn the rules of the games before you go camping, so you’re not stuck trying to figure it out in the middle of the game.
5. Stare at the Stars
If you’re looking for an incredibly relaxing activity to pair with sitting by the fire, look no further than stargazing.
This is the perfect activity to do when the weather is clear and the stars are shining bright.
If you have a chair that can tilt backward and has a headrest, that’s the best way to get comfortable for an evening of stargazing. Tilting backward can also help to lessen the glare of the light from the fire, allowing you to see even more stars.
If you don’t have an adjustable chair, another thing you can do is face your back to the fire. This will allow your eyes to adjust to the surrounding darkness while the fire is still close enough to keep you warm.
Have fun trying to identify constellations and planets in the sky. You can study this beforehand or even use one of the popular apps that helps you identify what you’re looking at in the night sky. These apps can even tell you if there is a meteor shower that night or other interesting celestial objects in the sky.
If you can, bring a telescope or even a pair of binoculars to help you get an up-close look at what’s going on in the sky. You’ll be surprised how much more you can see with even a small amount of magnification!
6. Journal
Taking some time to go inward during your camping trip can be a great way to relax and reflect on your life.
Sitting around the campfire is the perfect opportunity to do some journaling.
You can write about your day, your thoughts on nature, or anything else that comes to mind. If you’re with a group of people, you may choose a few collective prompts. Some good ideas include:
- What are we grateful for?
- What was the best part of today?
- What are our hopes and dreams for the future?
- How can we make the world a better place?
If you don’t feel like writing, you can also use this time to do some sketches in your journal. Draw the campfire, the people around you, or the stars overhead.
If you’re with a group of people who are also interested in the writing exercise, you may want to share afterward. This can be a great way to get to know each other on a deeper level and bond over shared experiences.
7. Never Have I Ever
“Never Have I Ever” is a popular party game that can also be played around a campfire.
This game is perfect for getting to know your fellow campers and learning interesting facts about them.
To play, each person takes a turn making a statement starting with “never have I ever.” For example, “never have I ever been skydiving.”
Anyone who has done the activity mentioned must then raise their hand (or take a drink if you choose to adopt this into a drinking game).
If you want to keep it family-friendly, stick to general things like “never have I ever gone camping” or “never have I ever been out of the country.”
If you’re with a group of adults, you can get a little more risqué with your statements. Just be sure not to offend anyone in the group!
You can also spice up the game by adding a consequence for those who have done the activity mentioned. For example, “Never have I ever been stung by a bee. If you have, you must tell us the story of when it happened.”
This can lead to some hilarious stories being shared around the campfire!
8. Burn Something Different
Let’s be honest, we love fires because… well, we love seeing things be lit on fire. And if you’re mixing up your routine at the campfire, why not add in some different things to burn?
You can purchase packets that change the colour of the flames by adding them to the fire, or you can try burning some different materials.
One fun thing to do is write messages on pieces of paper and then burn them in the fire. This can be a great way to get rid of any negative thoughts or feelings you may be carrying around.
You can also try burning different woods to see what colour, smell, or smoke they produce. This can be a fun way to experiment with the fire and see what you can create!
It can also be a fun learning experience for small children around the fire.
Of course, be careful not to burn anything that would release toxic fumes such as plastics. Only burn natural materials that are meant to be burned, such as paper-based or wooden items.
Keep in mind that they will likely create more smoke or embers, so make sure to stay near and be safe.
9. Play Charades
This classic game doesn’t require any materials and can be played with any number of people. It can even be more fun and dramatic when gathered around a fire because of the lighting.
To play, one person thinks of a book, movie, TV show, etc., and then acts out the title without speaking. The others must try to guess what it is.
You can make it more challenging by adding in a time limit or having multiple people act out the title at the same time.
If you’re feeling extra creative, you can even come up with your own charade game specific to the theme of camping.
10. Play Werewolf
This fun role-playing game can be played with a large group and is perfect for a camping trip.
This game requires at least seven players and one person to act as the moderator. The rest of the players are split into two groups: werewolves and villagers.
The objective of the game is for the villagers to figure out who the werewolves are and lynch them before they can kill all the villagers.
The game is played in two phases: night and day. During the night, the werewolves wake up and secretly choose one villager to eliminate.
During the day, everyone wakes up and discusses who they think the werewolves are. The village then votes on who the werewolf is.
If the werewolves are able to pick off all the villagers, they win. If the villagers are able to find all the werewolves, they win.
This game is sure to create some suspense and excitement around the campfire! You can purchase a deck or create your own cards to play with if you’re familiar with the game.
Final Thoughts
There you have it! Ten fun things to do while sitting around a campfire.
Remember, the most important part of any camping trip is to relax and have fun. So make sure to take some time for yourself and enjoy the great outdoors. Simply talking around a fire can be deeply satisfying and therapeutic.
Looking for more tips ahead of your next camping trip? Check out our list of info guides here.
Happy camping!