Camping for Preschoolers

Camping Lesson Plan

For Preschoolers

Setting up lesson plan on camping for preschool kids and camping lesson plan for preschool and kindergarten is a fun idea the children will love.

Kids love camping and all the fun that happens when sleeping outside under the stars, having campfires, exploring and sleeping in a tent in nature, just as do many adults.

If you were looking to present a preschool camping theme or camping lesson plan to your kindergarten or preschool class, how could you go about setting the camping theme and lesson plan ideas up and making the activities educational for the pre k children or kindergarten kids?

For kindergarten children and preschool kids who love camping or are interested in outside activities and all things related to camping, outdoors etc. this is a great lesson plan idea to prepare.

You could use the lesson plan on camping ideas and theme activities below, all about the outdoors and having fun spending the night outside sleeping in tents and talking about the sounds of nature, animals and more.

Outdoor Adventure: A Step-by-Step Guide to Preschool Camping Fun!

Camping is a wonderful way to introduce preschoolers to the wonders of nature and foster a sense of curiosity and exploration. This step-by-step guide will help you plan and execute a memorable camping-themed experience for your preschoolers, right in the comfort of your own backyard or a safe outdoor space.

Materials Needed:

Tents or makeshift shelters (blankets, sheets, or cardboard boxes)
Sleeping bags or blankets
Flashlights or lanterns (with batteries)
Camping chairs or cushions
Nature-themed books or stories
Craft supplies (construction paper, markers, glue, scissors)
Binoculars or magnifying glasses (optional)
Outdoor toys (balls, frisbees, hula hoops)
Nature scavenger hunt list (optional)
Snacks and drinks (appropriate for preschoolers)

Step 1: Setting up the Campsite Begin by choosing a safe and secure outdoor area for the camping adventure. Set up tents or makeshift shelters, ensuring they are stable and comfortable for the preschoolers. Arrange sleeping bags or blankets inside the tents, along with pillows for added comfort. Create a designated seating area with camping chairs or cushions for storytelling and craft activities.

Step 2: Safety Briefing Before starting any activities, conduct a safety briefing for the preschoolers. Emphasize rules such as staying within the designated area, not wandering off alone, and always having adult supervision.

Step 3: Nature Exploration Encourage the preschoolers to explore the natural surroundings. Provide binoculars or magnifying glasses for them to observe plants, insects, and other small creatures. Take this opportunity to teach them about the importance of respecting and protecting nature.

Step 4: Storytelling Time Gather the preschoolers in the designated seating area and read nature-themed books or tell camping stories. Engage them by asking questions about the characters and the environment. Encourage them to share their thoughts and experiences.

Step 5: Nature Crafts Provide craft supplies like construction paper, markers, glue, and scissors. Encourage the preschoolers to create nature-inspired artwork, such as leaf rubbings, flower collages, or paper plate animal masks. This activity not only sparks creativity but also reinforces their connection to the natural world.

Step 6: Outdoor Play Engage the preschoolers in outdoor activities like ball games, frisbee, or hula hooping. This physical playtime allows them to burn off energy while enjoying the fresh air and natural surroundings.

Step 7: Nature Scavenger Hunt (Optional) If appropriate for your chosen location, organize a nature scavenger hunt. Provide a list of items for the preschoolers to find, such as leaves, rocks, or specific types of plants. This activity encourages observation skills and enhances their appreciation for nature.

Step 8: Campfire Snacks Prepare simple, child-friendly snacks like s’mores, trail mix, or fruit kebabs. Allow the preschoolers to participate in preparing and assembling their snacks (with adult supervision). This hands-on activity promotes teamwork and fine motor skills.

Step 9: Stargazing (Evening Activity) If possible, end the camping experience with a stargazing session. Lay out blankets and encourage the preschoolers to look up at the night sky. Point out constellations and share interesting facts about the stars.

A camping-themed adventure provides a fantastic opportunity for preschoolers to connect with nature, learn about the outdoors, and engage in imaginative play. By following this step-by-step guide, you can create a memorable experience that fosters a love for the natural world in the young minds of your preschoolers.

Camping for Preschoolers Lesson Plan Setup & Activity Planning:

When setting up a camping lesson plan for kids, you can ask different questions related to outdoors and camping.

Below are a few simple lesson plan examples, but there are many more you could think of and ask to help build an educational theme for the pre k or kindergarten children to learn from.

What kinds of insects/bugs that you might see or find while on a camping trip?

You could then get books about camping and books that talk about forests and discover all the different types of insects or bugs that you would find in the woods or forests or that you may find while camping near lakes and streams.

What types of animals might you see and find while camping?

Animals are everywhere. What are the types of animals you may expect to see while camping outdoors or in the woods, near rivers, streams etc.

You may see squirrels, rabbits, moose, raccoons, foxes, owls and fish etc.

You could get books and talk about each one of these kinds of animals or pick a specific animal or two and discuss them.

Teach about Campfires & How to Be Safe with them:

What is a campfire used for?

Talk about using a campfire to stay warm, or using a fire to create light at night, using it for cooking, roasting marshmallows etc.

You can also use a camp fire for sitting around and singing fun songs and telling spooky stories for fun.

What are the things that we can sleep in when we go camping?

When camping we can sleep on the ground in sleeping bags, sleep in tents or use things like trailers and motor homes etc.

You could have pictures of each to show the children each different one.

Retail magazines and catalogues are great places to find pictures of these things.

Post them for the kids to see and learn from.

Preschool Camping Theme Activities for Kids

Dramatic play Ideas:

Kids love dramatic play and it gets children using their imaginations and pretending using different related props.

You could set up a preschool dramatic play area and set up a child’s tent for the kids to explore. The tent could then have different camping related things like a cooler, maybe old food containers (clean), a sleeping bag and other related items and camping related toys etc.

You could also make a fun campfire craft for preschoolers.

Art Activities for Kids:

Preschool art ideas and activities related to a preschool camping theme or lesson, get the children to collect outdoor things like pine needles, small twigs, dried grass, leaves and small pebbles etc.

The children can then glue these nature type items to construction board or construction paper using glue.

They can create their own ‘nature collages’ and use markers, glitter, paper and paint to add to their artwork.

Simple Math Activities for a Preschool Camping Theme:

For a simple math activities for the preschool kids involved in this preschool camping theme and camping lesson plan, you could get yourself some plastic bugs and use them for simple counting.

You could gather a small collection of rocks or gravel pieces and do simple counting or do simple math activities like addition and subtraction with the kids.

You could also keep some old tin cans (without the sharp edges) and label each can with a number. You could have children add the correct number of stones to each can based on the number.

If you wanted to make it more interesting and fun you could have the children place the stones in the can using ‘tongs’ or something else. This helps with preschool children’s fine motor development of their hands and fingers.

Camping & Kids Science Activity:

To make a fun science activity for the preschool children along with this preschool camping theme, you could use a bug kit and have fake, plastic bugs. Magnifying glasses work great to help the kids to explore and discover new things. You can find magnifying glasses at educational supply stores, dollar stores and retailers etc.

Another great science activity for kids to use with this camping theme is collecting thing like small twigs, blades of grass, flowers, bark, pine cones, pine needles etc. on a small nature walk.

You can then layout all these nature collection on to a science table. Use magnifying glasses and child’s tweezers etc. for the children to explore these things up close. You could all discuss the things that they see using the magnifying glasses and tweezers.

Pretend to Camp Outside for Your Creative Circle Time Idea:

You could start off and make this preschool camping theme and camping lesson plan extra fun by using some brown construction paper, roll it into logs and glue or tape them so they hold their log shape.

Cut or tear some orange, red and yellow paper or tissue paper and glue it to your brown paper logs.

Now that you have your burning logs for your camp fire, you can place it in the middle of the carpet at circle time and listen to or sing camp fire songs while you sit around your fun camp fire.

You can bring in a few small twigs or sticks you collected from outside and imagine or pretend to be roasting marshmallows or hot dogs on them.

After the campfire circle, as a fun theme related treat, you could actually provide the preschoolers with a marshmallow to eat. That makes for a lot of fun for the preschool children and is a great social activity for them for learning.

Camping Snack Ideas:

What types of snacks do you have when camping? A really popular snack idea is smore’s. You can make some simple, non roasted S’mores with the following items:

Paper plates
Grahame crackers
Milk chocolate squares
Kraft Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Crème

Simply layout a layer of graham cracker pieces. Then spread on some jet-puffed marshmallow crème and then add a few milk chocolate pieces and there you have it, the perfect simple s’mores for your camping lesson without any real roasting or fire.

Camping Songs for Kids

Fun Games & Camping Activities:

You could set up a simple Scavenger Hunt in your yard outside for the kids. You would simple hide items that would be related to camping or that we might find on a camping trip.

Scavenger Hunts are great for kids as a physical activity since it gets the children moving, running and outdoors, exploring and finding these things. Active kids are healthy kids-so make it fun for them.

You could also set up a mock fishing game with simple fishing poles with a magnet on each end. Fishing is a fun camping activity that people do.

In a simple box or kids pool (without water) you could cut out a variety of different fish. You could even color the fish.
On each fish at the mouth area you could tape a paper clip so that the magnet will attract them and they will stick to the fishing pole.
Each cut out fish could be colored, or could have a letter of the alphabet or a number on it.

Classroom Library Resources About Camping:

In your classroom library you should be sure to have a selection of books about camping that are age appropriate for the preschool children and kids.

Things like picture books and small sentence camping books are great for the children to read and explore while in the library learning about this theme lesson.

Coloring Pages & Worksheets Activities about Camping:

Finding camping related coloring pages and coloring pictures along with crayons make for another simple activity for teaching this preschool theme. You can have a specific work area for these coloring pages and activities.

You can even find other simple worksheets with this same related theme for the kids to do. (eg.) Simple spelling sheets related to camping for the kids to learn how to spell certain words related to this theme.

*These are just some of the many ideas and activities for setting up a camping theme for the preschool or kindergarten children you are teaching. There are many more ideas and activities that could be used. You simply have to use your imagination and keep it fun and on topic.

When planning for preschool children, You always want to include these educational areas:

1. Physical
2. Intellectual
3. Language
4. Emotional
5. Social

Save