People often realize that we’ve grown up too quickly, but by the time we realize it, it’s far too late. One of the best things about being a kid is having not a care in the world and getting to enjoy the little things in life.
Many people can recall back to a time in their lives when they sat around a campfire, roasting marshmallows, and just enjoying the fire dancing before their very eyes.
Nowadays, with video games and TV becoming more and more prominent in children’s lives, there needs to be times like this still being introduced into their lives. One way to do this is through crafts surrounding the topic of campfires.
Follow our guide for some good ideas and you can be showing these young children just how important campfires are and the time they get to enjoy them. After all, you’re only young once!
1. Making A Campfire
First and foremost, let’s get the obvious one out of the way. The idea behind making a campfire is to create a nice warm area for yourself to relax at night during your camping trip.
To make this happen, you’ll need logs, some smaller sticks, wood, and a source of the fire.
We, of course, recommend that this is a show and tell, rather than letting the kids get involved with making fire, however, they can help to collect wood and help to build the log formation that will be used. Fun for all!
2. Making S’mores
No campfire is complete without some amazing s’mores! These are delicious treats made from chocolate bars and marshmallows that taste absolutely divine when roasted over an open flame.
There are various ways that you can go about making these, such as using a grill or simply baking them on a sheet pan in the oven.
Regardless of which method you decide to use, the end result should look absolutely incredible. Just make sure you include lots of marshmallows and chocolate!
3. Toilet Roll Binoculars
This craft involves nothing more complicated than toilet rolls, string, and a pair of binoculars. All you have to do here is cut off the ends of the toilet roll tubes and then tie them together.
Once you have done this, you can start placing the toilet rolls into each other so that they form a tunnel-like shape.
Now, all you have to do next is attach a piece of string to the top of the toilet roll tube and place the binoculars onto it. This creates a great set of fun binoculars for anyone who wants to play peekaboo with friends.
4. Small Fireworks Display
To celebrate the formation of your children’s brand new love for campfires, why not have a firework display? Simply take some small fireworks, such as sparklers, and blow them up in front of your kids.
They will definitely enjoy seeing these lights up in the sky and hearing the crackling noise they make as they explode!
If you can’t afford a lot of fireworks, then having a few sparklers and some smaller forms of fireworks would work too. Even some glow sticks would go down a treat!
5. Making Campfire Story Scripts!
Campfire stories always seem to bring everyone closer together.
Whether it’s because of the fact that it’s relaxing to sit around a fire and listen to others’ tales, or because people find themselves laughing at the same things, campfires are guaranteed to become a favorite part of any family camping trip.
So, what better way to pass the time than by crafting some campfire story scripts?
You could even write them into little books if you wanted! Just remember to keep them short and sweet so that they don’t bore your audience. Decorating them can be a fun way of rounding off your crafts!
6. Pretend Toy Campfire
If there’s one thing that young kids aren’t short of, it’s imagination. This can be seen throughout playtime and can lead to a whole new world of fun for children. One safe way to enjoy campfires without the fire is using toy variations.
Alternatively, you could fill a cardboard box with sand or leaves. As long as the pretend fires still burn brightly, the kids will still enjoy playing along.
On top of this, you could let the children make the pretend fire with different types of colored cards and materials. Great fun!
7. Make A Toy Teepee
You’ll probably already know how much your child knows about teepees, but did you also know that you can create your own? It may sound like a simple task, but it actually requires quite a bit of patience.
The best way to begin is by gathering some thin branches of wood and some rope, or string. Then, simply start tying them together until you’ve formed a teepee shape.
Once you’ve got your base shape right, you can decorate your teepee however you want. You can add flags, tarpaulins, or anything else that you think might suit the occasion. Adding paper or cards can add different colors as well!
8. Making Campfire Music
The best way to set the mood while building a campfire is to get everyone involved. Sing songs, clap hands, whistle, dance, drum… whatever you feel inspired to do, just do it!
There really isn’t any wrong way to do this, as long as you’re enjoying yourself and getting the kids to join in on the fun.
Designing some song sheets and decorating them makes them unique, keeping things both fresh and creative at the same time!
9. Make A Campfire Totem Pole
When making a totem pole, you need to decide first whether you want to go traditional or non-traditional. Traditionally, totem poles were made from cedar and had animal figures carved on them.
However, today, you can easily find versions made from recycled items, such as plastic bottles, old CDs, or even old computer towers!
An easy material to use is old shoe boxes. Painting them and designing them with bright colors and faces can make this one of the most fun tasks on our list.
10. Make Friendship Bracelets
One of the simplest ways to make friendship bracelets is by cutting out strips of felt, leaving enough room for an elastic band. Once you’ve done this, simply tie knots all over the strip of felt.
Cutting the knot shapes out and painting them with paint pens gives these bracelets a more intricate look. When you have finished, glue the ends of each strip together and then cut them into smaller pieces. Finally, attach the elastic bands to finish the project.
11. Paper Plate Animal Faces
Paper plates are inexpensive and come in a variety of sizes. They can be used to make decorations for many occasions, including birthdays and Christmas parties, so they can be recycled after use.
To make your plate face, simply draw a face onto the front of the plate using markers. Use a permanent marker to color in details such as eyes, nose, mouth, etc.
Using small circles around the edges of the plate creates the perfect finishing touch. Owls, lions, tigers, and bears are all known to be fan favorites!
12. Make A Lantern
A lantern is a great outdoor decoration. Not only does it illuminate the area, but it’s also a portable light source. All you need to make one is a large bucket, a candle, a few sticks, and some sort of container. Cut a hole in the bottom of the bucket, then pour water inside.
Next, place a wick (or a piece of cloth soaked in paraffin wax) through the hole. Light the candle and let it burn down. Once the flame has gone out, remove the wick and carefully lower the candle into the bucket.
Place your favorite craft supplies inside the bucket, then cover it up. This might be a bit advanced for preschool, but you can show them how to make it!
13. Decorating Pine Cones
Pine cones are inexpensive wood that comes in a variety of different shades. You can use these when decorating outside, either alone or in combination with other materials. Simply paint the pine cone and allow it to dry.
Next, add glitter, sequins, feathers, or anything else that strikes your fancy. These are incredible features of nature that can come in all shapes and sizes.
14. Make Bird Feeders
Bird feeders are both beautiful and functional. They not only attract birds, but they’re also a great way to get kids interested in the outdoors. All you need to do is find some sort of container and add sufficient holes so that birds can get to the food inside.
You want to leave them relatively see-through so that the birds can see the seeds, but you can add stuff like glitter to make sure there’s some kind of uniqueness about them.
15. Drawing The Campfire!
The campfire is a wonderful symbol of childhood nostalgia and fun times spent camping. It’s something that makes memories and keeps people close.
Kids will love making their own firecrackers and learning what makes them go off. Drawing these wonderful inventions can be great fun and allows children to understand just how special they are and how colorful the fire really is.
Adding some paints and other forms of coloring to the picture can be a great way for children to make their fire unique and will have them itching for the next time they see a campfire.
Final Thoughts
There you have it! 15 great crafts that are good fun to implement around campfires and for imagining campfires. There is lots of fun to be had and it’s down to us to make sure these young children feel the magic that we once felt at their age.
Of course, everything on this list is only suggestions and if you can find some better ideas, then you should definitely use them! After all, we’re here to help you enjoy your experience as much as you can.
Campfires can be dangerous when they’re not dealt with properly, so we always recommend making sure the children know this before you involve any real sources of fire. Ultimately, their safety is the main thing and we want them to have fun whilst remaining safe.
