Camping Games for Rainy Days: What to Play in the Tent

A packet of cards, a couple of dice and a torch will get a family through the wettest afternoon in a tent. Rain is part of camping in Britain, so the trick is not to fight it but to pack a small games box and settle in. A few classics played well beat any amount of screen time, and the memories tend to stick.

This guide gives you real games organised by age, from Snap for a three year old to a proper card school for the teenagers, plus torch games for after dark and a note on keeping it all tent-safe. It is part of our guide to child-friendly campsites in the UK, and it comes from Camping Sites in Britain, where you can find and compare family campsites, caravan parks and glamping across the country.

Pick a game that suits the youngest player in the tent, keep the rounds short, and rotate before anyone gets bored. That is the whole method.

The one rule for tent games

Keep everything seated and calm inside a tent or awning. Groundsheets are slippery in socks, tent poles bend, and guy lines outside are easy to trip over, so no running, no wrestling and no chasing games under canvas. Save the active stuff for the covered wash block or a dry spell outside.

The other hard rule is no naked flames. Never bring a stove, candle, tea light or disposable barbecue inside a tent or awning, for games or for warmth, because tent fabric burns fast and carbon monoxide from any burning fuel can kill in an enclosed space. A battery lantern or a head torch gives you all the light and atmosphere you need. For staying dry and warm in the first place, read our guide on how to prepare for a rainy camping trip.

Card games

A single deck of cards is the best value entertainment you can pack, and most card games scale from small children to adults. Add a box of Uno and a tin of Dobble and you are set for a week of rain.

For little ones, roughly 3 to 6

• Snap. The first card game most children learn. Fast, loud and forgiving, and it teaches matching and taking turns.
• Go Fish. Collecting pairs by asking other players for cards. Gentle, sociable and easy to grasp in one round.
• Uno. The colour and number matching works from about four upwards, and the picture cards mean early readers can keep up.
• Dobble. Spot the one matching symbol between two cards. Quick, visual and genuinely level between a five year old and a grown-up.

For 7 to 11

• Rummy. Forming runs and sets teaches a bit of strategy without being heavy going.
• Cheat, also called Bluff. Getting rid of your cards by lying about them, and calling everyone else out. Brilliant fun and no equipment beyond a deck.
• Chase the Ace. A simple swapping game that suits a big group and moves fast.
• Top Trumps. Any pack works, and children happily memorise every stat by day three.

For 12 and up, and adults

• Exploding Kittens. A daft, quick card game that plays well with teenagers and keeps a tent laughing.
• Whist or Newmarket. Proper family card-school games for a rainy evening, once the little ones are in bed.
• Bananagrams. A fast word game in a small banana-shaped pouch, ideal for the confident spellers in the group.

Dice games

Five dice and a scrap of paper cover several games, and dice weigh nothing. Keep them in a small pot or an old sock so they do not roll off into the sleeping bags.

• Pig. The simplest one, good from about five. Roll one die and add up your score, but roll a one and you lose the round's points. First to 100 wins. Pure luck and nerve.
• Beetle. Roll to draw a beetle part by part, body, head, legs, eyes and feelers. Great for young children who like drawing.
• Yahtzee. The classic five-dice game of collecting combinations. You can buy the set or just use a scoring grid you draw yourself. Suits 8 upwards.
• Farkle. A push-your-luck dice game for older children and adults, where you bank points or risk losing the lot.

Travel board games

Buy the travel or magnetic versions, which are small, light and hold together on a wobbly camping table. Full-size boxes take up room you do not have and pieces vanish into the groundsheet.

• Travel Connect 4. Two-player, quick and understood in seconds. A rainy-day staple.
• Magnetic draughts or chess. The magnets stop pieces sliding when the table tips, so a half-finished game survives a tea break.
• Guess Who travel edition. Ideal for two children of similar age, and it lasts.
• Rush Hour or a travel puzzle. A single-player logic game keeps one child busy while you sort lunch.
• Rummikub travel. Tile-based number runs that work for a mixed-age family once children are about eight.

Drawing and story games

All you need is paper and pens, which should already be in the games box. These are the games that fill the gaps between the others and cost nothing.

• Pictionary. Draw a word for your team to guess against the clock. No board needed, just a notepad and a phone timer.
• Consequences. Everyone writes a line of a story, folds the paper over and passes it on. The nonsense read-out at the end is the whole point, and small children love it.
• The squiggle game. One person draws a random squiggle, the next turns it into a picture. Perfect for quiet, tired children.
• Story cubes. Roll picture dice and make up a tale from the images. A pocket-sized set that sparks endless stories.

Charades and acting games

Acting games need no kit at all, which makes them the ones you fall back on when the batteries die. Keep them seated or standing on the spot so they stay tent-safe.

• Charades. Act out a film, book or song title without speaking. Works for the whole family if you keep the titles age-appropriate for the youngest guesser.
• Who am I. Stick a name on each player's forehead and take turns asking yes-or-no questions to work out who you are.
• 20 Questions. One person thinks of an object, everyone else has 20 yes-or-no questions to guess it. No kit, no mess, endlessly repeatable.
• Two truths and a lie. Each person says three things about themselves and the others spot the fib. Good for older children and a nice way to pass a long evening.

Torch games after dark

A head torch turns a dark tent into its own game, and children who are wound up by rain often settle once the lantern goes off. Keep these gentle and seated so nobody stands on a sleeping sibling.

• Shadow puppets. Shine the torch at the inner tent wall and make animals with your hands. The classic wet-night wind-down.
• Wink murder in the dark. One player is the murderer and picks people off with a torch flash instead of a wink. Suits 7 and up.
• Spotlight guessing. Light up one small object or one part of a face and have the others guess what it is.
• Glow-stick noughts and crosses. A few cheap glow sticks laid on the groundsheet make a grid you can actually see. Snap them just before bed for a calm last game.

Which game for which age

Age	Cards	Dice and board	No kit needed
3 to 6	Snap, Go Fish, Uno, Dobble	Pig, Beetle, travel Connect 4	Shadow puppets, squiggle game, consequences
7 to 11	Rummy, Cheat, Chase the Ace, Top Trumps	Yahtzee, Guess Who, magnetic draughts	Charades, Who am I, wink murder
12 and up	Exploding Kittens, Whist, Bananagrams	Farkle, Rummikub, Rush Hour	20 Questions, two truths and a lie, Pictionary

What to pack: the games box

Keep a dedicated rainy-day box in the car so it is always there and always sorted. A small plastic tub with a lid does the job and doubles as a lap tray inside the tent. Ours holds:

• Two packs of playing cards, so a dropped card never ends a game
• Uno and Dobble, the two boxed games that cover every age
• Five or six dice in a small pot, plus a scoring pad for Yahtzee
• A notepad and a handful of pens or pencils for drawing games, consequences and scores
• One or two travel board games, magnetic if you can, such as Connect 4 or draughts
• A head torch each, plus spare batteries and a few glow sticks for after dark
• Story cubes or a small puzzle for quiet solo moments
• A pack of biscuits, because a rainy afternoon in a tent runs on snacks

That lot fits in one tub, costs very little to build up and lasts for years. If you are still choosing where to pitch, a site with a covered common room or games barn is worth its weight in a wet week, and you can filter for family sites across the country in our campsite listings.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best camping games for rainy days with young children?

Snap, Go Fish, Uno and Dobble for cards, Pig and Beetle for dice, and shadow puppets or consequences when you need something with no kit. All work from about age four and keep small children happy while you stay dry inside the tent.

What games can you play in a tent without much space?

Card games, dice games, drawing games and word games all fit on a lap or a small camping table. Charades, 20 Questions and torch games need no table at all. Keep everyone seated, since a tent has no room for running about.

Are there tent games to play in the dark?

Yes. Shadow puppets on the inner wall, wink murder using a torch flash, spotlight guessing and glow-stick noughts and crosses all use a head torch and calm children down before bed. Keep them seated so nobody treads on a sleeping sibling.

What should I pack in a camping games box?

Two packs of cards, Uno, Dobble, a few dice with a scoring pad, a notepad and pens, one or two travel board games, a head torch each with spare batteries, and some glow sticks. It all fits in one small tub kept in the car.

Can you play outdoor games while it is raining?

Save active outdoor games for a dry spell or a covered area rather than the tent. Under canvas, keep everything seated and calm, and never bring a stove, candle or barbecue inside for warmth, because of fire and carbon monoxide risk.

How do you keep children entertained camping in the rain?

Rotate short games before boredom sets in, match the game to the youngest player, and build a dedicated games box you keep in the car. A wet afternoon of cards, dice and torch games is often the bit children remember most.

The short version

Pack a small games box with two decks of cards, Uno, Dobble, a few dice, pens and paper and a head torch each, and no rainy day in a tent can catch you out. Match the game to the youngest child, keep the rounds short, and keep everything seated and flame-free under canvas.

For more wet-weather ideas and the wider picture on camping with a family, read our tips for enjoying the great outdoors with kids and how to make a camping trip educational for kids, or head back to our guide to child-friendly campsites in the UK to find your next family pitch.