What to Include in a Camping Dramatic Play Area for Preschoolers
Welcome to Cozy Campground!
Bring the excitement of a campground into your class with this flexible Camping Dramatic Play set! It’s a perfect way to encourage pretend play during spring, summer, or camping week… and, of course, I found ways to sneak in some fun literacy, math, science, and fine motor learning and practice.
The printables pictured here are from my Camping Dramatic Play set. Use the set to help you easily create a campsite setup that fits your space and your kids. It’s perfect for spring and summer months!
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What’s Included in the Camping Dramatic Play Set?
This Camping Dramatic Play set is packed with printable materials that make it super easy to set up a pretend campground in your classroom. Whether you’re working with a tiny corner or a full dramatic play area, there’s something here to fit your space, your kids, and your goals.
Inside the set, you’ll find a wide variety of signs, forms, labels, props, and role-play tools—perfect for building literacy, math, fine motor, and social-emotional skills. From check-in forms, word cards, and trail signs to camp store price tags, bunting, and pretend fishing licenses, the pieces are designed with young kids in mind.
Don’t be overwhelmed by all the options! You don’t have to use everything. Just print the parts that work best for you. Want to create a cozy tent area with a campfire and some pretend s’mores? Great! Prefer to set up a ranger station with maps and a check-in desk? Go for it! You can mix, match, and make it your own.
What Props Can I Use in My Pretend Play Campground?
Special clothing isn’t necessary, but kids enjoy dressing up to really get into their roles. You can use printable logos to personalize and create official-looking campground uniforms.
Here are some clothing ideas:
- Fishing vests: A favorite for rangers and explorers.
- Bucket hats: Great for sunny pretend adventures.
- Baseball hats: They are really easy to personalize with logos
- Sunglasses: Who doesn’t love a great pair of sunglasses?
- Hiking boots: Inspire imaginary outdoor adventures.
- Backpacks: Ideal for carrying pretend camping supplies.
You’ve got the printables, you’ve got some great dress-up clothes —now let’s add some extra touches! These simple dramatic play props can help bring your campground scene to life.
- Small tents or DIY blanket forts
- Child-sized camping chairs
- Sleeping bags or cozy blankets
- Toy lanterns and flashlights for nighttime adventures
- Binoculars for nature observation
- Coolers and picnic baskets with pretend food
- Blue plastic tablecloths or fabric for lakes and rivers
- Empty sunscreen and bug spray bottles for added realism
- A cash register for your camp store
- Artificial grass mats or turf rugs
- Evergreen trees (think Christmas tree) or large potted plants
- DIY canoes using cardboard boxes or laundry baskets
- Life jackets and paddles
- Toy fishing rods and tackle boxes
- Compasses for exploring trails
How to Set Up Your Camping Dramatic Play Area
Once your props are ready, it’s time to build out the campground! From the tents to the trails, here are some simple ways to set up each part of your Camping Dramatic Play center.
How to Set Up The Campsites
Start by creating a cozy little campsite that your kids will love. Set the scene with a patch of artificial turf or green felt to serve as “grass.” Add a few pretend pine trees or big leafy plants around the campsite to help bring the outdoors inside.
If you have small tents or play tents, this is the perfect time to bring them out. No tents? No problem! Drape a sheet or blanket over a folding table to make a quick and easy DIY version—it works great and adds just as much fun. You can even toss in sleeping bags, rolled-up blankets, or pretend lanterns to make it feel extra cozy.
Don’t forget a cooler with drinks. Then, add a campsite # sign to each tent.
The printable pretend campfire is a must-have centerpiece! Place it just outside the tent and surround it with kid-sized camp chairs. It’s a perfect spot for storytelling, giggles, and pretend marshmallow roasting!
The printable set includes a 3-D campfire PLUS graham crackers, chocolate bars, and marshmallows. Your kids will have so much fun making pretend s’mores around their pretend campfire. I cut off the sharp point of wooden skewers and used them as sticks to roast the marshmallows.
Wanna see how to assemble the pretend campfire? I made a quick video for you.
How to Set Up A Ranger Station
Let your kids take on the role of park ranger with their own Ranger Station! Set it up using a small table or shelf and a few printable props.
Hang the campground banner and use the open/closed signs and hours of operation printable to give it a more official feel.
The DIY laptop makes a perfect check-in tool. Isn’t it cute? I made it by slipping the printable keyboard and monitor pages into the cover of a 3-ring binder. I opened the binder with the covers facing up and taped a box behind the “monitor” to prop it up.
Your little rangers can use the camper registration forms to assign campers to a reserved campsite …and work on some writing skills. Don’t forget to prepare some printable fishing licenses to sell.
Display the camp map nearby and print a few extra maps to pass out to new campers—just like a real park ranger would! Encourage rangers to give out camping checklists. These encourage campers to explore all areas of the campground.
How to Set Up a Camp Store
A camp store is like a mini shop at the campground. It usually sells handy things like snacks, sunscreen, and s’mores supplies. In your pretend play area, it becomes a fun place where kids can “buy” gear or take turns being the store clerk. It gives kids a chance to role-play both shopping and working, while building math, literacy, and social skills along the way.
Use a small shelf or table as your store display. Add a toy cash register, printable money, and the included credit card machine and price tags to give kids a variety of ways to pay.
Stock the store shelves with items like flashlights, empty sunscreen bottles, spray bottles (pretend bug spray), and s’mores ingredients. Kids can take turns being the cashier or the shopper.
How to Create Hiking Trails
Create a pretend trail system right in your classroom! Start by setting up a trailhead on a wall or bulletin board using the printable trail signs and arrows.
From there, use painter’s tape or Post-it notes with arrows to mark out three trails on the floor. Be sure to test the tape in an inconspicuous area before using it!
The set includes printables for three trails —Raccoon Trail, Butterfly Trail, and Woodpecker Trail. Add the trail markers along each path to guide little hikers.
Hide bird image cards around your trail and hand out the birdwatching checklist—kids will love keeping track of their discoveries!
Add some animal track strips for another fun nature hunt. Kids can use the matching cards to help them identify the tracks that they find.
How to Create a DIY Fishing Area
Create a simple fishing area using blue fabric, felt, or a plastic tablecloth to represent the water. Bunch it up or lay it flat—either works! Add some rocks around the edge to create a shore.
To make fishing poles, tie yarn to a dowel and glue a magnet to the end of the yarn. Tape a paperclip to the back of each printable fish so they’re ready to be “caught.”
Kids can measure their catch using the printable measuring strips or sort their fish by size or color.
Pro tip: Attach a small magnet to the bottom of the fishing pole. It helps keep the line tucked in place and prevents a tangled mess when kids aren’t fishing.
Safety reminder: Be sure to show kids how to use the poles gently—no swinging them around or aiming for other people!
How to Set Up A Canoe Area
Create your “water” just like in the Fishing Area—blue felt, a plastic tablecloth, or bulletin board paper all work great. For the canoe, you don’t need anything fancy. A big cardboard box or even a laundry basket makes a perfect pretend boat. Remember that kids have a huge imagination!
Cut out a paddle from cardboard or foam board, and you’re ready to “paddle” around the pond. And of course—don’t forget to add life jackets to encourage water safety during all that pretend canoeing.
If you’re feeling crafty and want to upgrade your setup, here are a few fun ideas that I found on Pinterest. You can piece together two cardboard moving boxes to make the boat complete with a point at the bow.
How to Set Up A Picnic Area
Set up a picnic area with a play picnic table or lay a blanket on the floor. Add a picnic basket filled with pretend food, cups, plates, and utensils.
You can include extras like napkins, a cooler, or even a sunhat to complete the look. It’s a sweet little spot for kids to relax, serve lunch, and practice those social skills while they play.
Purchase the Printables Today
Are you excited to set up your own classroom campsite? This printable set makes it easy. With tons of flexible pieces, you can create a setup that fits your space and your kids perfectly. Stop by my website store to pick up your printable set today.
Purchase The Camping Dramatic Play Set on TPT
Do you prefer to shop at Teachers Pay Teachers? You can also purchase the Camping Dramatic Play Printables from my TPT store.
