Make a Fake Campfire (+Free Printable)

Camping is something that we love to do as a family. We usually start going on the occasional trip in April or May depending on the weather. I love that camping brings us closer together.

Some of my favourite moments while camping are around the campfire. Even when we were off living the vanlife, I loved just spending time watching the sunset together while roasting marshmallows over the fire.

As much as we are excited to have some backyard campfires during this time, sometimes it is fun to bring the campfire inside for make-believe playtime with the kids! This is one of the reasons I wanted to include this craft in the newest 28 Days of Activity Calendar.

Making a fake campfire can be even more fun for kids if you set it up by a tent or a fort. I had two hours to work after we made this set because the kids had fun playing ‘camping’ with their new fake fire.

If you’re looking for some motivation, bloggers are running Camp at Home events every Saturday the month of April. Join every Saturday and camp inside, outside, or simply set up a tent or fort with the kids to make things a little more interesting at home. Join the Facebook event here.

There are a few ways to make a campfire at home. I wanted to provide you with all the “printable” materials in case you cannot go outside and pick up craft materials during this time. However, I will also give some fun alternatives that may just add some more “flare” to your fire. Sorry… I had too.

Part 1: Make the Fire Logs

1. Print off five of the log sheets. There is a coloured option that is brown or you can print off the white log and then colour it in brown.
2. Roll them and glue or tape the two sides together.

Part 2: Make the Fire

1. Print off five fire sheets. Cut them out. Colour the large flame red on both sides and the small flames yellow.

*Another alternative is to use red and yellow tissue paper.

Part 3: Make the Marshmallows

1. Print off one or two marshmallow sheets.
2. Cut the larger pieces first. These are the marshmallows.
3. Glue the two short sides of the paper. You will need to cut it a little shorter to be a better marshmallow size.
4. Cut the smaller paper attachments. This will need to be cut shorter depending on the circumference of the marshmallow.
5. Add a small cut on the small cut line for the stick.
6. Attach the attachment piece to the end of the marshmallow with glue so that it looks like a small handle. This is actually the spot where you can put the stick through.

*Alternative option. Make the marshmallows out of toilet paper rolls. Cut the toilet paper rolls and then add white paper over top.

Part 4: Put it all together

1. Choose to attach the fire with tape or glue or set them up beside the logs. Another option is to use a box as the fire pit to keep everything in one place.
2. Time to play!

Need some more activities? Check out these fun indoor and outdoor scavenger hunts here.