5 Tips To Make Camping Trips With Kids An Absolute Blast
Both children and adults can benefit from nature. If your family is expanding, now is a good time to consider a family camping trip. Nature provides a full sensory experience for children of all ages, including digging in the dirt, lighting campfires, admiring star-strewn skies at night, and listening to the owls’ calls.
The trip will also help them appreciate and connect with their natural environment early enough for a better tomorrow. But it will not be a bed of roses if you don’t plan well. The much-awaited memorable experience can soon turn into a nightmare with your kids asking to go back home because of one issue or the other; uncomfortable sleep, mosquito biting, hungry, bored, or suffering from cold.
To avoid encountering such stressful situations, here are the 5 helpful tips to make your family trip fun.
5 Camping Tips For Families With Children
1. Plan ahead
By planning ahead of time for a family camping trip, you can avoid stressful situations. Consider your destination and choose a family-friendly campsite. The location should be dry, wind-sheltered, and close to fun attractions and playgrounds.
Your family’s needs should also help you choose the best campgrounds. Do you want the kids to be able to enjoy the wilderness or have access to modern amenities while they’re out there? Thus, start with a location with more amenities, and then progress to more remote, adventurous areas on subsequent trips. If you still plan on doing some dispersed camping, then consider getting a pop up shower tent. This will give you and your kids instant private space for bathroom and potty use.
Do not leave your kids out when planning. Ask them what they would like to do and see during the trip so you can settle on a place that best suits their desire. Recommendations from other families who have taken their kids out can also help during the planning process.
2. Pack the right supplies for your family
Nothing is more aggravating than discovering you are missing some essentials while already at your campsite. Make a camping checklist of what you’ll need and check it off as you put it in your backpack to avoid leaving anything out.
Here are some packing suggestions:
Camping gear
Organize your camping supplies, beginning with the proper tent size for your family. If you have a large family with various age groups, consider renting a couple of smaller tents or a multi room tent. Setting up a large tent can be difficult, especially if you are not used to it. However, before going to your campsite, practice setting up your tents at home. If you don’t want your children to be awakened by even the slightest light, you can use a blackout tent instead.
Sleeping bags and camping utensils are also required. To avoid wasting time at the campsite trying to find your essentials, categorize your supplies as you place them in cardboard boxes or clear plastic bins.
Bring your children’s favorite foods and snacks
You will have a difficult time keeping the kids focused on other activities if they are not satisfied with the food and snacks provided while camping. Include your children in menu planning and packing decisions. Make ready-to-eat snacks a priority so they can eat something whenever they get hungry on the road or at the campsite.
Food selections should also be simple to prepare and clean up.
Pack favorite toys for entertainment
Though you should keep toys at a minimum, it would help to have some to ensure the kids don’t get bored at any time. Pack toys that complement the outdoor activities while entertaining the children. Below are toy ideas to consider:
- Binoculars
- Balls
- Squirt guns
- Magnifying glasses
- Card games
- Coloring books and water pens
- Bug catcher case
- Bubbles
To avoid stress, ensure your tent has a kids’ play area or consider pitching an extra tent for playing. This saves you time and the hassle of cleaning up toys before kids sleep.
Pack clothes for weather and activities
Always double-check the forecast before heading to your campsite. Know the high and low temperatures and pack accordingly. It would help to dress the kids in layers so that they can take off or put on their clothing based on temperature changes. Also, pack rain jackets just in case of rain and bring enough blankets and sleeping bags to keep them warm and comfortable at night. Note that kids will not have fun the next day if they have an uncomfortable sleep at night.
Below are other important supplies:
- Complete first aid kit
- Insect repellent lotion
- Safe mineral and anti-bug sunscreen
- Water and drinks
3. Research on activities to make sure kids don’t get bored during the trip
The activities you will undertake may dictate whether or not your kids will enjoy the excursion. The camping site you choose should have all amenities based on your planned activities. Kids get bored easily just sitting around the campsite, so have different activities in mind that will help them build experiences.
Here are fun campsite activities to consider:
- Hiking on easy nature trails
- Involving kids in collecting firewood and making campfires
- Involving kids in setting up the tent
- Letting them help prepare dinner
- Sharing campfire stories
- Teaching them how to make s’mores
- Swimming
- Playing at playgrounds
- Set aside teaching moments about camping and nature. E.g., how to respect wildlife, identify native living things and dispose of trash properly.
N/B: Find activities that interest the kids once you are at the campsite and capitalize on them.
4. Be flexible and keep it simple
Kids will quickly lose interest when fatigued. Unfortunately, children get tired easily, and it won’t help if you try to force them to see and do everything you had planned. So, pace yourself accordingly and allow them some unstructured time to unwind and pursue their interests. This way, you learn what they enjoy doing so that you can focus more on that.
Do not change kids’ routines because you are out camping. As simple as it is, stick to their bedtime routine to ensure your children aren’t stressed out. If it is reading bedtime stories, brushing teeth, or putting on their pajamas, let them do it even when camping.
5. Prepare for any challenges that may arise
With kids on vacation, you can only plan so much, but things can still go wrong. You should be prepared for surprises and challenges if you want them to enjoy the trip. Maintain a positive attitude in all circumstances, and your children will do the same.
If things don’t go as planned, be prepared to change your plans. For example, if you had planned to hike or swim but it rains, be prepared to abandon those plans and engage in others that will not stress the kids.
Finally, always keep safety in mind. As a first rule, go over safety precautions with your kids before going camping. For example, what they should do if they get lost or when camping in out-of-the-way places. Give each person a whistle and teach them when and how to use it. You might also consider using glow sticks to improve nighttime safety.
Key Insights & Takeaway
How well you plan and are prepared to change in the event of unexpected challenges and surprises will determine whether or not your children enjoy a family camping trip. It all starts with choosing a family-friendly campground, packing the right supplies, researching activities that the kids will enjoy, keeping things simple, and maintaining a positive attitude no matter what. Incorporate these tips and enjoy a fun-filled camping trip with your kids!
About the author:
Name: Ally Mash
Bio: Ally is a wilderness explorer who has backpacked throughout South America, Iceland, and Europe. He loves sharing his adventures with others at Adventures Pursuit because he believes that everyone should be in the mindset of protecting our planet’s beauty as much they can!
