Camping is awesome, but doing it with kids might be a little bit complicated. Fear no more, because is perfectly doable and could be one of those experiences you’d want to repeat the next weekend as well if you do it the right way. So, in this article, we’re going to cover a series of tips and tricks which will hopefully help you out create a truly great experience for the whole family, while building lovely memories with your kiddos.
Without any further ado, tip no 1…
1. Give them a job
Yeah, that’s right, put the kids to work. The second you arrive on site give them something to do so that they do not get bored waiting for the tent to go up and running around making what they usually do when they get excited. Kids love the feeling of responsibility, they want to be just like you so give them something to keep them occupied and feel like they're part of the whole camping experience.
2. Set Rules
Set up some camping rules. You could do this even before you go camping, you can sit down at home and do it together. Just write a list of rules that you're all going to stick to when you're camping.
The great part is that you can all contribute to the list. For example, no shoes in the tent because the second you start wearing your shoes in and bringing grass and wet muddy footprints into the tent, then it becomes more difficult to relax and enjoy the space that you're in.
You might want to set rules about whether or not they're allowed to spend time on the phones. I don't recommend you not to bring your phones or tablets with you, but you are outside for a reason, so enjoy it and try to make an experience out of it!
3. Keep Things Organized
The tent should be perceived as a decluttered space, serving the only purpose of making you feel cozy and comfortable. I recommend you a cabin tent since it’s a little bit bigger and feels comfier than the regular ones. You don't want your tent to be the storage box so it’s important to keep things out of it. If you're going to be living and sleeping all underneath this one space, it is really important that everything to has a place of its own. Some plastic storage boxes will do the trick. Make sure the boxes come with top covers as well, because you don’t want to bring home ants or bugs which could find a way into the containers. This is also a great way of showing them how to be more organized. Trying to do it in a 2000 square-feet house might be a challenge but in a small tent, that’s another story.
4. Plan Easy Meals
If you’re in search of easy camping meals, Pinterest is full of such “golden nuggets” or just google it. The idea is to not complicate your existence since the whole point of the trip is to get away from the distractions of home and reconnect with your spouse and the kids.
It would be really cool to make a giant pot of chilli con carne while you're away and you can eat it around the campfire and it's a nice idea but if it's your first trip you should keep things simple. It's not going to hurt you if you and your kids eat just burgers, hot dogs and marshmallows for a weekend.
5. Prep Meals Before Camping
Whatever you decide to eat while on camping, try to prep as much as you can before you go, it'll make your life so much easier when you're there. If you want to have some salads and things to go with your burgers make up as much of it as you can beforehand and take it in a container.
6. Make Kids Feel like They’re Camping
One of the “activities” that resonate with family camping is eating marshmallows. Kids can get so excited about marshmallows on a stick. When you go camping, they could not wait to toast some. It's such a nice thing to do with the kids when you're camping because you can all sit around the fire and toast marshmallows. They could have their own kids camping chairs, like we have, to boost a bit their feeling of camping. Sure, a fire with kids around might not be for everyone, but don’t be afraid to leave your toddlers to get out of the comfort zone and explore new things.
For an easy camping alternative instead of having to put a biscuit, chocolate, and a marshmallow, you can use chocolate digestives so they can put their toasted marshmallow on top, pop another one on top of that, make a sandwich and they're done.
7. Pack some Games
Don't forget to pack games for the kids and for you to play as a family because you will have so much time which you could use playing. You can also play games like capture the flag. You can make the flags with simple scraps and materials and use two sticks and you can spend a whole afternoon playing! It's so cheap and so simple - your kids will love it! Again, Pinterest is a gold mine for researching such a subject. Here’s another good article covering a series of games for camping.
You can also pick a pack of glow sticks because they are cheap. You can have glow stick light saber battles when its dark and have a good time with the young ones. Don't be afraid to be a bit creative, doesn't have to be games that are traditional. Think outside the box a little bit. The whole idea is to get your kids away from the smartphones and tablets and show them that there are funnier alternatives to them. Help them interact with nature and make the whole experience meaningful for them.
8. Bring in Wet Wipes
Don't forget to pack wet wipes, they'll save your life. You’re already comfortable to use them for everything back home and they are of greater use when camping. They’re never too many, isn’t it?
9. Extra Bedding
Our last tip is to bring in extra bedding. The kids can have sleeping bags and blankets over them and you can have sleeping bags and/or a spare duvet. It can feel really homely and cozy and could also help you not get sick. After all, we do want to keep our kids healthy like all the time, right?
Wrapping Up
We, as parents, are afraid of trying new things, we feel safe and cozy in your comfort zone. On the other hand, it’s our mission to create as many meaningful and to-remember experiences for our kids as possible. Camping is one of those activities which could do that if done right! Hope that these tips will bring value to you and most importantly, will make you start prepping for a camping adventure with the youngsters!
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