Well Firstly, For anyone who’s never been camping in a tent you may well be thinking
“Why would anyone want go camping with their kids and leave their warm, cosy house to sleep on the hard ground under a sheet of canvas?”
Well, let me tell you in this Ultimate Guide To Camping With Kids
Now, let me convince you that camping with kids is a must do activity for your family.
Still Not Convinced Camping with kids is For You? Heres my top reasons why we LOVE it!
I remember lots of camping trips when I was younger, water fights, building dens, playing in the river and catching minnows in jars.
Camping with your kids in the fresh air is also wonderful for helping kids sleep.
I loved being carried into my sleeping bag and snuggling down to sleep while the grown ups got to know one another around the fire in murmuring voices.
Camping with your kids is great for bonding and teamwork
- Putting up tents, camp fire building, playing ball games etc – they are all so much more fun as a group.
- Camping is definatley an activity that brings people together and encourages them to bond and work together.
- Camping is an excellent opportunity to develop your outdoor and nature skills.
- Building and lighting a fire, cooking on it, finding wood, being safe around the fire. All important lessons to learn.
- Fishing, stone skimming, rounders and toasting marshmallows are brilliant fun whatever your age.
Do you feel like you’re stuck on a hamster wheel? Going round and round and round, same thing, different day??
- Eating outside,
- Listening to the sounds of nature like the bees, and bugs as they buzz around,
- Watching the stars in the night sky all help rekindle that connection and that love we need.
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Oh and camping is oh so good for you.
Camping with kids is cheap!
You get to do what you want to do.
Ok So, hopefully i’ve sold you on why you should camp with your kids???
- What do you need?
- How will you keep the kids amused?
- What will you eat?
- Let kids pack a bag of their own with their favourite toys and books. A favourite teddy usually helps on the first couple of nights too.
- I also try to include a colour in book and pens, fruit sweets and some fruit, a roll of paper useful for tons of stuff including drawing or origami boats to sail, and a mini wind up torch for finding places like the loo at night.
- In car games like DIY bingo cards. We also have this portable dvd player which really make long drives a breeze.
- First Aid kit (but also pack baby wipes, strong bags, disinfectant wipes and kitchen roll incase any one gets sick too)
AT THE SITE
- Let the kids get involved with the set up. Holding the tent pegs, helping to hammer them in if they’re old enough.
- Have some snacks and lunches ready for arrival so kids aren’t complaining they’re hungry while parents set up camp.
- A blanket or a picnic rug so children can still sit outside if the grass is damp at night.
- Make the most of outdoor games such as swingball, badminton sets, footballs, the blow up or fold away versions are really easy and space saving
- Fail to plan your planning to fail!! Prepare some outdoor activities such as origami boats, nature trails treasure hunt and geocaching so you have something up your sleeve when your kids decide “I’m bored”
spanBig TIP: Pack the tent and snacks near the top of the car so you don’t have to unpack everything to get at the tent.
- Board games / Card Games (worth keeping secret to other items taken, so it’s something new and not ‘boring’ when it does rain.
- Take waterproof suits and wellies and enjoy the outdoors anyway! Poor weather often cuts down on queues at local attractions and give the outdoors a completely different feel. Just wrap up and head out anyway. What kid doesn’t love jumping in puddles??
PACK EVERYTHING IN TUBS
This is a complete time-saver when you’re preparing for your camping trip. It also helps me pack before we go I label the boxes a few weeks before we go and as i’m tidying the house or buying groceries I try to gather ‘bits’ up and put them in there, so I know where they are and the kids can’t destroy, hide or lose them before we go.
Things like torches, a new pack of toothbrushes, glow sticks or extra baby wipes. It’s less to do nearer the time.
SET UP A WASHING AREA
LOAD UP ON BABY WIPES & ANTIBACTERIAL WIPES
ENTERTAINMENT
- What if it rains
- If someone falls sick what will you do?
- What if the kids fall out or you want to throw your husband in the river??
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- Water guns
- Balls, football, bouncy balls, or swing ball.
- Tennis rackets
- Bubbles
- Glow sticks
- Chalk
- Coloring Books and pens
- Supplies for a few simple crafts, rock painting or stick weaving.
- Have a Nature Themed Scavenger Hunt
- Camping Bingo
- Triominos. We love this game. It’s simple enough to be fun for 3 to 4 year olds but entertaining for adults too!!

NIGHT TIME SAFETY
FOOD
- Check out this fab post from Clean and scentsible for wonderful ideas for meals.
- Invest in a cool box so you can keep things cool.
- Freeze jugs of water ahead of time and they’ll act as ice for your coolers and to keep your food safe, but when they melt you have drinking water for your family. (Fill them up 2/3 of the way to give room for when they expand as they freeze.)
- At night when your ice defrosts. Keep a small carton of milk in a bowl of cool water. It usually keeps cool enough to do cereal and coffee in the morning in the UK anyway.
- Crisps such as Doritos that have a bit of grease on them can be great fire starters to throw in with your kindling and work faster than the traditional methods.
VALUABLES
Right so I think we’ve covered everything?
- Why you should camp with your kids
- What camping essentials to take?
- Things to consider and do.
Hopefully your now all set to spend some quality time and camp with your kids. Let me know if you have and questions and how you enjoy your trip..
And don’t forget to Download your
Ultimate Guide To Camping With kids printables
Great tips! Camping is one of our favorite summer family activities.
Great Brandy, its hard work but its so worth it. Not to mention the kids actually sleep with all that fresh air and excersize..Bonus!!
Glad your a fan Brandy. Whats your favourite family camping activities??
Wow! You’ve thought of literally everything. I’d love to do this with my family. Great memory building for siblings and friends too!
Thanks Faizah. 30 years of camping you pick up a thing or 2. I love it. Id encourage you to give it a go. Even fr a night in the garden. Goodluck x
Wow this looks like so much fun!! I loved camping as a kiddo! Maybe one day we’ll get our kids out!
Do it Erin. Plan well, but its really worth it. My kids have been camping since they were year and a half and they LOVED it. Go for it even if its in the garden for a night. Let me know how it goes xx
Go for it Erin. It’s so much fun! Even just in the back yard!
Camping is one of the best activities you can do as a family.
You have covered all relevant tips for this.
Great Indrani. Im glad your also a fan. X
I don’t have kids yet, but I love your camping tips and tricks. I hope I’ll have a chance to try them out one day! 🙂
Very helpful! Love going camping with the family, introducing some fishing to 🙂
Oh that’s so fun!! I miss camping with my kids when they were little. Such wonderful memories..I loved hearing the giggles in the tent. So cute !
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