Camping tips with kids

[jordancatalano4ever]

So my H and I are planning a camping trip for our upcoming break. We’ve never done overnight camping or extended camping for that matter. What can we bring that will help our kids 4.5 and 8 have fun and stay entertained. I am willing to make them kits for exploring but don’t really know what to include. Any ideas are welcome. To clarify we will not be doing river/lake/beach camping. Just hill country land.

[gastro]

Fun foods to cook with a fire - hot dog on a stick, foil packets, s’mores. On the stove - shake pancake batter, hot chocolate.
Helping find stuff to start the fire and set up the site.
Comfortable cots, pads for sleeping.

Games - cards games, light up balls/frisbee, glow sticks, lots of lanterns, hide-n-seek, bring walkie talkies.

Hikes? Definitely research the campsite and read reviews which will give you ideas on what to do where you are camping.

[cajunmom]

There are lots of printable scavenger hunts you could look up. I've done some with the kids I nanny for just in their back yard so I'm sure you could find some that would work in the woods. They've options that would work with your kid's ages, they aren't too difficult.

[yogapants]

Download the geocaching app, and you can look for geocaches on your hikes or near your campground.

Also, bring special snacks and treats that they don’t get on the regular.

[revolution]

Bikes. Balls. Foxtail game. Gloves and balls.

We took our kids for the first time last summer and they really loved it. They loved the freedom to be able to ride their bikes and roam to certain spots without us. They were so worn out and outside the entire time.

[cjcouple]

Feb 18, 2019 23:52:25 GMT -5 gastro said:

Fun foods to cook with a fire - hot dog on a stick, foil packets, s’mores. On the stove - shake pancake batter, hot chocolate.
Helping find stuff to start the fire and set up the site.
Comfortable cots, pads for sleeping.

Games - cards games, light up balls/frisbee, glow sticks, lots of lanterns, hide-n-seek, bring walkie talkies.

Hikes? Definitely research the campsite and read reviews which will give you ideas on what to do where you are camping.

Same. My boys like to play catch. So either gloves/balls or that velcro catch game, kickball. definitely check what they have on the grounds if anything.

For games we always bring Uno and regular cards, or short games like jenga, trouble or connect 4 type. (I always bring a table cloth for picnic table so pieces don't fall through).

If there is a lake they bring swim and/or fishing stuff.

oh and I bring extra flashlights for the boys. then they can play flashlight tag or manhunt and I don't have to be without. haha.

[buffalogal]

DS loved playing with something called stomp rocket last time we camped- amazon should carry them. We also had some flying rocket things that had led lights, and you can’t go wrong with glow sticks/balls for night time fun. You can also find led lights for bike wheels cheap on amazon for fun/safety if the kids will have bikes to ride.

[shauni27]

will you be near any bodies of water? Rivers and streams, etc? Fishing poles and water stuff are fun for that. Lots of games like dominoes, Jenga, cards, etc. Stuff for little hikes, scavenger hunts and the such.

[revolution]

clothes and shoes that can get wet - if it rains, they can go play in the rain and go puddle jumping

[gibbinator]

My kids are 6 and 4. We do geocaching, soccer or tossing a baseball, generally exploring woods (walking up streams), fun food (hot dogs, hambergers, marshmallows, chips (gotta eat lots of salt when your're out in the sun), card games, board games, lanterns & flashlights, books, bikes (depending on the location), washer toss... I think that pretty well sums up non-beach stuff.

[tealblue]

Usually Target has some outdoor stuff in the dollar spot- bug nets, cheap magnifying glasses, etc. maybe a pair of binoculars and flashlights. My kids love catching bugs/frogs so we keep a small bug box or container you can catch them in (and obviously release later).

Frisbee, stomp rockets, balls for playing outdoors. Rain boots- my kids wear theirs all the time for general hiking and stomping through the woods.

Fun food- s’mores, hot dogs, hot dog roasting sticks if you have any.

[loira]

Research the area and see if there are any fun outings you can do when they start to tire of the great outdoors. Even something as simple as going to an ice cream shop could be refreshing. We do a lot of camping with our 3 year old DD and also usually plan to eat one meal at a nearby diner (all the campgrounds we go to are 30 minutes or less to "civilization"). But this is mainly to give me a break from the endless camping cooking. Pre-chop any fruits and vegetables for your cooler. Good camping meals are what PPS suggested. If you have a propane stove you can also do quesadillas, pasta, warm up pre-prepared chilli etc. I try to keep lunch to sandwiches, so I'm only cooking breakfast and dinner. Trail mix is also a must. Buy it or make your own.

[CrazyLucky]

We camp a lot. Part of the fun of camping is that you don't have to plan everything. Kids will play for a couple of hours with the rocks on your site. My kids are 8 and 6, but they've been camping since they were 1.
They love being allowed to ride around the campground loop without us going with them. Depending how far the bathroom is, we let them go there alone to. That is super exciting for them. We cook over the fire a lot and DS likes helping with that. We do s'mores, pies, and biscuits for fun food. They like any kind of ranger program. Most state parks we've been to have something like that.
Bring games like guess who or bingo or anything small and travel size in case of rain.
I hope you have fun and they love it! Camping is such a nice break from the craziness of regular life.

[mbcdefg]

I went to type out some suggestions then remembered I posted the same stuff in an older thread, so here ya go: pandce.proboards.com/thread/596860/camping-kids 

[dutchgirl678]

When my kids were younger, we had this kid golf set. They would have a blast just playing that around our camp site. Hacky sack is fun too. Other than that, as others have said, they play with rocks. We also go geocaching, have been doing that for years. It is always fun. We also bring card games such as the Oregon trail card version and Uno.

[downtoearth]

Easy stuff you already have is good - frisbees (can play frisbee gold around the campground or just frisbee), books and headlamps to read in the tent at night, jump ropes, pocket knife (for the older kid - our rule is 6 and up can try) for whittling, Kubb or bocce is great for the woods and the whole family, uno for tent/rain time.

[closertofine]

My kids love to ride bikes. My almost 6 year old will still happily dig in the dirt for hours (like 4+...we do have shower facilities or a lake or else I'd have trouble letting him) with just his toy construction vehicles. Stomp rockets are a hit. Light up toys for at night (we have a light up soccer ball we love), glowsticks. Definitely s'mores (can one even go camping without them?). I usually bring Uno for some quiet fun, or rain.

[dancelnow]

I would not bring too many things, flashlights; a ball or two. Maybe throw in a book if they like to read. The best part is the freedom you can let them build up to. Set the limits and let them explore and play within those. Turn camp chores into games. Several mini-hikes to build up their endurance. And definitely try to get them to do an afternoon nap/rest so they don't turn into terrors enjoying the fun after dark.

[definitelyO]

DS and his friends entertained themselves for hours with bungee cords and ropes...
we also bring a slack line and a wiffle ball (they use sticks for bats)

[turnipthebeet]

Feb 19, 2019 21:06:02 GMT -5 dancelnow said:

I would not bring too many things, flashlights; a ball or two. Maybe throw in a book if they like to read. The best part is the freedom you can let them build up to. Set the limits and let them explore and play within those. Turn camp chores into games. Several mini-hikes to build up their endurance. And definitely try to get them to do an afternoon nap/rest so they don't turn into terrors enjoying the fun after dark.

My advice was going to be along these lines. I do think that independent play is an important skill, and camping is a perfect time to work on it. It comes at the risk of kids complaining about being bored, so I do think it's good to have activities that can get the ball rolling - frisbee, corn hole,   map of trails for hiking, interesting food, scavenger hunt. 

One thing that my parents used to do was put us in charge of certain meals - in terms of planning, preparing and cooking. We loved it! 

Ask them what they are most looking forward to on the trip. Games? Star-gazing? Hiking? 

[notsopicky]

I'm not a big fan of camping, but y'all make it sound pretty great!

[imojoebunny]

Some fun things to take car camping at 4 and 8, we took playdough because who cared where it ended up. Marshmellows, flashlights, hot chocolate or smores (assuming you have a pot or stove to heat hot water, if not, try wrapping tin foil, and stuffing a banana with chocolate chips in the fire). Shovels, dollar store ropes, a small tarp, rubber mallets, and small pry bars/screw drivers can keep kids busy for hours digging holes, making shelters, finding rocks, ect. Worse comes to worse, give them a kindle or a phone and tell them to take nature pictures or take them on a snipe hunt.