Camping With Kids!
Camping with kids can be quite a handful, especially once they start bringing their friends and filling up all the sleeping spots in your bunkhouse. Camping is a great way to reconnect as a family and get away from the hustle and monotony of your day to day life. Enjoying time around the campfire, going on hikes, or hitting the lake makes memories that stay with your family.
Camping means different things to different families, and you get to choose what’s most important to you. With different RV floorplans from budget saving basics to upscale glamping, or prioritizing different features make sure you have the right RV for you!
Before You Go:
Getting organized for camping can be laborious for adults – and now you have to pack for a mini human? It’s a great idea to do a test-run before you leave so you can find out what obstacles your family might face. Do you have enough blankets? Do you need a night light?
Helping the kids pack can start with something as small as leaving all of your “what if” items behind. Keep it simple when you’re helping the kids pack, and bring tons of layers for the ever-changing Alberta weather! Here are a couple of other essentials you want to make sure you remember:
- Rope
- Extra garbage bags
- RV toilet paper - Did you know that using regular toilet paper in your camper can damage it?
- Flashlights
- Camp grill
- Campground games – plan ahead!
- Paper plates and crockery
- Hand sanitizer
While organization can help your camping trip run a little smoother remember that a forgotten item doesn’t have to make or break your trip! And getting the kids to help with packing can be a great way to introduce them to camping and build their independence.
Arrival/Setting Up:
Set up a wash station! This can be a large basin from the dollar store, or hooked up hose on the outside of your RV (floorplan dependent), but especially when you’re running after them all day, you’ll appreciate a set up spot with soap and water to get the dirt off before they traipse too much into your RV. Keeping hand sanitizer nearby with paper towels can also be a great way to keep things clean.
Having the kids help with set up or meal prep is a great way to involve them and teach them skills that’ll make all your future trips easier.
Activities
Remember that camping is a learning experience for your kids! Depending on the age of your family you can assign different tasks to help them learn some skills that’ll grow the more you and your family explore the joys of camping!
Of course, the activities for you and your family will change with the size of family and their ages, but here’s a few ideas to change up your camping trip!
- Cards – my favourite growing up was spoons, but games like uno, cheat, skip-bo or sticks are all family friendly card games!
- Cornhole
- Ladder ball / ladder toss / ladder golf
- Pool noodle obstacle course
- Pool noodle fencing
- Water gun or water balloon fights
- Soccer/football/baseball/frisbee
- Bubbles
- Plan a hike
- Camping Olympics
- With foot races, tug of war, egg races and a variety of minute to win it games!
- Yahtzee
- Canoeing/ kayaking
- Fishing
- Paddleboarding
- Stargazing & make your own constellations
- Glowsticks or color campfire packs
Entertaining Kids in the Car:
While you may choose to camp close to home at one of the gorgeous campsites nearby in the Peace Country, your camping expeditions may mean a few hours on the road. Here’s a few ideas to help break up the boring car ride for your kiddos.
- Print Mad Libs beforehand and listen to the amused giggles from the backseat
- Buy an audio book limits their screen time while still keeping their minds engaged and preventing the motion sickness from reading.
- Road trip Swag – fill a small bag or re-usable lunch box with some snacks and inexpensive trinkets from the dollar store. Make it a tradition and watch your kids look forward to their time in the car!
- Scattergories
- Explore the route ahead of time and plan a few stops, if it’ll be all day in the car stopping at a playground for half an hour might just save your sanity!
No matter whether it’s packing you and your kids, bringing your child and their army of friends or grandma and grandpa taking the kids out the for the weekend camping is a great experience. It teaches independence, facilitates family bonding and makes tons of fond memories to smile back on. Here at McGovern’s RV we want to make sure your trip is as fun and stress-free as possible and we’re here every step of the way. From picking the right RV in size, sleeping capacity, important features, and budget, to the maintenance of your RV in our service department to keep things running smoothly when you get out there, to all of the camping accessories in our parts department.
Happy camping! We’d love to hear any other ideas for camping activities for kids or your camping tips and tricks for other families to benefit from. Don’t hesitate to reach out and we’ll use your advice to help other families find their love of the outdoors as much as you do!