Camping can be an amazing way to spend a family vacation, with plenty of ways to spend time together without all the distractions of TV and the internet, along with a chance to be active and teach kids about nature.
Photo credits: Martin Thomas – https://flic.kr/p/cCtjMN
Why You Need to Talk About the Camping Trip in Advance
If you have decided to take your child camping for the first time, then he or she is probably very excited at the idea of doing something really new to them. However, they may also be a bit apprehensive in some ways too. Kids – especially younger children – can become a little anxious when taken outside of their usual routine.
This means it is a good idea to talk to your son or daughter about what they should expect the trip to be like, so they can mentally prepare for differences in how they will do every day things they usually have a routine for like eating, sleeping and getting washed and dressed.
Your child might also have some unfounded fears picked up from camping they have seen on TV, perhaps involving wild animals or even ghosts and monsters, and it is naturally best to find out that they have these and ease their worries before you go!
Show Them the Tent
You can get some fantastic tents for family use in all kinds of terrain and weather, and sites like myfamilytent.com can help you find the right kind for your needs if you aren’t already all that experienced with camping yourself, or with what you need for the destination you have chosen.
Once you have a tent, it is always a good idea to put it up once in your garden or even indoors to get yourself used to doing it and check there are no pieces missing. This can be a great opportunity to talk to your child and let them explore the tent. Show them the other equipment too, such as the mat and bag they will be using for sleeping, and any lights or other things you have bought.
Explain About Eating and Showering at Your Chosen Campsite
Kids can be somewhat fussy about food and about their hygiene routines, and obviously these are things that are different when you are camping. Depending on where you are going, from a campsite packed with amenities to a place in the wilderness, your plans for how you will all take care of eating and keeping clean and dry will vary, but the important thing is to tell your child what it is going to be like so they know what to expect.
Some kids are more adventurous and may not be anxious about the idea of their first camping trip at all, however even they can benefit from having a good idea of what the trip will be like so they aren’t getting excited about the wrong things. Kids can have wild imaginations and may think they’ll be off hunting bears or exploring a jungle when actually you were just planning on camp fire stories and a nice hike!