Why go camping with children?

Camping is an amazing way to take time away from our busy lives and actually enjoy the simpler things in life. It often makes me sad when I hear the reluctance of families to take their children camping.  I will be honest, camping isn’t the easiest thing to do especially with kids in tow, but once you overcome your inner worries and apprehension you will learn to love the experience (even if its once you look back at all the amazing memories you have made!).

Why go camping with children?

Camping is a great way to spend time as a family and the reasons why you should camp with your children are plentiful, here are my top reasons:

Your children will appreciate and connect with nature;

In modern society, our youngsters have very limited interaction with nature / outdoors and camping is an amazing way to do both.  Even walking around a campsite in the evening and night you will hear lots of nocturnal sounds and enjo the magic of being outdoors at nightfall.  Camping also means that you are forced to be in the outdoors and usually as a family you will try new activities and go on walks enjoying the outdoors much more than if you were in the confines of a hotel.

You get loads of space

Sleeping in a hotel room offers lots of amenities and are so easy for families but camping offers you so much more than a hotel ever would.  Unlike a hotel room, whilst camping your children have an abundance amount of space to enjoy and play in.  Even if you dont have the biggest tent, as soon as you step out, the children have a choice of open fields, parks and play grounds right at their doorstep, all often within the watchful eyes of their parents.

Provides useful skills for life

Camping offers loads of additional skills for children.  Throughout the camping experience from setting up tents, cooking, activities etc mean that even the youngest of children learn how to work in a team, assist in tasks which they often wouldn’t at home.  Camping really allows children to get hands-on and become much more involved in setting up the living space.  In today’s society parents often “wrap their children up in cotton wool” and camping is a really good way for children to learn how to be safe around fires, in the dark, with strangers.

Escaping technology

We are all guilty of giving our children more technology than they often need.  Camping is the best way to disconnect (for children and adults alike).  Camping sites often do not have wifi, coupled with many not having electrical points means children are forced to put down their electronics and take part in a range of other activities.

Children will have freedom, independence and confidence

Speaking from experience, I can see how camping really helps children to develop and grow.  Children are often out of their comfort zones and camping forces them to become independent, use their own initiative and push themselves.  Around the campsite, especially in the school holidays. the sites will be full of families and children are forced to make new friends, speak to strangers and grow in confidence in dealing with tasks.  As mentioned  children will have more freedom to explore by themselves and grow in confidence on how to play safely outdoors,

I often get asked by parents of where to go camping which will offer good choices and facilities for parents.  I love this guide by Halfords which has loads of great ideas, some from a few of my blogger friends about where to camp for the beach or cycling holidays to name a few.

What to take with you camping?

Unless you have chosen a glamping site, one of the main things you will require is a tent.  For families going camping for the first time, it is often hard to decide which tent to buy for your family needs especially when there is such a vast choice available.  We recently visited a scout’s Jamboree and purchased some new tents which had to be suitable for families as well as scouts, especially given that we were there for several days.  We found these fabulous Urban Escape 6 Man Vis A Vis Tent which is currently on sale at Halfords.  They were fabulous value for money and great in the torrential downpours which we encountered!

So a list of my camping essentials would be:

  • Tent
  • Extra pegs
  • Mallet
  • Air Bed / Mat
  • Sleeping bag
  • Camping stove & Gas
  • Eggs / food
  • Camping Chairs
  • Table
  • Torch (hand/head and one for the tents)
  • First Aid Kit
  • Cutlery
  • Picnic blankets
  • Power bank
  • Wellies
  • outdoor games: football, rounders, cricket etc
  • Toilet roll
  • Baby wipes
  • Antiseptic wipes
  • Marshmallows

Having already camped twice this summer and a third planned for next weekend, I think camping is a brilliant way to travel as a family and make hundreds of memories to last a lifetime.

Nisbah

I am a traveller, mother and blogger. We love to go on adventures (big and small, near and far) and strive to show our children how amazing and beautiful the world is! I caught the travel bug many moons ago and despite having three little adventurers, I still suffer from "itchy" feet. We love the great outdoors and one another. Come and join the fun :)

You may also like...

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.