Why You Should Go Camping With Your Kids at Least Once in Your Life
If you had the opportunity to go camping with your parents when you were little, you surely have not forgotten it and that going camping as a family is one of the most positive, exciting, and beautiful experiences of childhood. So, if we want to provide a little extra happiness to our little ones, a great idea is to go camping together, children and parents together, you will have a great time!
The advantages of camping with children
Crucial in today’s society, the distancing from nature in children and adults could be the trigger of different current frequent ailments such as depression, stress, attention deficit-hyperactivity or anxiety, encompassing this fact in what it has called nature deficit disorder, concluding that going out to the countryside and being in contact with nature can have advantages.
Spending a few days in nature is rewarding for anyone, children, and adults, but doing it as a family and with that adventurous spirit that any campsite has countless benefits for our children. We tell you what they are:
They maintain constant contact with nature
This helps them to learn from it, to value the natural world, as well as to respect and love the environment.
They feel free
The opportunity that a campsite gives children to run, play, get dirty, get wet or explore is unique. Rarely, especially if they live in cities, do they have the opportunity to feel this freedom that is closer to their natural instincts.
Activating the five senses
In the countryside, there is no noise from cars, television or any distracting noise. Children can feel a certain peace, a peace that allows them to pay much more attention to their senses.
Listening to birdsong and pine trees moving in the air, seeing a squirrel mimicking a tree, smelling flowers and plants, touching leaves and tree bark or tasting fruit they have picked themselves.
They learn to appreciate the simplest things
It doesn’t take much to be happy, and that’s what a camping trip teaches the little ones. Just having the opportunity to spend a few days of family vacation and being able to move around with some freedom is enough to be happy, isn’t it?
Social skills: in most campsites children always make friends.
The relaxation and freedom that nature provides allows children to unwind and develop their social skills with other children, away from pressures of any kind.
Develop teamwork
Usually there are always activities where the family needs to work as a team to get ahead. For example, setting up the tent to be able to sleep under shelter that night, lighting the barbecue to be able to eat…. (if you can, because it is not always allowed). If we involve the children in the whole process, we will be teaching them to work as a team (besides, they love to do it).
Family bonding is encouraged
Camping brings families together, that’s undeniable. Any family that goes camping spends unforgettable days in which the bonds of affection are always strengthened. It is very natural that in camping the children are sincere about their feelings with the parents or vice versa, that the confidence is strengthened or the laughter brings to the whole family a few minutes of absolute happiness.
Total disconnection
The whole family is able to completely disconnect for a few days. No cell phones, no problems, no obligations…
A few days to enjoy, leave stress aside, and feel good as a family. It is ideal for parents because it helps them to escape a little from the day-to-day, but it also helps children a lot with this feeling of disconnection; for example, it helps them to improve their sleep and works as a fabulous mental therapy.
How to prepare for camping with the kids
Before you start preparing for a family camping adventure, it’s important to keep in mind a few important things that will make the experience that much more incredible. Take note!
Choosing the type of campsite that suits you best
The type of campsite you choose will depend on several factors. The main one is what kind of family you are. If you are a very urban family, it is clear that camping in the middle of the forest may not be the most appropriate.
There are several well-managed campsites where you can find the minimum services such as bathrooms, showers, electricity and even others where you can find restaurants, swimming pools, and playgrounds.
On the other hand, if you are an adventurous family, you may prefer a much wilder and natural environment, where you can go fishing, rafting, or get lost on the trails in the forest.
If what you like is the sea, there are also camping options on the coast for an unforgettable summer vacation. It is important to keep this in mind, because if you go into nature without being too used to it, the experience may turn out to be worse than you thought.
Packing your suitcase
Here the premise should be just the right and necessary things. Carrying a house on your back is not camping! The point of camping is to learn to live with less stuff and to carry just what you need.
The number of things you take with you will depend a lot on the time you will be camping, but also on the family plan you want to have at the campsite and the number of people.
For example, if you want to cook every day, then you will need provisions and maybe a gas stove. But if you are going to a campsite where you can eat in restaurants in the nearby towns, maybe it is not so necessary.
The basics are always a tent in which you can all fit, sleeping bags, a mat for under the sleeping bag, a flashlight, comfortable and appropriate clothing for the place, a small toiletry bag, and food and water if necessary.
Everything else can be optional and will depend a little on the plans: cool box, folding chairs, pots and pans for cooking, reusable plates, map, compass… In addition, you can always take some things for prevention: first aid kit, utility knife, raincoat in case it rains, sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, water bottle, insect spray, ropes, and clothespins (for long term camping).
Think about games for the day or night
A good recommendation is to have prepared some ideas of games to play with the family during the camping days.
This way, in the moments when you can’t think of anything, you can have some fun games that you will have a great time with. It doesn’t have to be physical games, it can be something that is more dynamic and easy to play, such as hide and seek, capture the flag, or species identification…