Happy Tuesday!
In just a few days, we will be headed out to do some Labor Day weekend camping with the family. Slowly but surely throughout this week, I will be packing up all of our camping gear and heading out to grab some other much needed things, such as new headlamps, a lantern, and LED string lights.
But, in the meantime, I have teamed up with Olivia Williams Jones to share a special guest post on camping with children. Olivia is also a mother of two, amazing little ones.
So, without further adieu…
5 Reasons to Take Your Kids Camping
Olivia Williams Jones
If you’re an experienced camper, who is fully aware of all the benefits and potential problems brought about by a camping holiday, you would most definitely have a lot to say about why it’s great to organize such an adventure for your kids. If, on the other hand, you’re still contemplating the idea, the reasons listed here should help you realize that the advantages offered by far outweigh potential problems and disadvantages.
Camping with kids is not plain sailing, but it’s important in so many aspects. The challenges such a holiday puts before you and your family are an excellent learning opportunity in terms of finding solutions, the importance of teamwork and many other fields. So, let’s mention just five reasons that you at least make you consider a camping holiday with kids.
A love for nature
With most of us becoming increasingly detached from the nature and everything it has to offer, a camping trip is a fantastic opportunity to rekindle that love and also to help your kids develop respect and love for the nature. Also, the views and surroundings that you can enjoy when you go camping are something that no traditional holiday can match.
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The whole experience is only intensified by the fact that you’re doing all that as a family. If your kids take the right approach towards the nature at an early age, they’ll be much more likely to treat with more respect and also teach their own kids one day to respect our planet.
Physical Activities
Kids enjoy good physical activity and camping provides numerous options for them to stay fit and healthy. The range of activities that are done on a regular camping trip include hiking, fishing, setting up camping tents or collecting firewood, which all require much more effort than sitting in a room and watching TV or playing computer games.
With them burning so many calories, you’ll have to be prepared to provide enough appropriate food to keep them nourished and energized, but that’s usually not a problem, since kids tend to be much less picky about food when they’re starving after a good workout. Such workout will also have a positive effect on their health, which is an extremely important thing to consider.
Appreciating the small things
If you think your kids sometimes (or often, for that matter) behave like spoiled brats, camping can teach them to understand the value of those little things in life. You can’t expect them to appreciate a dry sleeping bed they have at home unless they have experienced sleeping in a sleeping bag on a mat.
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Similarly, when it comes to food, they’ll have to realize that you don’t need a three-course meal for dinner, but that you can enjoy some one-pot dish prepared over a small burner or everyone’s favorite marshmallows on a stick. Finally, I bet they’ll learn to appreciate hot showers and flush toilets when you come home.
Learning new skills
Like with everything else in life, in order to become good at something, you need to practice and hone your skills. Your first camping trip may be a disaster, but you’ll definitely be much better on your second one.
Your kids are likely to learn many skills necessary for camping, which will also prove to be useful later in life. They might learn how to recognize edible plants, start a fire, improvise and make do with less. It’s this frugality that is probably one of the most important things a camping holiday teaches the kids.
The importance of teamwork
There are few experiences that point out the importance of teamwork so clearly like a camping holiday, especially with kids. They’ll have to give you a hand on many occasions, which will make them proud and fill them with a sense of achievement and accomplishment. They’ll also ask for your help sometimes, realizing that not everything can be done in isolation from other people.
Related: 11 Reasons Why I Love Camping
Campers are renowned for their willingness to help each other, even perfect strangers. When your kids see how someone they don’t know is helping you and how you’re helping newcomers to the campsite, they’ll realize that striking impromptu friendships is both easy and beneficial.
Final Thoughts
No-one is saying that every camping holiday with kids is great, but the potential benefits and the uniqueness of the experience certainly deserve that you give it a try. With a bit of luck, your kids will be forever grateful that you introduced them to the world of camping and they’ll grow up to be better people because you gave them this chance.
Olivia Williams Jones is psychologist and entrepreneur from Brisbane. Mother of two beautiful children and proud owner of two silly boxer dogs, Teo and Mia. She is passionate about writing and always inspiring her readers to be clever in their lives. Her motto is “Be the change you want to see in the world”.She is regular contributor to highstylife.com.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links to products mentioned above. This post also contains provided stock photos, as well as photos courtesy of Brennon Hightower.
