Camping with Young Children

We camp often.  As a result, we get a lot of questions about our camping experiences.  Because we have a three year-old daughter, the questions often center around what it is like to camp with young kids.  Examples of those questions include:

• What campgrounds are the most kid-friendly?
• What should I bring to keep kids entertained?
• Should I look for a campground with a pool?

We have found each of the Michigan State Parks we have stayed at to be quite kid-friendly.  So far, we have not camped at any privately-owned campgrounds.  Our daughter absolutely loves spending time at these parks.  Campsites that are surrounded by nature or woods seem to hold her interest the best, because she can "explore" without really ever leaving our campsite.  She really enjoys "helping" build a campfire (I only let her gather sticks for it at this point, but as she grows, I'm sure she'll be right there with me getting it started), and she also enjoys checking out all the birds and other wildlife around us.  Finding campgrounds that have trails works well for us, because our daughter loves to hike and learn about nature right now.      

In terms of the items you should bring to keep kids entertained, we have found that keeping separate "camping toys" has been very helpful.  She really looks forward to playing with the coloring books, games and toys we keep in the RV because she only gets to play with them on camping trips.  We also have some outdoor toys and games that are exclusive to camping, which adds to the excitement.  Most of these toys have been purchased at yard sales to keep costs down.  Personally, I think having something different to look forward to is good for her.  But, this probably wouldn't make sense for families that only camp one or two times a season, because its not practical to buy all new toys for that experience.

Bubbles and sand toys are a must-have for us.  Our daughter loves blowing and chasing bubbles whenever possible, and since we spend a lot of time outdoors when camping, this is a perfect toy.  Sand toys are great, even when we're not camping near a beach, because she can collect rocks or pine cones (which she really enjoys).  

We make sure to bring her tricycle and helmet with us, so she can ride around the campground.  We live in the city, with an unpaved driveway, so at home her only real option is to ride on the sidewalks.  Campgrounds offer lots of additional riding options for her, so again, it is a bit of a novelty.  Soon, I am sure we will be bringing her bicycle (and bikes for each of us), but for now, the tricycle is a great companion for walks around the campground.    

Finally, our RV has a TV and DVD player, so we have some of her favorite movies available if needed.  We can usually pull in a PBS station so she can watch PBS Kids in the morning while we're getting ready for the day.  We bring our iPad along so she has some games and activities on there too.  But, we try to avoid the TV and iPad unless the weather outside is cold or rainy.    

We have deliberately avoided places with pools because (as horrible as this may sound) she doesn't know that these campgrounds exist.  We're sure that, once she knows a campground with a pool is an option, she'll want to go to these all the time!

To sum it up, camping with kids works best, in my opinion, if you have things that are new and different for them to do while camping.  Making camping an experience that's different from home, no matter how often you go, will make it memorable and exciting for kids.  I know our daughter looks forward to each camping trip we take, and hopefully yours will too!