It can be frustrating when, as a parent, you love camping and spending time in nature but your kids don’t feel quite the same way. You want everyone to be looking forward to those camping trips as much as you are. Well, there are some things you can do to get people excited and looking forward to those trips. It’s just a case of making sure you’re able to frame the trip in the right way and plan it out so that everyone’s looking forward to it.
Those camping trips are so much more enjoyable when everyone is on board with them and looking forward to them as much as you are. It’s not as difficult as you might imagine to get everyone excited for the trip. Here are some of the concrete steps you can take if you want to make that happen right now, so read on and learn more.
Bring Them Into the Planning Process
First of all, you should take steps to ensure your whole family takes part in the planning process. Of course, that’s not so easy if your children are very young, but you can still show them photos and get them looking forward to it all by talking things through with them. When your whole family feels like they’re having a say in the trip and how it’s all going to play out, they will be more invested in it and looking forward to it.
Plan Activities Appropriate for Their Age
There are so many things you can spend time doing as a family when you’re out camping. You should come up with some fun ideas for things to do that are appropriate for the ages of your kids. This makes much more sense than simply doing things that you find fun but your kids find boring. You’re not going to get them excited about doing parent things; so find kid things to do instead. It’s about finding a balance that works for everyone.
Ask Them What They Want to Do
You should also talk to them about the things they want to do when they’re on the camping trip with you. If you listen to them, you might actually be surprised by their ideas and the things they want to spend time on. And if you agree to the things that they want to spend their time doing, you will have it much easier when it comes to persuading them to look forward to the camping trip, so keep that in mind.
Buy a Tent and Sleeping Bags Together
Another thing you can get the kids involved in is buying sleeping bags and the tent that you’re going to be staying in. Heading out on a shopping trip and buying all of the fun stuff for the trip can be a lot of fun for the whole family. It’s just another way of getting them involved in the process and making them look forward to it all. When they see the things that you’re going to be taking with you, it might get them caught up in the excitement a bit more.
Take a Generator so You Won’t All be Completely Cut Off
One problem your kids might have with the idea of a camping trip is being cut off from technology and things like that. But this doesn’t necessarily have to be a problem if you find the best portable generator you can and take it with you. It means that tech can be charged and you can also use your phones and gadgets if you want to. It makes sense and can make it possible for you to persuade your kids to look forward to the whole thing a little more.
See if They Can Bring a Friend
If your kids have a friend whose parents you know, you could ask if they would like to bring them along. If you know their parents, they should trust you to take them camping and your kids can all have a good time together. You can even make it a bigger trip by going with another family if you like. It means that your kids will be able to have fun with friends and that can make a really big difference for them.
Encourage Them to Keep a Journal During the Trip
This is a nice way to get your kids to do something that’s educational, as well as helping them to stay entertained during the trip. If they enjoy writing and keeping journals, they can do this for the trip and it’ll give them something to focus on at the end of each day while you relax a little. It could be just what they need, so see if this is something that you can encourage them to do.
Let Them Take Lots of Photos
They will also have a lot of fun with a camera if you provide them with one during the trip. Having the chance to take lots of photos in nature is fun for kids and can help to boost their creativity as well, so it’s something that you should definitely consider. You could buy a cheap digital camera especially for the trip if you like.
Make Your Tents Comfortable
Making your tents as comfortable as they can possibly be is a good ideas as well. When your kids see that they’re going to be staying in tents that are comfortable and easy to sleep in, they might not dread the trip quite as much as they otherwise would. There are so many ways to do this, so don’t make it a bare bones, uncomfortable sleeping experience.
Camping with the family can be a lot of fun, but it’s understandable that modern kids don’t always look forward to it right away. But by building up to it and getting them involved in the planning, they’ll eventually start to take more of an interest and start anticipating the whole trip as much as you are.