Camping with kids can be a rewarding experience, but it does come with its unique challenges…
The key to a successful trip is keeping your children engaged, comfortable, and excited about the adventure. Over the years, I’ve tested countless camping gear and methods, and in this article, I’ll share four proven ways to make camping with kids more enjoyable.
The tips I provide here aren’t rocket science; all can be easily implemented on your next trip. So, before you head out for an adventure with your kids, give these tips a try, and maybe you’ll all have a memorable and fun time!
Table of Contents
- Make Cooking Fun (and Accessible) For Kids
- Camping With Kids Should Include Plenty of Play Time
- Make Power Easily Available When Camping With Kids
- Camping With Kids Can Include Fun Bedtime Adventures
- Other Tips for Camping With Kids
Make Cooking Fun (and Accessible) For Kids
One of the best ways to engage kids while camping is to get them involved in cooking. Camp cooking doesn’t have to be complicated, and introducing them to it can be a fun and educational experience.
For example, you can start small with basic tasks like letting them gather wood or teaching them to safely light a fire. As they gain confidence, they can graduate to cooking simple meals under supervision. It’s not just about cooking, though—it’s about bonding and creating memorable experiences around camp.
A Perfect Tool for Cooking
A great tool for this is the Summit Stove. This compact, portable stove can use either charcoal or wood, making it an easy, eco-friendly option for the campsite. What’s more, preparing it for cooking is a kid-friendly task. Simply load the charcoal or wood into the feeder tube, light it, and you’re off to the races.
Not only is the Summit Stove easy to use, but it’s also simple to clean, making it a perfect introduction for your kids to the other side of camp cooking – cleaning up! The biggest precaution, of course, is ensuring the stove is cool to the touch before cleaning it. I usually just let it sit overnight before having my kiddo give it a thorough wipe-down.
Summit Stove is Portable and Easy to Use
As I discuss in my three-month review of this stove in the video above, something else I appreciate about the Summit Stove is its portable design and small size. It’s something my son can easily grab out of the truck and bring it to the cooking station when we’re ready to make dinner. And since its setup is so simple, he can handle that task while I do other meal prep stuff.
What’s more, Summit Stove is a much safer introduction to cooking than, say, a campfire. With the stove on top of my Tire Table, it isn’t something my son can accidentally fall into, like a campfire. Instead, it’s safe and secure on a tabletop and right about at his eye level, so he has a front-row seat to everything that happens to get that tasty camping food into his belly. Nice!
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Camping With Kids Should Include Plenty of Play Time
While camping is a great opportunity for kids to explore nature, don’t forget to give them plenty of time for creative play at camp. Whether it’s drawing, coloring, writing, or playing games, having a dedicated space for these activities will keep them entertained.
A great addition to your camp setup is the Tailgater Tire Table. This is one of my all-time favorite camping accessories, and is usually the very first item I set up at camp.
Quick Setup is Just One Benefit of the Tire Table
As you can see in my video above, this table attaches to any tire and is both quick and easy to set up. In just a few moments, I can take the table out of the truck, unpacked, and hook it onto the tire of my Jeep. From there, it’s a simple matter of securing the table to the tire and deploying the table’s leg, and voila – I’ve got the perfect spot for my son to have fun at camp.
Its sturdy construction means it will withstand the elements and whatever playtime activities your kids engage in. My table is steel (aluminum is also an option), so no matter if your kids are drawing, coloring, painting, reading or something else (like cooking!), this table provides a durable space for their creativity.
Of course, having a solid table at camp opens up many other opportunities for your kids to have fun. They can play card games or board games, work on puzzles, or, if they’re like me when I was a kid, bring a science kit with a microscope and examine things from the surrounding environment. Truly, the possibilities are endless.
All of these activities can take place on a table that’s 1.5″D x 29″W x 23″H (for the regular version). And despite weighing 13 pounds (for the steel option), it can accommodate up to 50 pounds of weight. In other words, your kids can load this table up with all sorts of games!
Make Power Easily Available When Camping With Kids
Camping is a great opportunity to unplug, but let’s be honest: we rely on our devices for everything, and kids are no exception. Unplugging isn’t always something that can happen.
Having a portable power solution allows you to keep important devices charged without compromising the experience. The FLEX 1500 Power Station is an ideal solution for this because it offers a seemingly endless supply of power and power points.
For example, this power station offers a 1,500-watt pure sine wave inverter with 3,000 watts of surge power. Each FLEX battery is 1,000 watt hours, and since I have three of them, that means I have 3,000 nominal watt hours of power available to me. Not only that, but my son can plug in just about any device he needs, given the array of power ports:
- 6 110-120VAC outlets
- 2 60W USB-C ports
- 2 USB-A ports
- 2 5.5mm x 2.5mm DC outputs
- 2 15A cigarette lighter ports
So, when we’re camping, my son can charge up his iPad, plug in his toothbrush, charge the batteries in his camera, and so forth, all the while I have my coffee pot, laptop, and phone plugged, too. As I note in my review video above, all this is wrapped in a compact unit that’s 14″ x 8″ x 8.9″ (with one battery) and weighs less than 30 pounds (again, with one battery).
This portable power isn’t just about keeping devices charged for entertainment, though. If you’re camping in the fall, winter, or spring, a power station can be crucial for keeping kids on track with schoolwork. Powering a laptop and internet connection makes it possible for kids to do their homework while you’re out enjoying nature. It’s a perfect balance between unplugging from the everyday and staying connected when needed!
Camping With Kids Can Include Fun Bedtime Adventures
Turning bedtime into an adventure is another way to enhance the camping experience for kids. I’ve camped with my son in all sorts of tents over the years, but I have to say that the most excited he gets is when we camp with a rooftop tent.
Something like the Roofnest Condor rooftop tent offers the perfect solution for turning bedtime into something special. It’s like having a treehouse that’s perched on top of your vehicle, providing a sense of adventure and excitement for kiddos like mine. I often find that when we have our rooftop tent, my son excitedly climbs up into it to play while I do all the dirty work of setting up camp!
More Than a Place to Sleep
Aside from being fun, a rooftop tent can serve as a nice escape from the elements. Whether it’s raining outside or just chilly, kids can snuggle up inside the tent and continue their fun with a book, a flashlight, or even board games.
Options like the Roofnest Condor are also spacious enough for kids to feel comfortable while still giving them that ‘on top of the world’ feeling that’s sure to be one of the highlights of the trip. This tent is 60” wide and 83” long when it’s open, so there is room to spare for my son to get his playtime on. And when it’s time for bed, there’s room for the two of us, and then some.
I’ll say this about a rooftop tent for camping with kids – the ease of setup is a Godsend. The Roofnest Condor is a hardshell tent and has space inside when it’s closed so you can leave all the bedding in there. So, if we’re on a multi-day trip with nights in several locations, I don’t have to haul the bedding in and out of the tent each time. And as far as setup goes, it takes a few moments to unfold the tent and have it ready for my son to climb in and have fun. What’s not to like?!
You can get more details about this tent in my Roofnest Condor Hard Shell Roof Top Tent Review.
Other Tips for Camping With Kids
Photo by Alena Ozerova via Shutterstock
- Bring familiar comfort items: Whether it’s a favorite stuffed animal or blanket, having something familiar can make kids feel more at home.
- Pack kid-friendly snacks: Easy-to-eat, fun snacks like trail mix, granola bars, and fruit can keep kids fueled throughout the day.
- Create a scavenger hunt: Plan a simple scavenger hunt around the campsite to help kids explore and learn about nature.
- Stick to a routine: As much as possible, try to maintain some of the routines from home, especially around meals and bedtime.
- Bring extra clothing: Kids love getting dirty, so pack more clothes than you think they’ll need, especially for unpredictable weather.
With that, you have a few tips for making camping with kids more fun and enjoyable – for them, and for you! Some of my best memories growing up are of camping with my family, and with these easy tips, perhaps your kids will be able to make awesome memories camping with you as well!
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Hero photo by PeopleImages.com – Yuri A via Shutterstock