How to Keep Kids Occupied when traveling/ Camping?

[LRNAD90]

Any specific suggestions for how you keep your kids occupied (like 2-6 year olds) when you go on camping trips? I'm trying to convince my wife (and myself) that our daughter is ready for the first family camping trip (primitive, no camp ground, she is 3 years old). Any proven suggestions are very much appreciated. Thanks..

 

[TheGillz]

Be near water. Let them cook dinner on the fire. (dogs on a stick, smore's etc.) Find animals for them to look at. Mostly water though, my kids will get in any temperature...I can't get past the junk line, and they are diving in.

Also if they are near, don't have an expectation of any time to yourself or time to do something without being bothered...you will just get mad. Expect to be interupted unless you leave camp and your wife agrees to let you get alone time. If my kids are around they want to do everying with me...firewood gathering, fishing, setting things up. Just take it easy and let them feel they are part of it, not an annoyance.

 

[7wt]

Duck tape.

 

[Pskhaat]

• Glow Sticks
• Marshmallows
• Daytime ``going on a bear hunt, we're gonna catch a big one'' (caveat: where there's no real bears)
• Destination-specific camps (sand dunes work well for us)
• LOTS of stops.
• Book reading by flashlight.
• Never forget the nap!

 

[TheGillz]

Duck tape.

Or duct tape.

 

[WhereTheHellIsJames?]

Two words... Snipe Hunt!

Teach them how to properly identify the signs that an elusive snipe is in the area, then go looking for it. Of course the "tag line" of the hunt could be left out for younger children.

Really though, here's a short list:

• I agree with TheGillz, water is where it's at for kids. Swimming, an inflatable raft or canoe, a fishing pole, etc. I don't know a kid who doesn't like water.

• Teaching skills- make the child feel important. Cooking, gathering, foraging, building a campfire, setting up a tent, etc. Kids like to feel important.

• Growing up- aquiring an instrument that demands respect and responsibility. For me, it was the hatchet, and later the legendary Victoinox Swiss Army Knife. Every outdoorsy father should give their kids one of each of these tools (when the child is ready of course), and teach them how to properly respect and responsibly use the tool. Kids like to feel like they have an item that is a big deal to posess since they have to earn the privledge to posess it.

• Teach nature. Every aspect of nature is part of a system that works together. Make connections, and teach your kids about why a forest floor looks the way that it does, or how certain plant species grow next to, along with, or on top of one and other. Teach them to identify poison oak/ivy, and stay away from it!

• Ask a kid questions about their interests wile in the bush. If they show a prticular interest in something, go with it. Let them guide you, and you're sure to have a happy kid.

Good luck!

:camping:

 

[boblynch]

1. Cheap set of binoculars and a book on birds (or other wildlife)
2. Disposable camera (you'll be amazed at what pics they find important)
3. Duck call, turkey call, antlers, etc. (my kids love to "talk" to the animals)
4. Compass and a photocopy of your map (let them help you not get lost)
5. Snacks and a camelback with insulated cover
6. Extra comfy shoes and plenty of extra socks (for when they get wet)

 

[durango_60]

While I personally hate resorting to it, a DVD player is golden when all else fails...

 

[Maddmatt]

I approach it as two different problem sets.
1) The drive: I'm a big fan of the portable DVD for young kids. Once they get to reading age its value lessens, but for the younger set a long car ride is just a long car ride. They are not going to get the wonder of the endless wheat fields, or whatever else you're driving past.
2) In Camp: Less is more, as has been said all kids love water, and my kids are impervious to cold. A stick, a rock and a project can keep them busy for hours (lets make boats out of sticks and put them in the stream.......) More often than not I end up more involved then they do, but it keeps us all busy.

Edit- almost forgot, the second half of "less is more" is the emergency box of toys, games, etc.. for rain, wind, cold times in the tent. Keep it boxed up and hidden until you need it, will really shorten what would otherwise be a very long afternoon.

Most important comment I've seen so far: Make sure they are involved, and not just an annoyance. If you're going camping with the kids, then the purpose of that camping trip is: Kids camping. Nothing more. These are not the trips to practice survival skills, summit 14'ers, etc...

You can get kids sized folding camping chairs at Dicks sporting goods (and some grocery stores around here) for about $6. Went a long ways with both of my kids to let them know that they are part of the experience when they got chairs just like mom and dads. If you look long enough, you can even find them without Spongebob, Woody or Lightening McQueen (although I would totally have a Lightening McQueen chair if they made them in adult sizes).
-Matt

 

[kcowyo]

There have been some great suggestions in similar threads previously. Never hurts to review them for a refresher -

here

and

here


My own additional 2 cents worth; hit the dollar store and buy a small shovel & bucket, disposable camera, Dora the Explorer stuff, tea set, crayons & coloring books. Whatever little Miss is into.

Kids are remarkably resourceful, but $10 at the dollar store for 'new' toys goes a long way for passing the time in camp. To a 3 year old, it's all new. Keep 'em warm or coated in sunscreen and they'll probably be showing Mom & Dad all the neat stuff around camp before you know it.

 

[7wt]

Or duct tape.

Look here Shirley, you try to tipe corektly after three 19 hower shifts and see wut you can due.

 

[TheGillz]

Look here Shirley, you try to tipe corektly after three 19 hower shifts and see wut you can due.

That made me actually laugh out loud.

 

[Bill Beers]

My almost 3-year old daughter loves to dig in the dirt. As was previously suggested, I picked up a Dora pail/shovel set, which was well used last weekend! We took her camping for the first time at 11 months, and she has loved it ever since.

Next time I want to try teaching her to use the map of the campsite to find showers, the beach, etc.

 

[kjp1969]

All good ideas, here's another: Feed them, a lot. If you aren't wiping the stickey stuff off their chins from the last snack, it's time for the next snack. Mine turn into little warlocks when they're hungry, so make sure they're well fed.

We also found little fanny packs that hold a water bottle and a pouch for stuff- they basically carry their own food and water on hikes. My 8 year old also has a pouch on hers for a kids' swiss knife, too.

Compared to a 6 year old, even the most dense adult is a font of information. Whenever the find a bug, or a rock, or a stick, talk about it. You'll be surprised what they retain.

There's plenty to do at camp, just put them to work. Neat thing is, they don't know its work, they just think they're having fun setting up the tent, collecting trash, taking trash to the cans, etc.

 

[Christophe Noel]

I take my neice and nephews camping and they never stop moving until they go into a coma-like sleep at sundown. We play with kites, frisbees, the dog, and the highlight is the ball that makes ice cream. They also catch bugs, throw rocks, float sticks in any water they can find.....kid stuff.

They do the same stuff I did as a kid. Frankly, if any kid can't entertain themselves in the woods, there is a mega problem. I know one particular 8 year old kid that goes catatonic on camping trips because TV and video games have zapped his ability to create his own fun. Poor kid is a dork, but he's getting better since his parents detached his frontal lobes from the Nintendo.