Keeping Kids Entertained When Camping

Camping with the kids can be educational (for them and for you), fun (oodles of it), and also somewhat challenging. Challenging because it’s quite a task for adults to match the energy of the children. And if the children get bored, no one else will be able to enjoy the camping trip either.

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Fortunately, entertaining kids when camping in an RV is not difficult. If you are traveling with kids, a little planning and prior preparation always helps. While camping, almost everything can be turned into an activity to keep the kids entertained. However, we understand that you may (at times) be too busy to come up with creative solutions, so we have collated a small list to help you through those times:

Let the children help with the cooking

Many people try to keep the kids away and busy until the food is ready. It gets overwhelming and frustrating when they are neither able to keep the kids sufficiently entertained nor does the cooking go according to schedule. Involving the kids in age-appropriate tasks while cooking is a great way to keep them entertained while getting more work done. It may also encourage them to try new flavors and foods and help avoid the mealtime struggle with picky eaters.

Play engaging games

Children love games, so this is pretty much a no-brainer. However, most adults don’t realize how many different types of games are available for keeping the kids entertained (and teach them a few things simultaneously). The children can play physical games, verbal games, and board or card games. Yes, classic card games like Hearts and Solitaire are a great way to keep kids engaged and entertained at the same time. If you are feeling extra creative, you could also invent a new game to play while camping.

Storytime

Storytime can take various forms. All the camping group members can get together and share (kid-friendly) stories or one or two adults can gather the kids around. The adults can lead story time or facilitate story sharing among the children. The stories can be fictional or non-fiction. You can play a story game with the children where you start with a prompt and each child contributes a sentence or two to move the story forward. The children can incorporate whatever they see (like animals, mountains, rivers, or trees) into the story. You can even listen to kid-friendly audio stories together and hold discussions on them later. Storytime is sure to guarantee a few hours of fun.

Trying out some DIY craft and art ideas

Encourage the kids to turn waste materials like empty food packets or used tea bags into clever craft pieces. Let the kids paint rocks with beautiful colors. Teach them how to preserve the beautiful and unique leaves and petals they find. Show them how to weave baskets with reeds, vines, and grass. They can also make collages with leaves and paintings with charcoal. Nature offers plenty of materials (and inspiration) for arts and crafts.

In conclusion

These are a few ideas for keeping kids entertained when camping. If you find yourself out of ideas, pick the brains of the kids themselves. Tell them that if they come up with an amazing idea for you to have fun with them, you are willing to give the idea a try. In this way, you not only get great ideas, but you also secure their willingness and cooperation. Keep making new additions to your list of camping boredom-busters!