If it’s summer, then you know it’s time for a nice getaway with family and friends. There are many holiday ideas that you can choose for your summer getaway, but none beats a camping expedition with family. Taking your kids on a camping trip in an excluded campsite where you escape all the hustle and bustle of the city, will give you a chance to relax, unwind, and bond with your loved ones.

Furthermore, you will be able to have your own private moment as a family so that you can talk about your current situation and future plans. Yet, your camping expedition will only be successful if you choose the right camping activities for you and your kids. While you, as a parent, would like to make adventurous walks in the jungle and go hiking, your kids will have their own ideas of how to make the holiday enjoyable.

So, if you do not want them to get bored the moment they set their feet at the camping site, you have to find the most exciting camping activities for them. Fortunately, there are countless camping activities and ideas for kids. But the first question you should ask yourself is: How do I choose the right camping activities for my kids?

There are several factors that you should consider when choosing camping activities for your young ones. For instance, you have to choose activities that match the age of your kids. If you are dealing with teenagers, their activities will be slightly different from those of toddlers. And if you are not sure about the right activities for the different age groups, ask for ideas from a professional tour guide.

Also, you need to understand the camping site you intend to travel to. Understand the environment surrounding the area, including weather patterns and the available features. These considerations are important as they will guide you in making the right choice for your children.

The safety of your kids is also paramount. Before you embark on your camping excursion, make sure all the right safety measures have been put in place. For instance, choose activities that won’t put your children or any other person at risk during the campout. It is also important to know which areas you are allowed to go to and which ones are restricted to campers.

When you are choosing kids’ activities, choose the ones that do not involve playing with or near the fire. As a parent or guardian, never assume your children know how to behave while playing near the fire. In fact, you should have a designated sit for your kids when sitting near the fire. Also, don’t forget to carry mosquito nets and bug sprays.

Here are five of the easiest camping ideas that you can choose for your kids.

Sleeping Bag Racing

We all know how much kids love running around and chasing each other down. Children hate to be confined in one place for a long time. Therefore, if you want your kids to stay active throughout the camping trip, include a sleeping bag race in their to-do list. You can follow the example of the typical potato sack race.

This activity keeps them busy even at night because they can jump around inside the sleeping bag or crawl like worms to touch the finish line. You can also join them if you have nothing much to do.

Tying Knots

Teaching your kids how to tie different types of camping knots keeps them busy and gives them an opportunity to learn a useful skill. If you do not know how to tie these knots, you can ask your camping guide to teach you together with your kids. Once everybody is comfortable with the tricks, you can set a timer and challenge each other to complete at least three different knots successfully before the buzzer sound goes off.

Scavenger Hunt

No camping expedition can be complete, especially when you have kids, without a scavenger hunt. This game involves hiding camping items and challenging the children to find them within a stipulated period of time. You can also come up with a list of important items that the kids should find within the camping site.

For instance, if you are camping in the woods, you can ask your children to scavenge for acorns, red leaves, pieces of bark, yellow flowers, among other unique items. To make the game funner and more engaging, you should set a prize for the person who finds all the items with the set time. You can also set a reward for anyone who finds all the items before the end of your campout.

Catching Bear

This is one of the funniest camping games that kids can engage in from the start to the end of the campout. It’s a game of tag in which one person becomes the bear catcher while the rest of the participants become bears. Use the sleeping bags as caves and ask each bear to enter their respective caves.

The bear catcher should then stand in the middle of the play area. On the word “go”, which should be called out by a non-player, every bear must run to a new cave before the bear catcher tags them. If tagged, the bear becomes the bear catcher.

Magnet Fishing

This game involves the use of colored papers, baskets, trinket prizes, paper clips, magnets, strings, sticks, a box, and ribbons. Cut the colored paper into different shapes of fish and throw them into a bay pool or a box. The baskets should be filled with the trinket prizes and marked with ribbons that match the color for the paper fish.

Use sticks and strings to make fishing rods, and then attach magnets to the end of the fishing rods. When someone catches a “fish”, he or she picks a prize from the basket with the corresponding colored ribbon.

In conclusion, remember to pick camping activities that are exciting and safe for your kids. You also have to choose activities that won’t leave your children too exhausted to do anything else for the rest of the day.

Resources: Budsies, The Dating Divas