Camping Countdown with Kids: Creative Ways to Get Excited for Your Next Trip
So your campground reservations are made and the countdown is on? Just like any getaway, preparing for your next camping trip is part of the fun. The anticipation alone creates even more excitement for the change of scenery and some R & R. I find this to be true, not just for us adults, but the kids enjoy the excitement as well. We love getting them involved ahead of time - reading, shopping, planning, and packing are always included. Before we know it, we will be heading out for our first camping trip this season and it will be an exciting time for all of us! I was thinking about our favorite ways to get in the mood for camping and here are just a few:
Read-
Like most families, we love to read together. As the kids have grown we now find ourselves having book club-style discussions about the books we read. And without a doubt circling back to our old favorites.
A Camping Spree With Mr. Magee- our absolute favorite book, hands down, ever.
Curious George Goes Camping - especially for trips to Mt. Rushmore.
Flat Stanley Goes Camping - This amusing book is excellent for mid-elementary age kids and it’s great to continue the fun by making your own Stanley and bring him along on your adventures!!
Diary of a Wimpy Kid - The Deep End - The newest installment of the beloved series takes the readers along on a Heffley RV Trip. This has been a fun book to talk and laugh about with the kids.
Watch-
We love family movie nights at home AND in our RV. Quilts and popcorn are always necessities on these nights.
Open Season - this movie is a classic for our family, you will often hear at least one Open Season quote a day from us.
The Long, Long Trailer - I loved this movie as a kid and since I just recently bought it on Apple TV we can stream it whenever we want. It is hands-down our favorite.
RV - who doesn't love RV?! A modern classic.
The Great Outdoors - another long time favorite for the older kids
Talk-
The dinner table is the perfect time to ask the kids what they are most excited for!
Reminisce with pictures of previous camping trips - our kids LOVE seeing pictures of themselves camping as babies. Or even pictures of mom and dad camping when we were little.
Discuss what worked last season (or trip) and what didn't - what changes can we make.
Evaluate where the kids are physically and mentally. Our camping trips evolve every year as the kids get older and more mature. This is a great time to discuss roles or tasks for each person including mom and dad.
Last year we started making a summer fun “bucket” list and it was so much fun finding ways to cross it all off! We will definitely start the season by doing this again. As a daily reminder, we attached ours right to the fridge in our RV to make sure we stay on track with the new adventures.
Plan-
My favorite piece of the puzzle. Not long ago one of my boys said to me that planning vacations is my love language. I took a minute to think and realized he is 100% correct.
We have consistently had a tradition of pulling out the maps and guide books with the kids and involving them in our trip planning. We show them where we are going, how many miles it will be, what rest stops we'll be making, and explain how long it will take to get there in terms they understand, like half a day of school.
Tip: Having our GPS on the car display with Google Maps and an estimated arrival time visible has helped immensely with the constant “when will we get there?” question.
I also take the time to teach them a little history or some fun facts about the next destination. Our 11-year-old, Cooper, loves this piece of travel especially if it can relate to something he has learned about in school recently. Like the time we went to Arches and Canyonlands just as he was learning about land formation, erosion, and volcanoes.
We think their input is very important on what activities they want to do when we're at our destination and where they want to eat. This gives them wonderful anticipation of our upcoming trip.
We also involve them in the menu planning - they ALWAYS request walking tacos for dinner one night. And pizza, of course.
Shop-
Though we have just about every camping item under the sun, we always love to go visit our local outdoor stores. Immersing yourself in all the gadgets is so much fun. Discovering the new technology and trends. Picking up small items we may have run out of. And we almost always end up picking out something new to try.
During the times where we do find ourselves needing something new or replacing an item, we like to involve the older kids in the process. Explaining the economics of our purchase. Why we choose item A over item B. Teaching kids to invest their money in quality items will never be a bad idea.
Grocery shopping is also exciting for our kids because we make it exciting - they always get to pick out one special treat to take camping and share with their brothers. Luckily, they usually ask for bananas or baby carrots, but every once in awhile some donuts or cookies find their way into the cart. Don’t forget the essentials - s’mores!!
Tip: I know my kids love going to the dollar store to buy a kite or puzzle for downtime at the campground. We also like to see if we can find cool scrapbook paper for making paper airplanes and having competitions.
Pack-
It is almost time to head out on the open road!
Our kids LOVE packing their own storage cubes and backpacks! For our other 11-year-old, Sawyer, it is probably the one thing he looks forward to the most. We make up a list and they get everything together and loaded up in its place. A bad packing job is no big deal - I often sneak in a few extra shirts or PJ’s when they're not watching.
The boys don't care much about what goes in and out of the RV, but they do love helping with whatever they can. Just placing items into cabinets makes them feel included and all those "what is this for?" questions are perfect teaching moments!
These are just a few of our favorite countdown activities. What are your family traditions?