Our best advice is to let your kids help organize the fun.
This spring, in the midst of stay-at-home orders, our family was really missing our typical busy travel schedule. My 9-year-old daughter, Charli, decided we needed a family camp out. She had much more in mind than just popping up a tent in the backyard. I was in awe of the time she spent putting it all together. We sometimes underestimate our kiddos, so giving them the opportunity to plan something like this was perfect. It was a great way to see her creativity come to life.
I asked Charli to give me her best advice to help your family plan a fun camp out.
Charli’s Backyard Camp Out Tips
- Prepare ahead: Make welcome letters for campers and write out an itinerary.
- Enlist parent helpers: Have your parents help you get the tent ready early so when it’s time to start the fun everything is set up.
- Gather supplies: Everyone will need sleeping bags and a stuffed animal friend for a good night’s sleep.
- Start camp at a designated time: Set a time for departure for camp. I chose to depart from our guest bedroom (or Guest Room City) at 6:30 pm and walked campers to the campsite.
- No electronics: Turn over electronic devices! My family turned over devices and I kept them on my mom’s desk downstairs. I did let my mom have hers at one point to take a few photos.
- Build a fire: Build a campfire if you can. We have a small fire pit in our backyard that we used.
- Make s’mores: Smore’s are a must! If you don’t have a fire, you can always make them in the house in the oven. My mom says you can bake them on a baking sheet for 3 minutes at 400 degrees.
- Serve fun drinks: Fun drinks are necessary. Try something that you typically reserve for a special occasion. We had orange soda.
- Show an outdoor movie: We have an outdoor movie set up at our house, but anyone can set up an outdoor movie nowadays with all of the small projectors available. You can even project from your iPhone!
- Plan other activities: Plan fun activities for your campers, but nothing too stressful. We made paper flowers, drew pictures and in the morning we did some stretching, a short work out and hula hooping.
I have to admit, we were skeptical about Charli’s itinerary (especially turning over our devices!), but looking back it was one of the best, if not the best, chunk of family time we’d had together in awhile. We just focused on each other and having a good time.
Do you like to host backyard camp outs? Show us your photos of your family camp out using the hashtag #kidtripster on Instagram.
Want to venture beyond the backyard? Here’s a list of essential family camping gear. Got little ones? Read our advice for camping with toddlers. Be sure to also read our instructions for what not to do when camping with toddlers.
Amanda Keefer is a mom and travel junkie having worked in the travel industry for 10 years and jumping at the chance to explore destinations near and far. She can be found at Produce for Kids developing recipes and hosting The Healthy Family Project podcast. The perfect marriage of food and travel!
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