Tips for Backyard Camping with Kids!

Camping in your own backyard can be so much fun for your family!  To make sure it’s a great time, here are some Tips for Backyard Camping with Kids!

Our family loves to camp, in fact camping is the #1 way we holiday over the summer months.  It’s such a great way to spend quality time as a family, and not only that, it is a really affordable holiday.  If time permitted we would camp every weekend of the summer, but that’s not always possible, so the next best thing is camping out in the backyard!  Kids love camping in the backyard…it’s endless hours of fun from set up to sun down.

Here are some tips so you can have a great time camping in the backyard with your kids!

Get the kids involved in the set up!

When kids are involved in the planning and set up of any activity, the more likely it is that they will enjoy it!  If they’re old enough they can set up the tent (woohoo!), then fill it up with all of their blankets, pillows and comfort items.  Including the dog.

Make it comfortable!

Set up air mattresses, have warm sleeping bags, pillows and plenty of extra blankets available in case it is cold at night!  The biggest thing that will ruin any camping trip is an uncomfortable tent and sleeping situation.  We have learned this the hard way over the years!  The biggest tip I can share about sleeping in a tent, is to make sure you roll out a thick blanket underneath the air mattresses (so between the ground and the mattress), that way no one will get cold from the air coming up from the ground.

Make sure the kids have access to good night lighting!

I think the biggest fear with any kind of camping with kids, is the fear of the dark.  To combat this, our kids have headlamps and flashlights. Headlamps are perfect for late night reading and trips to the bathroom!  I also like to hang a battery powered lantern inside the tent for comfort…and I love that it won’t get hot.

Do all the things you would do if you were in a campground, like having a campfire!

It almost seems impossible not to have a campfire if you’re going to be spending the night in a tent, even if it is in your backyard.  Break out those marshmallows and get roasting!  You can even make dinner over the fire…fire roasted hot dogs are the best.  When you think about it, backyard camping is a lot easier because you’ve got the kitchen right at your fingertips, plus you don’t have to worry about coolers and ice!

Have fun!

Most importantly have fun!  Don’t stress about the details because really, if you forget something you can just go get it.  The whole point is to embrace summer holidays and have fun!  Happy backyard camping to you!