5 ways to have fun camping with family

If you are looking for things to do on weekends, then camping with your family is a fantastic activity that everyone should experience at least once in a lifetime.

Everyone has heard horror stories about camping with details such as being bitten by swarms of mosquitoes or having rainy weather conditions for the entire time, but if you plan carefully, then you can avoid these problems.

Go camping on a budget

When you are dealing with a tight budget for your camping trip, look for free camping spots to save money. There are national and state parks and wilderness areas that provide 100 percent free camping locations to park a recreational vehicle or to pitch a tent. Some of these locations will have amenities such as primitive or modern bathroom facilities that have toilets and showers.

Make camping fun for your children

In addition to finding the best free camping spots, you want to enjoy a variety of fun camping activities. Think about the things that you enjoy doing, but also, consider kids camping activities to ensure everyone has an enjoyable vacation. Your children might want to go on nature walks, use a fishing pole or roast marshmallows over a hot fire in the evening.

Pack your camping gear carefully

Some campgrounds will permit swimming in a local lake or rowing a canoe on a stream, and this means that you should bring along swimsuits and life jackets for everyone. Depending on the campground that you visit, there might be areas available to ride a bicycle, or the facility might have horses available for riding on trails. Whatever you plan to do while camping with family, make sure to plan ahead by packing everything needed into a vehicle before driving to a camping site.

Things to bring along

First, you need to have plastic storage containers to hold your camping gear in order to protect the items from moisture and carry the items to a camping site. Things that you must bring along include:

One or more tents and poles
Waterproof tarps to place on the ground
Sleeping bags, blankets and pillows
Esky filled with perishable food
Additional food that will not spoil
Cooking supplies and eating utensils
Clothing and footwear for different weather conditions
First aid kit
Drinking water or a water purification kit
Flashlights and batteries
A grill and fuel for cooking
Insect repellent
In addition, you might want to bring along items for fun camping activities such as flying a kite in an open field, looking at the stars at night with a telescope or balls and bats to play baseball.

Make sure to prepare for rainy days

If it does rain, make sure to have books to read or board games to enjoy inside a tent to prevent boredom. No matter whether you are looking for inexpensive things to do on weekends or want to take a longer vacation with your family, finding a free camping spot is a great way to have fun.

Do you have any tips to add? Please share in the comments below.

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23 Comments

- - meedee said
  - 22 Jul 2021
    10:34 am
Im so not a camper. I need my comfortable bed

- - mom94378 said
  - 03 Aug 2017
    9:13 am
This is a guaranteed memory maker. Camping is such a great thing to do as a family. Even if just once in a blue moon, everyone should give it at least one crack.

- - ella12 said
  - 26 Jul 2016
    11:02 am
Awesome ideas, thank you so much.

- - rovermum said
  - 25 Jul 2016
    11:13 am
We are so not a camping family. I didn’t do it as a child and I don’t enjoy it at all. My idea of camping is a van in a caravan park with a shower, toilet and some modern conveniences.

- - robyn_smithwick said
  - 23 Jul 2016
    7:42 pm
This brings back fond memories!

- - sars_angelchik said
  - 22 Jul 2016
    10:29 am
I love camping! Another great thing to invest in is a camping oven because then you can teach your kids all about cooking things from scratch over the hot coals – damper is a great thing for them to make and is very simple and cheap. Plus it tastes great – especially when it’s warm and fresh!

- - mom134803 said
  - 22 Jul 2016
    4:18 am
We never went camping with our kids. The one thing what doesn’t attract me is not being able to sleep in my own bed, the whole preparation and set up and packing away again of all the stuff…makes me tired when I think about it ????

- - mom101628 said
  - 21 Jul 2016
    9:49 pm
My kids adored camping and the last time we went the youngest was about 18 months. They all went through the Cubs, Scouts, Rangers and Brownies, Guides, Rangers and they still camp to this day with their kids in tow.
Thanks for your article – it has brought back many happy memories.

- - mom70876 said
  - 05 Jul 2016
    2:31 pm
Wow, not been camping since I was a kid. will have to take my own camping when they’re a bit older

- - mossysmum said
  - 04 Jul 2016
    8:28 am
I have a 12 yr daughter and a 5 yr old Autistic Son and we recently went camping for the first time as a family.We took our motorbike and the boys got to bond over that aswell.. We were hesitant at first that things would go wrong or that we would forget a necessity but we hadsuccess !! My children didnt touch a iPad ir a phone the entire time (my 12 yr old tried at first…lol) We only went for a long weekend and all up including buying fuel for the motorbike, firewood and food aswell as campground fees it costs us less then $60 for 4 of us f or the whole long weekend. Plus the memories and the photIs are priceless.On our drive home we started planning our next camping trip and to be honest i cant wait

- - june11 said
  - 02 Jul 2016
    10:49 pm
I suggest you pitch your tent somewhere before you go away. Make sure it is complete, doesn’t need stronger pegs as one group of campers discovered (you don’t know what soil you might be camping on – it may be different to what you are told). It will also give you some idea how easy or otherwise it is to assemble and dismantle. Friends of ours got cust in gusty winds which normally come from the other direction. To save their tent, they dismantled it enough to lay it flat on the ground and put heavy objects on it around the edges. Luckily there has a community kitchen/hall and they took shelter in it. Some tents were left up and were damaged. A couple of them were going to be cheaper to replace than repair…..One very good reason to know exactly how to assemble, dismantle and pack up a tent quickly. Some have built in floors. If the area is rtocky you may want to put a tarp, heavy thick plastic or some other protection under your floor. Happy camping!!!
- mossysmum replied
  
  04 Jul 2016 , 8:33 am
  I agree 100% with the comment about pitching your tent before you go!! We actually went to a local park and had a ‘dry run’ to make sure everything was ready to go… it also helped us to be able to be quicker once at the campgrounds as we were fully prepared
- - curlytops said
  - 01 Jul 2016
    9:08 am
it was one of our best holidays with kids camping in the kimberleys.

- - BellaB said
  - 30 Jun 2016
    5:20 pm
The only way I find camping fun is if I stay home.

- - mom111362 said
  - 27 Jun 2016
    11:07 pm
only been once, it was ok, will wait til the kids are older

- - mom93821 said
  - 27 Jun 2016
    7:50 pm
Definitely prepare for rainy days with games and activities.
- mom93821 replied
  
  28 Jun 2016 , 6:04 am
  Preparation is always the key to good camping holidays.
- - lspew said
  - 24 Jun 2016
    10:59 am
We got back from 6 months traveling aust in a tent. Our two children 6 and 3 loved almost every minute of it.
Make sure you always have a roll of loo paper with you, we found alot of the public toilets didnt stock it and have been caught out a few times.
We used the camps australia book which have fantastic sites in it!

- - squirtsmum said
  - 23 Jun 2016
    7:09 am
Colouring books and books for reading are good to if the weather turns yuck. My son has a pair of kids binoculars so he can look at birds, etc.

- - mom90758 said
  - 22 Jun 2016
    6:33 pm
Yes, bring some board games too. Very nice to play together in the evening around a fire!!

- - mom160421 said
  - 21 Jun 2016
    10:09 pm
I have friends who go camping every year and love it. I’ve tried it a couple of times, but it’s not for me.

- - mum4107 said
  - 21 Jun 2016
    9:19 pm
We bought a camper trailer a d we are going to go soon