Camping is a great family trip because it has a little something for everyone. Depending on what everyone likes to do, you can probably find time for all of the different activities that each person wants to do. In order to make it fair you could give everyone a day and they decide what to do on their given day. You could make the stipulation that they have to enjoy the other days somebody else fix something. Here are some ideas of what you can do while at family campgrounds.
Hiking
This is probably the easiest thing to do because you don’t have to get any extra tools or equipment. Just throw on your boots, grab some snacks and be off. If you’re staying in a forest or mountain range, then there are likely to be hiking trails that your family can follow if you are not used to hiking. However, if you are and avid hiker then you won’t need to worry about stray from the path. Just make sure that you remember your way back! Keep in mind that you may need to stop more often if you have young children with you and don’t forget to take lots of water and protein to keep your energy levels up. It may also be a good idea to map out your hiking trail before you actually start so you know how long you will be out. You just want to make sure you are back before the sun goes down. Things can be very hard to find in the dark, like attractions or your way back or lost family members. In order to void anyone getting lost it might be a good idea to purchase a few walkie-talkies before going on your trip.
Water sports
Quite often there will be a lake or river nearby the campsite that you can take advantage of. They may have out of the box water activities like group games or water bubbles or they might have the regular activities such as jet skis and kayaking. The main consideration with water sports is the age factor. If you have a very small children, you are very limited in what you can do on the water. If you were going to give each kid a day to decide what the family does during your camping trip, be sure to clarify that the water ideas need to be within reason. Of course, you could always allow the older children to go and do what they want, while you stay with the younger children, doing something safe. If you are in an area where there are rapids, there is likely to be white water rafting available although this might be work for kid friendly vacations.
Staying in
The great thing about camping is that you don’t necessarily have to go anywhere to enjoy yourself. If you choose to stay in the campgrounds all day, there is nothing wrong with that. You could play games, hunt for bugs or simply sit and read or watch movies. Some campgrounds have amenities like sports halls and different activities that go on during the days and evenings so it might be a good idea to look into that as well. Camping should be a relaxing type of family vacation, so make sure that you aren’t overdoing it. However, keep in mind that this idea may not be good for the kids if they are very active and energetic type of people.
Scavenger hunt
This is something that can be enjoyed by older and younger children alike. They could even do two different hunts or work in teams to find the “treasure.” You could set it up yourself or are sometimes campsites will have organized treasure or scavenger hunts that the kids can take part in on specific days. If the campgrounds are organizing it, it might be fun for the whole family to do, even the parents. And of course, you may have to is off and let the kids win if necessary!
The definition of successful, fun family vacations is that the family connected and bonded, however you decide to do that is up to the family as a whole.