3 Life Lessons Your Kids Will Learn While Camping

As a parent, you want your kids to learn as much as they can. You provide them with opportunities like extracurricular activities and interesting books to help them learn. However, one experience that can help teach them lessons that they’ll need to rely on throughout their life is camping. Here are four things that your children can learn while participating in this activity.

A Bad Experience Can Be Made Positive

Not every day in life is perfect and the same goes for camping. You might end up stuck in your tent on a rainy day or a scary encounter with a snake that has come slithering through the campground. It’s a plain and simple fact that things can go wrong in both life and camping.

However, learning how to deal with such mishaps is a very important thing. Lead by example and help your kids take any unexpected downward turns into positive experiences. On a rainy day, for example, your family could cozy up in the tent or camping trailer together telling stores, playing card games, and readying stories with funny voices).

It’s Important to Take Time for Each Other

If your family is like most, then parenting seems to be all about juggling a bunch of different—and, often, conflicting—schedules. You might even find it hard to be able to sit down for a meal together during the week. When you plan out a camping trip, however, everyone has to set aside a portion of their schedule so that the family can spend time together.

Plan some meaningful activities that allow everyone, including both young and old, to be involved. For example, you could spend time cooking, hiking, using bows and arrows, and fishing. Whatever you do, just make sure that everyone is together. Don’t let anyone sneak off to the tent to be by themselves unless it’s for a much needed nap.

You Don’t Have to Be Glued to Your Electronics to Have Fun
This is a lesson that both adults and kids can learn. While going camping, leave behind all unnecessary electronics. That means no laptops, tablets, or gaming devices. Cell phones should only be used to take pictures and not for texting or social media purposes. Adults should let their bosses and coworkers know that they won’t be accepting any work-related calls or texts while camping. Teens might need to make a similar announcement to their friends.

To help your kids enjoy camping without electronics, plan a lot of fun activities. Yet, don’t be so overwhelming by creating an exhausting itinerary. Be flexible! Encourage your kids to be adventurous and come up with their own impromptu experiences as well.

These three lessons are only a few of the many lessons that your kids—and your entire family—will be able to learn by going camping. So set aside some time for an upcoming weekend and go camping together—you won’t regret it!