This generation of children doesn’t seem to see the outdoors as much as our generation did. In fact, they spend less time outdoors than prisoners do, according to The Guardian. If that alarms you, it should. Kids need to experience the outdoors and break away from the technological shackles that now seem to invisibly hold us prisoners in our own homes and offices.
Need more reasons why you should take your children out on a camping adventure? We have plenty of them.
- It makes them adventurous
Trying new things is what makes life so much fun. Going camping is one of the most adventurous things you can do with your kids. It gives them a chance to change the scenery and see something different. The impeccable hush that comes with being far from the city is humbling, even for children. When you give your children an experience like camping, they learn to jump right into life and take on new adventures without fear.
- They can see all the stars
One of the best bits of camping is the ability to look up at the night sky in a camping hammock and see the dazzling array of stars. You never get to see such a beautiful sight from any city at night. Just like the quiet of the wilderness, the natural light shown from the twinkling stars will be something your children will never forget.
- It helps them become survivalists
Camping teaches us more about ourselves than we think. It teaches us to rely on ourselves and use our creativity along with survival skills. It also teaches us to be resilient. The same goes for our children. No one camping trip is the same as another. From location to weather, things can change and being able to survive and adapt to these things is a great life lesson for your children. Let your children help pick the place to set up camp and involve them in as many other camping decisions as possible. Teach them to use some cool camping gadgets and let them learn to independent. This is especially true if something goes wrong like a turn for the worse regarding the weather or unpacking the tent only to find you’ve lost one of the pegs. Children that learn how to conquer these setbacks are the ones that grow up to be strong and confident adults that don’t blink when faced with a challenge.
- It allows them to explore the possibilities
When you’re camping, there’s no telly, video games, tablets, or smartphones to keep your children entertained. They must make do with what they have, and what they have is a whole world of gorgeous nature right in front of them. Take a walk with them and explore the campgrounds. Meet other campers and let the children play together and have their own adventures. It allows them to actively engage with the world around them and those they encounter in it.
- It teaches them how to love the earth
So many children these days are cooped up indoors so much that they can’t identify common plants and animals, yet they can easily recognise the logos of famous name brands. If that doesn’t scare you into packing up the car and heading out into the woods for the weekend, you should know that children that are closer to nature become less stressed. They also discover the reasons for which we should work together to conserve and protect the planet.
- They can make s’mores
And while this isn’t exactly the most important reason to take your children camping, making s’mores over a roaring campfire is indeed a tradition that needs to continue. There’s something extra special about roasting marshmallows over the fire on the stick you chose from the woods while wrapped up in their kids sleeping bag. And since all children love marshmallows, it’s quite hard for them not to enjoy this simple activity.
- It will break the cycle of being bound to the indoors
One day, your children will be grown and perhaps they will have children of their own. Unless you wish for future generations to be as sedentary and out of touch with nature, take your children camping to show them a world that is wonderful without wi-fi.
- Do something different
Camping is a great opportunity to something different for the whole family. If you are near a beach you could go beach metal detecting to search for lost hidden treasures. We all know how much kids love to do a treasure hunt and it gets them to generate creative ideas of what they might find and where the items have come from.
- It makes beautiful memories
It’s never easy to think about a time when we won’t be around, but once you’re gone, your children will remember all those incredible memories you made telling stories under the stars on their camping mattress and trying to pitch a tent with broken poles. It’s these very things they’ll tell their own kids as they pack up their car with sleeping bags, tents and coolers, ready for the next open-aired camping adventure.
