Check out this list of 12 activities to do with your kids while camping. The best part is that these can all be done inside! Bring the outside in and watch what a difference it makes on them.
The “indoor camping party ideas” is a blog post that gives 12 ideas and activities for the perfect indoor camping adventure for your kids. The article also includes information on how to make an indoor campfire, as well as a list of supplies you’ll need.
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Indoor camping is a great method to expose young children to camping before they go on their first vacation. It’s also a terrific method for parents to have a dry run to see what issues or obstacles to expect before going on a genuine outdoor excursion.
Indoor camping is also a great family pastime when the weather isn’t cooperating with outside camping. These suggestions should set your indoor camping adventure began on the right foot.
1 – Spend the Night in Your Real Tent
If you’re going to sleep in a tent on your first true camping trip, make sure you do the same inside. This is very entertaining for kids, and it’s also a good way to work out any kinks in your camping overnight strategy.
Is your tent large enough for everyone to sleep comfortably? Is it scratchy in your sleeping bag? Is there a toy or blanket that you forgot and that your child can’t sleep without? A trial run inside is a fantastic method to get answers to these issues.
Many youngsters struggle to sleep in a new setting at first. This is a terrific method to get them used to sleeping in a tent and will hopefully result in more peaceful evenings when you do go on your first camping trip.
2 – Keep an eye out for animals
Young children like creative play, and this one is very entertaining. Hide several of your child’s plush animals about the living room, then allow him or her go on a hunt for these “wild creatures.”
It doesn’t matter if these toys don’t reflect the kind of animals you’ll encounter on your vacation; just spend a few minutes to discuss which creatures are common in the region where you’ll be camping.
If this exercise goes well, reverse positions and have your kid conceal the stuffed animals while you go on a quest for them.
3 – Make unique camping meals
Indoor camping is most effective if it begins in the early evening and continues until the following morning. This means that your first meal will be a campfire supper, followed by a special breakfast.
There’s no need to be concerned about cooking over an open fire; just improvise and inform the kids that the cooking procedure will be different on your first outdoor camping vacation.
The Adventure Bite features a long list of simple camping dinner ideas that should work just as well inside. Also, think about making indoor s’mores ahead of time so you can have a great dessert after dinner.
They won’t taste as amazing as s’mores cooked over an open fire, but they’ll give you something to look forward to on your first family camping trip.
4 – Place a tablecloth on the floor of your living room and serve dinner.
Although it may be tempting to rush to the kitchen table once supper is done, strive to make mealtimes as unusual as possible from your regular routine. You want to create a setting that is as similar to a genuine campfire supper as possible.
Some families carry chairs with them when they go camping, so if that’s the case for you, set out some folding chairs for supper. Consider sitting on the ground and putting a tablecloth on the living room floor if you’ll be sitting on rocks or logs on your actual camping trip.
Because most camping meals are basic, setting up and washing up shouldn’t be too difficult.
5 – Spend time with your family over the campfire.
Again, an actual fire isn’t required for this project. If you have a fireplace and the weather is cold, go ahead and light a fire. However, kids are fantastic at pretending, so there’s no need to be concerned if there are any obstacles to creating a fire.
Make a small faux campfire out of blankets or pillows, then assemble everyone in a circle around it. You can construct a DIY felt campfire if you’re creative and want to go all out, but it’s not required.
To simulate the lighting of the stars and moonlight around a fire, use just enough candles or flashlights. Sing campfire songs together and read a picture book about nature or camping.
For more wonderful book choices for young campers, check out My Mommy Style’s 15 Picture Books About Camping. This is also a fantastic opportunity to build shadow puppets with your hands using a flashlight.
6 – Talk about fire safety.
Because young children learn best via repetition, it’s crucial to bring up significant concepts and themes on a frequent basis. Indoor camping is an excellent opportunity to discuss fire safety, which will be even more critical for your first actual camping trip.
FireRescue Magazine provides some excellent tips for introducing the concept of fire safety to children, which you can simply adjust to your child’s age and developmental level.
7 – Discuss how this camping trip differs from others.
Even very young children may not realize that the majority of camping vacations take place outside. This is something you may talk about on your indoor excursion.
Ask open-ended questions on how the activity might alter if it took place outdoors during each activity.
8 – Disconnect as much as possible
Because our children are growing up in a world where technology is so ubiquitous, it’s important to provide them chances to disconnect and enjoy the basic things in life.
Indoor camping is an excellent opportunity to concentrate on reconnecting with nature. Consider switching your phones to airplane mode and turning off the television, laptops, and other electronics.
Unplugging any unnecessary lights and equipment may help to eliminate the continual hum of electricity, enabling everyone to concentrate more clearly on the sounds of nature, as detailed in the next activity.
9 – Listen to the sounds of nature
The ideal method to approach this differs based on your own circumstances. If you live in a region where there are crickets and the weather is warm enough, you may be able to do this by just opening the windows and keeping everyone quiet for a while.
Request that your children pay close attention and report back to you what they hear. This is also an excellent opportunity to discuss some of the pleasures that nature provides, such as the soothing sound of crickets or the lovely singing of birds.
Consider playing a nature CD in the background if you live in an area where you can’t hear many natural noises even when it’s silent. You may pick from crickets, birds, or running water as noises. There are other phone applications that allow you to listen to natural noises.
10 – Add a Personal Touch
There are a few of easy methods to make your living area appear more like a camping. Little ones are fascinated by new and unusual things, so even the tiniest decorations will likely be appreciated.
Ceiling stickers with glow-in-the-dark stars may be a lot of fun. Turning off the lights, reclining back, and stargazing for a while before retiring to your tent for the night may be a terrific way to unwind. The majority of these stickers are easy to remove and do not leave any residue behind.
Simple decorations such as vases filled with leaves and flowers or tiny bowls of pebbles and pinecones may be used as additional decorations. Placing photographs or posters of natural scenes on the wall might also be effective.
Lighting a pine-scented candle or two is another option if you truly want to create an outdoorsy mood.
11 – Create a little art project with a camping theme.
Here, the options are unlimited, so take on any project that piques your interest. Consider constructing popsicle stick tents or glow-in-the-dark firefly jars if you’re stuck for ideas.
You may need to use hand-over-hand or give additional assistance for younger campers during some of the more challenging tasks, but older kids will be able to do the bulk of these crafts on their own.
12 – Engage in some physical activity
As most parents of young children are aware, it is difficult for little children to hold their energy for lengthy periods of time. You’ll want to include some more physically demanding games in addition to quieter activities like art projects and campfire music.
Even though there is limited room while camping inside, there are still lots of things to keep youngsters active. It’s entertaining to play catch with balloons or little beanbags.
Set up a tiny indoor obstacle course for the kids to sprint, skip, climb over and around obstacles, and crawl through tunnels.
A game of charades with an animal theme may also be a fun way to get people moving in a limited area. Choose woodland creatures that reside in close proximity to campgrounds.
You may even break the rules of charades a little by encouraging the youngsters to make animal sounds while playing out the role.
Don’t be concerned if things don’t go as planned.
Finally, keep in mind that the purpose of this indoor camping trip is to have fun as a family while also helping to prepare your child for a future camping trip. Don’t allow tiny setbacks or minor details derail your journey. Take each action one at a time, and feel free to improvise as required.
Consider this collection of activities and ideas as a starting point. Even if you just finish a couple of them, you will provide your kid with a pleasant and useful learning experience.
The “inside camping tent ideas” is a blog post that has 12 activities for the perfect indoor camping adventure for your kids.
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