Family Motorhome Adventures – Camping With Kids
A family holiday is something we can all look forward to and we think that to hire a motorhome and go on an adventure, is amongst the best holidays you could possibly have. But with modern kids often having attention spans shorter than the memory of a goldfish, it pays to have back-up plans to keep them busy when they inevitably can’t get a wireless signal, or their tablet’s battery has gone flat.
Family holidays are often amongst our most treasured childhood memories. We can look back fondly on time spent with our nearest and dearest, where holiday time meant that the day to day distractions, whether that be school for us, or work for the grown-ups were all put on the back burner and the time was solely dedicated to leisure and spending time in one another’s company.
Without the instant gratification of a screen, or the constant electronic connection to the rest of the world, we still managed to avoid boredom when we were little, so how can use this to help keep boredom at bay when camping with kids of our own?
Games and activities perfect for camping with kids
Remember board games and card games? We used to play them endlessly and we all had a favourite. When travelling by motorhome, the travelling seats are often arranged round the kitchen table, so what better way to while away the hours and the miles by digging out some favourites from the loft before you set off, or buying some new ones just for the journey?
Naturally, if you’re playing games in a moving motorhome it’s best to get the kind of games where loose pieces won’t go sliding around at every bump or turn, but there are plenty of games perfect for travel. ‘Frustration’ is a great game for motorhome travel, the dice are enclosed in a bubble and the pieces slot into the board so they won’t budge en route. Guess Who is another old favourite where all the moving parts are attached to larger boards so they won’t go astray. There are many mini versions o other classic board games made for travel and often featuring magnetic pieces to keep even moving tokens in place.
Once you’ve arrived at a campsite, there are other options. if you’re fortunate enough to be camping with kids on a site with an outdoor playground, then you’re in luck, but otherwise, there are plenty of things you can bring along which will provide some safe, fun amusement for your whole family.
Footballs and tennis rackets etc are still the good choices as they always have been, however, on a crowded campsite without large play areas aways from other campers, it’s inevitable balls will go astray or hit cars, windows and motorhomes. Swingball is a great compromise; it’s not a new game, but always a great tennis alternative with the added advantage that the ball can’t go anywhere and make your family unpopular with the neighbours!
If you love chess, why not bring a huge version of it along? Lawn chess sets are widely available and even if your kids don’t play chess themselves, you can keep them interested by getting them to move the pieces for you – a sneaky way to get them interested in this classic game of strategy! While chess has so many advantages, it’s also possible to get hold of supersized versions of many classic board games, like Snakes ‘n Ladders and Connect 4 for instance.
Camping With Kids – The Best ‘Toy’ Is All Around Them
Quite aside from games and amusements, however, is remembering how you used to entertain yourself as a youngster. There’s a joke often seen on greetings cards – “When i was young, I only had one thing to play with, it was called ‘outside’!” They say many a truth is spoken in jest and in this case, the truth is that the outdoors and the natural world all around is full of wonder and discovery. it’s one thing to see a picture, or even a video of a strange insect on a tablet screen, quite another to see it ‘in the flesh’. Do you remember how to climb trees? Do your kids know how? Isn’t it time they learned? Are there fish in that stream? Could you build a dam, or a waterwheel, or race sticks down the rapids? Why not build a ‘den’ using fallen branches and foliage. Of course it’s a bit messy and muddy, but it’s also glorious!
Camping with kids is a great opportunity to not just get them out into nature, but to make them actively involved in it, an experience a screen simply can’t provide and moreover, it gives them the chance to spend some genuine, quality time with you, without day to day life getting in the way and for today’s time-poor families, the old fashioned notion of families spending time together is as relevant now as it’s ever been.
Camping with kids in a motorhome is a great way to get them out into the world, without sacrificing creature comforts. Contact us to book a motorhome of your own and enjoy the most modern way to spend some good old fashioned family time and reconnect with your own childhood too!
