Children love adventure. What can be more adventurous than a camping trip? Parents need to realize that camping with small children is nothing like camping with other adults. Here are some tips to make your camping trip more enjoyable for everyone.

Backyard Camping

While children love to be outdoors and play, they do tire and frighten easily. The first camping trip should be held in the back yard. Children learn about the great outdoors with the comfort and safety of their house in the background.

For a first camping trip, don’t go out of your way to purchase the most expensive gear. This outdoor camping trip may not even last an entire night if the kids get cold and want to go inside. A lightweight tent that can accommodate you and your children and a couple of flashlights are good enough for the back yard. Sleeping bags can be used for years to come at camps and sleepovers so it’s okay if you spend a bit of extra money on them. If a few nights of backyard camping go well, you may decide to take the family on an adventure at a real campsite.

Camping Away From Home

Many campsites offer swimming, boating, playgrounds, bathroom, and grilling facilities. You will be sleeping in tents, but other amenities are not far away. By choosing a campsite with these features, your kids will be “roughing it” just a little but will still have a sense of security.

Choose campsites next to other families with small kids. They will be more used to the noise than older folks. Your kids can get acquainted with others and you will find some adults to socialize with.

Until the age of eight you should expect your children to sleep in the same tent as you. Now that you are out of the back yard, think about purchasing a tent that is compartmentalized. Your children will have their own sleeping area away from yours and there will be a common area for all to relax together.

Let children help you pack for the camping trip. All the while, explain to them what you need and why you need it. Include a first aid kit, insect repellent, a battery-operated radio, an emergency kit, sleeping bags, food, bottled water, disposable plates, napkins, and utensils. Campgrounds will have garbage facilities so you don’t have to carry it back with you.

Involve the children in the daily activities of camping. Let them wash any reusable dishes after meals. Show them where to get water to put out a fire. They will be eager to help and excited to learn.

If you want your kids to enjoy the occasional camping trip, keep it simple the first time out. The back yard gives them the security of home, which could give them the courage to try camping away from home. Take your lead from the children.

To learn more, check out the Mom’s Talk Guide to Raising Happy & Healthy Kids – Tips and resources address nutrition, exercise, sleep, routines, and much more.

We all want our little ones to be well-mannered and well-behaved around other children. The first time that they snatch a toy away from another child, most parents are horrified and embarrassed. Don’t let their actions alarm you. Sharing is a process that must be learned.

Young children are learning many things in a short period of time. From infancy, their brains are buzzing and processing new information. They try to raise their heads, move their arms and legs, and roll over. As the months go by, they try to sit and then stand. Pretty soon they are taking their first steps.

In the long line of learned behaviors, sharing is not a top priority for your child. When they snatch that toy or refuse to let others play with it, they may not be ready to part with their possessions just yet. Give them time.

Scolding a child for not sharing at this age is unwise. Children need security in their lives. When they took their first steps, they had to be sure that you would catch them before they let go of the table. This is the same with their toys. They have to realize ownership before they will be willing to share.

Ownership says that these toys belong to your child. Instruct children to put away their toys at night. This action teaches them to recognize what belongs to them.

At such a young age, you are the most accessible role models in their lives. As you share with others, actually use the word “share” to describe your actions. Practice sharing with your child. Ask them to share a cookie or a piece of fruit with you. Start by taking a bite and returning the item to the child.

Little by little, try bigger things. Ask them for an object that you do not immediately give back. They will probably watch you play or follow you wherever you go. When they start to cry or get agitated, give the object back and thank them for sharing.

Gradually move up to toys. You will find that your child may share some toys more readily than others. When other children come over, allow them to play with the toys that are not your child’s favorite ones. Ask your child if they will share their toys with another. If they give a toy to the other child, clap and praise their actions.

All kids don’t learn to share as easily as others. Start working with your child before school age to prepare them for interaction with other children. Enlist the help of other children in the family so that they can teach each other how to get along.

To learn more, check out the Mom’s Talk Guide to Raising Happy & Healthy Kids – Tips and resources address nutrition, exercise, sleep, routines, and much more.