Turn your Back Garden into a Child-Friendly Campsite
Back garden camping can provide the perfect compromise between children’s yearning for independence and your responsibility to keep an eye on them.
Treat your kids this summer by turning your back garden into a child friendly campsite, giving them a chance to dust off their sleeping bags and spook their friends with torch-lit ghost stories.
Find the right tent
When it comes to back garden camping for kids, the tent is not just somewhere they’ll lay their heads and sleep until dawn; the tent is their epicentre for fun, games and socialising. A small two-man tent may not be suitable for the non-sleeping activities the kids have got planned.
It is important there is enough room for the campers plus any board games or toys they want to take with them. A tent with separate rooms is also a no-no as it removes the social aspect of back garden camping.
All Round Fun stocks a range of different sized tents, perfect for kids’ adventures in the back garden.
Keep them entertained
After an hour of sitting in a tent, kids might start pining for their Playstation unless they’re sufficiently entertained. Make sure they have plenty of things to do both inside and outside the tent. Setting up special games for them to play in the back garden such as a Space Hopper racecourse can keep them entertained while the sun is still out. Also stock the tent with a few of the kids’ favourite board games for just before bed.
Make sure they are comfortable
The last thing you want is a wake-up call of “muuuuuuuuum!” at 3am when they realise their bed is much more comfortable than the floor. Make sure everyone sleeps easy with a good quality, warm sleeping bag and plenty of pillows. A blow-up mattress is a great addition, too.
The 5 minute-to-bedtime bathroom rush
Agree a bedtime beforehand with the kids and just prior to this, round them up for the bedtime bathroom rush. Make sure they brush their teeth and go through their pre-bed routine. Follow this with a ‘lights out’ policy to help prompt the kids to make their way to bed and distinguish between playtime and bedtime.
Wake them up with a treat
Get everyone gathered around for a proper camping breakfast. Jamie Oliver has some great ideas for this. A disposable bbq is a good call if you want to cook hot food together, though there are plenty of no-cook options.
Back garden camping is a great test run to see if the kids are ready to go on a proper camping trip. If the kids have enjoyed the night, it might be time to begin looking for holiday sites for the whole family.