Tips and Ideas for Camping at Home with Kids

HOW TO HAVE A CAMPING ADVENTURE WHEN YOU CAN’T TRAVEL

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Some of the best memories I have from my childhood are the times we went camping as a family. Being outside, swimming, hiking, playing cards, sitting around the campfire listening to the grownups tell stories and laugh, eating breakfast at a picnic table while the birds chirped and the sun rose - those happy memories will stay with me for a lifetime.

Now that I have kids of my own, I’m excited to make our own camping memories. We’ve had a few camping experiences so far, and let me tell you that camping with a toddler is NOT EASY.

Not only does it require a ton of equipment, but you’re constantly worried about your new wobbly walker getting too close to the fire, what they’re putting in their mouth, and trying to entertain the older kids while the toddler needs attention.

If the idea of camping with your little kids feels overwhelming, you’re trying to save money for a big vacation, or you’re trying to make the most of a period when you’re stuck at home, backyard camping might be the perfect solution for you.

Here are my top ideas and tips for having a blast in your own backyard- or living room, while still feeling the excitement of a camping adventure.

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WHY YOU SHOULD TRY BACKYARD CAMPING

IT’S CHEAP: Maybe your family is saving money for a bigger trip, but you’re going stir crazy without any travel in the near future. Backyard camping changes up your normal routine and feels like a special adventure without spending much money. You just need a few inexpensive items like hot dogs, s’ mores, and flashlights.
YOU DON’T NEED ALL THE GEAR: When we took our very first family camping trip, I was stunned by just how much gear we needed to borrow or purchase. A tent, sleeping bags and sleeping pads, cooking gear, lanterns, camp chairs, toiletries, bug spray - the list goes on and on. At home, you can just use your kitchen, indoor plumbing, and you can always go back to your own beds if sleeping in the tent is uncomfortable.
IT’S GOOD PRACTICE: With young kids, you might not know how they’ll respond to sleeping in a tent or outside. Trying it out close to home feels safe because you can always go inside if the kids aren’t having it instead of driving hours back to your house.
LESS PLANNING: While you still need to plan a few days in advance for grocery shopping purposes, camping at home requires MUCH less planning than a legitimate camping trip. You don’t have to reserve a campsite, pack your car, fill a cooler, or figure out how to get there.
IT’S A FUN CHANGE OF PACE: This is such an easy way to make amazing memories with your kids. Camping at home feels so special and different to them and makes what would be a normal weekend at home extra fun.

IDEAS FOR BACKYARD CAMPING

1. PITCH A TENT

If the weather is nice, go ahead and set up your camping tent in the backyard! Not only will you have an adventure sleeping outside, but the kids will be THRILLED to have this new play space. It will absolutely buy you some free time while the kids have a blast in their new “fort.”

You can also set up your tent indoors if the weather isn’t cooperative, or if you just feel more comfortable inside! You’ll have to check to see if the tent fits, but our kids couldn’t get over how exciting it was to have the tent in the house. They begged us to keep it up for a few days.

As a last resort, if you don’t have a tent or it doesn’t fit in the house, you can certainly use a teepee or make your own DIY fort using couches, chairs, clothespins, blankets, pillows, and more!

2. GO FOR A HIKE

If you can, get out in nature! You could explore your own neighborhood or find a local park or trail. Use this time to talk with your kids about the plants and animals you see on your walk.

Ask them what they see, point out beautiful flowers or colorful birds. Look for ants and bugs on the ground. Count how many squirrels you see.

Without a doubt, your kids will want to start a “collection” of rocks or sticks. Whatever it takes to get them interested in the outdoors!

3. DO A SCAVENGER HUNT

Whether you take the scavenger hunt on your nature hike or just look around your own backyard, this fun page of camping-themed items to find is perfect for your at-home camping adventure.

I grabbed a clipboard and pencil for each of the kids and let them go to town checking off everything they found.

4. GRILL OUT

Grab some hot dogs and hamburgers and enjoy a meal in the great outdoors! Even though you’re just in your own yard, eating a meal outside will make your whole family feel like they’re “roughing it.”

And since you’re so close to your own kitchen, now is a good time to experiment with some new-to-you camping recipes! Trying something new when you’re far away in the wilderness could backfire, so get the kids excited about future camping trips by having them vote on their favorite new campfire or grilling recipe.

5. PLAY BACKYARD GAMES

One of the benefits of being right at home is that you have access to all of your yard games and toys.

Set up a beanbag toss, play croquet, toss a baseball, run through the sprinkler, or set up the water table. Whatever you have on hand, bring it out and enjoy being outside together as a family!

6. MAKE A SNACK TRAY

Another meal option for camping at home is the snack tray. In our family, every Sunday after church we have a living room snack tray picnic for lunch. For camping, we ramped it up a notch!

I love this idea especially if you have picky kids. You can serve all different kinds of food and everyone gets to pick what they want. Include fruit, vegetables, crackers, chips, pretzels, cheese, marshmallows, dry cereal - anything you can dream up that will fit on the tray.

Another alternative is muffin tin snack trays - you can make each child an individual snack tray in the muffin tins. Check out this post on Merricks Art for lots of creative ideas!

7. MAKE A CAMPFIRE

Time to get creative! Not everyone has a firepit in the backyard for a real campfire. Other options are building a fire in your fireplace (if you have one), or just making a pretend fire to sit around and tell stories or sing songs!

I saved up paper towel and toilet paper rolls for a week or so before our camping adventure and used those as the “sticks.” The actual fire was my daughter’s nightlight. The red setting looked like the perfect blazing fire. Orange, red, and yellow tissue paper would also do the trick.

Bring your camp chairs inside for an even more realistic campfire atmosphere.

8. MAKE INDOOR S’MORES

When I was little, whenever the summer Olympics were on we would have a sleepover in my parents’ room to watch the games, and my mom ALWAYS made this indoor s’ mores recipe.

I whipped up a batch for our at-home camping adventure, and it was a big hit with the kids! Since we don’t have a real campfire at home, I decided that these s’ mores bars were a good alternative to actual s’ mores.

Other options include s’ mores trail mix, marshmallow and chocolate dip with Graham crackers as the dippers, or microwaved marshmallows to create real s’ mores.

9. MAKE USE OF LIGHTS

Hang fairy lights, buy some glow sticks, or get flashlights and lanterns for each of the kids.

Having the cozy glow of lights when it starts to get dark is the perfect way to make this adventure feel special and different from every other night at home.

Plus, having their own light might help young kids who are nervous about sleeping in the tent feel a bit braver.

10. WATCH A NATURE-THEMED MOVIE

The great thing about being at home is you have access to Wifi and streaming services! Put on Pocahontas, Homeward Bound, The Lion King, or any other movie set in nature for your kids to enjoy.

Pile up the blankets and pillows, get cozy, pop some popcorn over the fire (or heck - just use the microwave), and wind down with a movie.

If you’re sleeping outside, make your movie even more special by using a mini outdoor projector! These are awesome because you can just plug in your Fire Stick or any other USB stick to show your favorite movies.

11. SING CAMPFIRE SONGS AND TELL STORIES

Introduce your kids to classic campfire songs like We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, The Green Grass Grows All Around, Down By The Bay (I love listening to the rhymes my kids come up with), I Met a Bear, and Home on the Range.

If you’ve got a knack for storytelling or you know some not-so-scary campfire stories, have the kids gather around, put the flashlight under your chin, and tell a story!

TIPS FOR BACKYARD CAMPING

PLAN AHEAD

Make sure you have the necessary ingredients for your s’ mores and campfire/grill meals. Do some grocery shopping a few days before your “camping trip.”

You may also want to think about what items you want for your campfire - whether it’s real or fake - and if you want to buy inexpensive accessories like glow sticks, flashlights, or individual plastic food baskets.

HAVE ACTIVITIES PLANNED OUT

Make sure you have plenty set up for kids to do. For us, the whole point of at-home camping was to make the day feel special and different from every other day. It was a way to have an adventure in our own backyard.

Usually, I’m ALL about the free play for the kids because I’m not their cruise director. But for camping, I made sure we had the scavenger hunt and other backyard games set up. I think my excitement helped it feel special for them!

GO WITH THE FLOW

My travel philosophy applies to at-home camping as well. Have a plan, be prepared, but go with the flow. If the kids get caught up in one activity and are having a blast, let them keep doing it! Don’t interrupt them just to hustle them to the next planned activity.

If you’re trying to get them to sleep outside but they’re fighting it, just having a campout sleepover in the living room. Remember, this is supposed to be a way to bond with your kids and spend quality time with them.