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Some Tips for Camping with Kids:  I have included a lot of links through to other articles or to items I think will be useful to you. So check them out.

 Get excited

• Perhaps the most important thing you can do to get your kids to have a good time camping is to get excited yourself. Hype it up. Talk about how great it is going to be and how much you are looking forward to it. Your enthusiasm will be contagious. (Of course too much enthusiasm might turn off those pesky teenagers but you run the risk of that anyway so go nuts!) Kids want to be a part of the fun and if they see that you are having fun chances are they will too.

Try it out

• Try a backyard or even living room camp out first. Set up the tent, roll out the sleeping bags, set out your flashlights. Spend an evening either inside your living room camp without the tv or lights on or in your backyard. Turn on a white noise machine with some cricket noises. Tell ghost stories. Play games. Eat some camping type food. It may feel silly but it will accomplish a few things: you can test out your equipment and make sure it all works and you know how to set up the tent. Your kids will see how it all works and get a feel for where they will be sleeping and how it will be. Plus it is fun!
• Go on day trips to nature so a whole camping trip won’t feel so overwhelming. Visit nature centers, zoos, parks, the beach. Go fishing. Go hiking. Jump in a creek.
• Practice camping with a doll or stuffed animal. Set up a blanket tent for your doll. Use some of your real camping equipment or get one of these really cute toy sets. 

Prepare your kids for the new experiences

• Practice setting up the tent. (You will want to do this anyway. You don’t want to spend the first hour at the campsite struggling with your tent. This will not instill confidence in your kids or set you off on the path to fun.)
• Use your flashlight or headlamp. Try using the flashlight instead of a light at night to find the bathroom. This can be a source of anxiety for kids. Talk about where the bathroom will be at the campground and what they will do when they have to go to the bathroom in the night.
• Sleep in their sleeping bag in their bed to test it out.
• Talk about the sounds they will hear at night in nature- frogs, insects, coyote howls.
• Talk about what animals they might see during the day or at night. Look through field guides and other books. Mammals,  tracks, amphibians and reptiles, birds (western and eastern)
• Read some books about camping and talk about the experiences in the books. There are some beautiful and informative camping and survival books and many of your kids’ favorite characters have their own camping books including Curious George, The Critters, Maisy, and  Cailou. I love this author and illustrator too.  

Teach about respect for nature and how to be safe.

Have age appropriate discussions with your children before you go and throughout your trip.

• Talk before you go about what behavior is acceptable in nature and what behavior is not okay. Talk about the importance of staying on trails both for their safety and for the safety of the wildlife. Discuss how far they will be allowed to explore around the campground itself.
• Teach them how to use a compass and a map. 
• Make sure they know what plants to avoid look like such as poison ivy, poison oak  and stinging nettles.  Talk about what to do if come into contact with them. Bring along anti itch medicine and anti poison ivy/oak washes.
• Talk about fire safety and what kind of behavior is acceptable around the fire. Talk about whether or not they will be involved in helping to build and/or stoke the fire. Kids love fire and love to be involved. Help to avoid a meltdown by discussing beforehand how much they will be allowed to be involved with adding wood to the fire.
• Discuss how to avoid and what to do if come across a dangerous animal like a bear , mountain lion or rattlesnake . 
• Teach basic first aid. Show them where the first aid kit is and how to use it (if age appropriate).
• Teach kids how to look for ticks.  
• Teach them how to pay attention to where they are going when exploring. As you are walking around teach about landmarks, positions of the sun, where water is heard etc. Show them where you are on a map. Talk them through how you pay attention to your surroundings.
• Teach your children what to do if lost- hug a tree. 
• Take a digital picture of your child at the beginning of your trip or each day so that you have a recent photo to show authorities if needed
• Give every child a whistle. It is easier to hear at a distance than a child’s voice

Get your kids involved in the planning

• Where to go
  • Get out the maps and photos and have them help you chose where to go.
• What to eat
  • Who doesn’t love to dream of what you are going to eat. At least if you are cold or tired you can still look forward to those s’mores you know are coming. Eating is a big part of everyone’s day and being involved in the planning for the food helps kids feel like they are a part of the event. 
  • Have some flexibility. Be creative. You are camping. This is your chance to eat hot dogs and oatmeal for breakfast if that is what the kids decide. You can always plan something more civilized for yourself. 
• What activities you will do when you get there
• What to pack
  • Have them help make a list, then let them pack from the list. Of course, double check what they have packed.
  • I love this idea of a visual packing list seen here originally blogged here available in pdf format as a way to get even the youngest kid to help packing. (Can you tell I hate packing.)

Set yourself up for success

• Be reasonable in your expectations. You don’t want to turn your family off to camping with a difficult experience at first. Ease into that ten day long backpacking trip in the wilderness that is eight hours away. Yes, you might have a romantic ideal of getting way out in nature with your family, teaching them to really rough it, and there is no reason you can’t eventually do that. But keep in mind your reasons for going camping. And remember they can be accomplished car camping an hour from your house too. And once everyone has the camping bug there will be no stopping them. 
• Make your first trips out short and close to home. Chose a family-friendly campground. Go somewhere with bathrooms, even showers, and picnic tables. Consider super family-friendly campgrounds that even have playgrounds or pools. 
• Have some car games ready for the travel. Love all the games at MomsMinivan. 
• Choose your site carefully so you can relax at camp. Think about hazards around campsite. For example, you might not want to be next to a rushing stream if you are camping with young kids or you will never get any rest for fear they will fall in the water. 
• Be reasonable when planning day hikes. Be prepared to carry kids if they get too tired.
• Keep organized at campsite. Teach kids to return gear to where it belongs. This can save your sanity. 
• Make notes for yourself about what you need to bring next time, replenish, do again, do differently.

Good planning on your part can make all the difference

• Make sure your equipment works. Know how to set up your tent, use your stove, set up your lantern. Test it out. Make sure you have the right fuel, batteries, extra bulbs/mantles. 
• Have all the equipment you need to make your trip a success:
  • Flashlight or headlamp for each person
  • Sunscreen
  • Insect repellant for bodies and/or for the campsite
  • Enough snacks and water for everyone
  • The right clothing for everyone. Remember kids get colder and hotter faster than adults. Bring lots of layers.
  • Make sure the bed is comfortable and warm
• Use a checklist to make packing and repacking easier
• Bring a First Aid Kit 
• Use common sense planning tips.  Have the directions. Bring maps for the area. Tell people where you are going. Have the correct passes for the area. Bring some cash.
• We keep our camping gear ready to go. When we get home we clean up and replenish our gear so we are ready to take off.

Plan activites 

• For daytime
• For nighttime around campfire
• For foul weather or extreme boredom (some boredom is good though- it can inspire some great plans)
• Bring an emergency special toy you can bust out if need to.

Be flexible

• Have down time too. Don’t plan every moment. Part of the fun of being outside is the lazy time in between spent staring at the sky or just laying in the grass.
• Go with what you find. Abandon that hike if you find a great line of ants to investigate. 
• Follow their whims
• If/when something goes wrong-laugh. If the rain has got you down bust out that scrabble game.

Get dirty. I love this book i love dirt! Be inspired, even by the title

• Plan ahead with dirty clothes and camp clothes and shoes that remain clean(ish) for both you and your kids
• Pack each day’s clothes in a ziploc. After you undress put back in the ziploc. Keeps dirty away from clean in your bag.
• Bring extra clothes and shoes.

Make everything a game or contest

You know how well it can work at home- even better when camping. 

• Who can collect the most: firewood, pinecones, rocks to mark campsite
• Who can be the fastest at: setting up the tent, unrolling the sleeping bag, getting water
• Chores that can be a drag at home suddenly seem more fun (for a bit) when camping. Many a non-dishwashing kid can be persuaded to wash dishes out of a tub when camping. Take advantage of this. 

Make clear rules

• Before you go discuss what will happen and what is expected of them
• When get to camp make clear where the boundaries are and where and when they are allowed to explore. I love the idea of making glow in the dark rocks seen here  and originally blogged here to mark the campsite boundaries. Be sure to make them at home and take them home with you. Or bring string to mark a trail or circle that kids are allowed to be within.
• Teach about the rules of campsites- noise level, dog ettiquette etc.
• Teach about No Trace Camping

Tips for Camping with an infant.  

Cooking

• Plan easy meals so you don’t spend all your time cooking and cleaning
• Cook meals over campfire or on sticks are big hits with kids (and easy cleanup for parents).
• Bring treats

Empower your kids

• Let them lead the hike
• Let them choose the food
• Take a picture of the fish they catch, no matter how big it is. Then fry that fish up and eat it.
• Thank them for their help. Tell them you are proud of them

Most important:

Be with your kids. Be present. Leave behind your cell phone and computer. Immerse yourself in the moment and in their excitement. Be enthusiastic. Make the memories for you and your kids. This is that time you are going to look back on and smile!