Go Out and Camp On!: 7 Reasons To Go Camping With Your Kids

Yay, the year-end holiday is finally here, mummies! But yet, like most, I doubt that the kids are looking forward to it as they normally would. As much as we'd want them to enjoy their holidays, there's a part of us that's worried about the general health of our family. However, I'm sure we wouldn't want our kids to feel demotivated for not being able to do anything much or go anywhere this school holiday. Don't worry, mummies! You can still make the holiday as fun as it used to be. Here’s a suggestion: Go camping! We're fortunate to be blessed with large tracts of tropical rainforests; beautiful yet mysterious. Hence, now is the time for you and your family to appreciate nature more! Even if you don’t consider yourself as a nature-loving and adventurous type, you’d be surprised by how camping can change your outlook once you give it a try. Photo Credit: Taman Negara There are so many benefits that you and the kids could gain from this camping experience. Read on to find out what they are! 1. Flexible & Unconventional We're so used to the idea of us going out during the holidays like swimming at the beach, having fun at theme parks, and breathing in the cool air and calmness of the highlands that we can't even imagine not doing these things at all. But for a camping holiday, it's definitely an unconventional experience and trust us when we say that it'd give you and your family a different outlook on what holidays should look like. Not bounded by the rules of checking-in and checking-out, dress codes, and fixed itineraries, camping is very flexible and you can enjoy it at your own pace. A bonus for busy mums and their kids! 2. Fostering Nature Appreciation A heightened appreciation for the beauty of nature increases your kids' understanding of the importance of conserving and protecting that beauty. Living in an urban city, our kids may have missed many fleeting moments of bonding with nature. Camping is one way to instil love in Mother Earth and inculcate environmental awareness in them. As we all know, our kids would be left to take care of this earth once we're gone and they'd pass that responsibility to the next generation. Yet, most of us take the beauty of nature for granted. So, by inviting the kids to go camping out in the wild, it'd make them appreciate nature more! 3. Bonding & Quality Time Of course, you can have quality time together anywhere and anytime. But by bringing the kids to go camping, you'd realise how it'll give you and your family all the time in the world and space to learn more about each other and how much you mean to one another. Out in the woods, there’d be no gadgets to distract and entertain you. And even if there are gadgets, I doubt it that they'd even have full-data coverage. Without gadgets, you and your family would try to entertain each other with what you have. Also, it’s an opportunity for us, the parents to spend more time with the kids, too. No running errands, no house chores, no emails – just you and your family sharing stories and spending time together. 4. Educational Opportunities You don’t need books or even the Internet to learn. Camping would definitely be a great educational outlet for the kids. Take every opportunity available to learn new things with your kids. Explain to them about photosynthesis, talk about fire and combustion, and teach them the science of cooking. Camping also teaches quite a few important life lessons that your kids will carry with them for years to come. Plus, it's a great way for them to learn self-sufficiency and to hone their abilities to survive in the face of unexpected circumstances. 5. Building Self-Esteem A mum once said to me, “I need to enrol my son in public speaking classes. He's very shy and has very low confidence.” Camping is another solution to raise your kids' confidence. Allowing them to try new things, develop skills, and overcome challenges in a supportive and caring environment could create more confident kids. Feeling capable of doing something like setting up the tent, giving opinions to solutions like starting a campfire, or even helping out to make the whole camping experience more ‘comfortable’ help in building character and self-esteem. 6. Staying Healthy & Safe Yup, I must admit that I'm one of those mummies who's extra worried with the COVID-19 pandemic. I wouldn’t want to take a single risk if it involves the health and safety of my kids. Though the pandemic is widespread and you could actually get it anywhere, even out in the woods, the chances are so much lower. Camping is one of the activities that require a much lesser interaction with the public. Hence, I'd definitely consider camping for this year’s year-end activity with the kids. On the other hand, camping itself is a healthy recreational activity. It promotes a sense of adventure and a positive outlook that underpins good mental health in oneself. Also, you're expected to spend most of the time performing physical activities during camping. You'd burn more calories sitting in front of the campfire than you'd burn sitting on the couch in your living room. Walking and hiking are unavoidable; just don’t push it too hard with the kids. 7. Developing Life-Long Skills A camping experience would definitely let your kids acquire and develop more life-long skills. Skills as simple as lighting up the fire, building a strong and stable tent to sleep in, cooking unburnt food, and even skills to avoid being bitten by pesky mosquitos. These may not be in your standard school syllabus, and yet, they're just as important. It'd be a great advantage for your kids to acquire these skills from their very own experiences. So, mummies, what's stopping you from packing up and going camping? Hurry and hit that Google button to research further! There are many kid-friendly private camping sites in Malaysia and don't be surprised if there’s one right behind your residence. So, don’t be afraid to try something new, because you won’t know how much fun it would be with the kids if you don’t even try. So, let’s pack up and welcome nature with open arms, mummies! Year-end holidays are great in so many ways, especially when you have fun family activities to fill up your time. For more fun-filled holiday ideas right within your home, visit our Cuti-Cuti Family articles here!

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