Top Tips for Caravanning with Kids

Kids gain so much life experience from travelling with the family. They enjoy the dedicated time together and will see places they will talk about for years. The experiences and memories kids gain from travelling cannot be underestimated. Our kids still talk about places we have been and things we have done, as well as the funny stories that go with travelling together. Things will go wrong and there are times when you will question why you thought it was a good idea to jam the family in a tin can for an extended period of time. But with some planning the adventures can be life changing for everyone.

Planning

Get the kids involved as early as possible in the planning stage. Depending on age, the kids can help with research around the destination and what they would like to do. Activities that they find themselves will encourage them to get involved and get excited about where they are heading. If your kids are really young, don’t overthink it. They will enjoy the memories of being together as family more than the places they visit.

The kids can also help pick the caravan park based on what activities they enjoy. Parks have so much to offer for families with some offering full schedules of kids activities, including pools and jumping pillows to fishing and beach access. Just make sure the kids understand the budget – some of these parks can be costly and if they are not in your price range then let the kids know early so they don’t get carried away.

If you are heading on a road trip, get the kids a large laminated map that you can keep on the table. The map doubles as a place mat and a talking point for where you have been and where you are heading. Also gives the kids a better understanding of the country and how far away towns and cities are. The kids can mark places they have stayed or the itinerary on the map and follow the route.

Checking out the view on Kangaroo Island

In the Car

Some planning here can make a long car journal a lot more enjoyable for everyone. Bored kids can make the journey feel longer than necessary with extra stops and fights and tears along the way. The kids need to be kept occupied with activities that they enjoy. Movies and games are a great start. Especially games for the whole family. The kids always loved it when we joined in with a game of car cricket or eye spy. We made up different games around the colours of the cars we passed, games that the kids still joke about now.

Snacks are also super important. Nothing worse that hearing “I’m hungry” from the back seat 10 mins after breakfast. Stick to healthy snacks though as too much sugar makes the kids more unsettled. Fruit and dry crackers are good choices. Even consider getting the kids involved with the shopping and cooking so they will know what they can eat in the car. Its hard for them to be grumpy when they picked the snacks.

Ensure you have planned stops so that the kids can burn off some energy. Try to plan lunch stops around a playground or a skate park. We always carried the kids scooters in the back of the car so that they could be playing while we were making lunch. Tired kids are quiet kids.

Baby wipes should always be packed even when you have no babies. They are just so versatile. One trip, while we were travelling down a major freeway with nowhere to stop, one of the kids got a blood nose. I shuffled around in my bag trying to find tissues, or anything to stem the flow. Eventually he ended up with a sanitary pad stuck to his face. The older kids thought it was the funniest thing ever. Since that day we have never left home without wipes or tissues.

Noughts and Crosses – the kids loved chilling with a game.

Clothes and Laundry

Don’t pack good clothes for caravanning. Kids will be playing more outside during a holiday than at home and they will get dirty. Darker clothes are also a better choice as the washing machines are not great and clothes tend to get out of shape and stained. Cheap clothes from budget stores are ideal as you can throw them away if they come out of the machine stained. You also do not want to be wasting time with delicate fabrics and soaking.

Pack a bucket with a lid for washing small items while travelling. Put some water in the bucket with some detergent and place the lid firmly on. The clothes will swish away while you are driving to your next destination. When you arrive give the clothes a rinse and a squeeze and hang them out to dry. Don’t forget to save your $1 and $2 coins for the washing machines too.

Always pack extra towels and bedding for the kids. I understand this takes up a fair bit of space but being caught short is not fun. We went away one year and our daughter got gastro and threw up in all the bedding. She ended up sleeping among towels and jackets after every rug had vomit on it. Fast drying towels are also a great idea and they fold down smaller, are lighter and dry really quickly.

A photography competition – now the kids are bigger the entertainment changes

Helping out

There is always lots to do when setting up and packing up a caravan. There are jobs that the kids can do so that everything runs smoothly. Giving the kids age appropriate jobs gives them responsibility and help the family out. Our kids were responsible for putting down the jacks, setting up the chairs and table, helping pop the top and making sure their beds were made. There are always dishes to do, clothes to fold and toys to keep tidy. Caravans are a small space and can get messy really quickly so everyone should play their part in keeping everything clean and tidy.

Education

Schooling on the road is probably not necessary if you are only heading away for a few weeks. But to keep our kids minds active we always got them to keep a journal of our travels. They picked their own note books and stationary so they were invested in the project from the start. We helped them with things like – the amount of kms travelled, any entry costs that we may have paid, towns we visited, where we stayed and any activities that we did. It is interesting how each of the kids tackled the task. Our eldest just loved to write a couple of lines and then stick brochures and tickets in his journal. Our daughter designed pretty headings and wrote in different colours – it was a work of art and then our youngest would not keep still for 5 minutes to write anything.

Activity and puzzle books are another way to educate the kids while on the road. Simple crosswords helps with their spelling and maths books ensure they don’t fall behind. Colouring can calms the kids if they are cooped up in the van during bad weather. Card games are a fun way to sneak in some extra education. Games that involve numbers and counting or board games with dice also encourages counting.

Pocket money is another way to help the kids learn. They could have an allowance for the whole trip or a daily rate, then they can budget to purchase what they would like to buy. We introduced this for our week away during summer. The kids were forever asking for lollies or an ice cream. So we gave them $30 for the week and they could spend it on what ever they wanted. The learnt really quickly not to spend it in the first day. Eventually they ever joined forces to buy bulk packs of ice creams from the supermarket to save their money.

Don’t forget

First aide kit. The kids are bound to injure themselves at some stage
Clothes line of sorts – rope between 2 trees is fine.
Favourite toy or teddy.
Extra sheets, towels and bedding.
Card and Board games.
Drink bottles.

Final Word

Kids get used to being in the car and on the road. They find their groove and entertain themselves depending on their interests. Our kids have travelled so many kilometres and we have had good and bad days. We found each child needed different things to keep them happy and we all got into a good rhythm. You will find your rhythm and what works for your family. Just go with it. Embrace the craziness of being on the road. You will all be richer for it.