Happy children in the tent
Parent & Child
25.04.2025 Gabriele Strasser 5000

Camping with children - tips and recommendations

Vacation in a hotel? I was never particularly interested. Vacation apartment? Only if there's no other option. For me and my family, vacations are synonymous with tents and camping. A camping mom reports.

I admit it, the first two years with a small child we booked vacation apartments. Trotting around a dark campsite at four in the morning with a crying baby was unimaginable. Then, shortly before our son's third birthday, we went camping for the first time: three weeks in a tent on the French Atlantic coast. And it was wonderful! Since then, we've spent all our big summer vacations in a tent, whether in sunny Corsica or drizzly Scotland. 

3 reasons why camping with children is great: 

  • Being outside all day and even all night - when do you get that as an office worker and city dweller? And because of the fresh air, children sleep great!
  • The weather is bad, the beach not so nice after all? Unlike hotel vacations, you can move on at any time when camping. 
  • Camping is cozy and brings the family together. 

There is a lot to discover on campsites

What makes camping with children so relaxed: there is always plenty to discover around the campsite. Whether it's a stream, trees suitable for climbing or a small playground. And everything is right on the doorstep. As soon as the children are a little older, they like to go exploring on their own and make friends with other children. And the adults? Sitting comfortably in front of the tent and can finally talk or read a book in peace!

Tip: When camping, you can hear everything - that's why the pitch should not be near a large group or even a beach bar. 

Camping, glamping or mobile home - the right offer for every type of camper

Sitting on the ground in front of the tent and making tea on a small gas stove? Not everyone's cup of tea. How good that there is now a suitable pitch for every type of camper. For purists as well as campers who like a bit of comfort. These are known as "mobile homes". Ready-made large tents with a stove, fridge and other amenities. And the term "glamping" refers to original and luxurious camping accommodation. But beware: all these things are in high demand, so it pays to book early. 

3 reasons why children love camping

  • Unzip and get out! Outside the tent, nature awaits 
  • Nowhere else can you make new friends as quickly as at the campsite
  • There's a lot to discover on the campsite - certainly more than in a hotel room

What you need to take with you when camping with children

  • Sleeping bag and sleeping mat: good quality pays off here
  • Small pillow: increases the cuddle factor and ensures a good night's sleep
  • Headlamp: Indispensable for going to the toilet at night or watching a picture book in a tent or motorhome
  • Toys: When camping, the classics such as a ball, bucket and shovel prove their worth - there are always other players to play with. 
  • Books and audio games 
  • A small backpack for all the treasures you find on vacation
  • A pocket knife and magnifying glass for older children
  • Rubber boots and rain jacket.

Book tip: Cool Camping - order now in the pme store

Admittedly, there are also ugly campsites. Barren areas in unattractive surroundings or permanent camper van castles with garden gnomes and plastic lawns. Those looking for something special will find individually managed campsites with that special something in the "Cool Camping" camping guides. 

You can order the "Cool Camping" camping guides via our webshop. Simply register at familienservice and browse through our extensive range.
 

zero Boredom in children - Education

Two children laugh into the camera
Parent & Child
08.07.2021 Christin Müller 6747

"Mom, dad! I'm bored!"

How often have you heard this sentence from your children in the last week? Once, twice or ten times? Books, sport, tablets and television: some parents do a lot to ensure that their children are well entertained and stimulated. But is this really the right thing to do? What would happen if children were left alone with themselves and their boredom from time to time? How would that affect their development?

But what do we actually mean by boredom? The educational consultant Dr. Jan-Uwe Rogge formulates it accurately:

Boredom means lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling, sitting in an armchair lost in thought, daydreaming, having time for your own ideas, deepening them, times when nothing, but absolutely nothing is planned or scheduled."

I remember my childhood very well and the boredom that came with it. I felt like I spent half my childhood staring at the flowers on the wallpaper in my nursery - sometimes alone, sometimes with my friends. And the other half? I did handicrafts, played bookshop on my parents' bookshelf, went out into nature, read a lot - Pippi Longstocking, my heroine from my childhood book days, is still my favorite literary character. And I did all this without any guidance from my parents. The most I ever saw them in the summer was at the dinner table. Today, I sometimes have the feeling that life was more beautiful and freer for us - the children of that time.

Boredom must be learned

The trend towards supporting children with music, exercise and language lessons has increased significantly in recent years. Children should not have to spend time on their own. Young children play intensively, attend toddler groups, baby swimming lessons and go to the playground every day.

The pattern continues with the childcare center and school children: After school, there should be at least one more sport - soccer on Mondays, karate on Wednesdays and swimming on Saturdays, musical talent should also be encouraged and the muse kisses not only the talented, but also the hard-working. From time to time, the TV or tablet will have to make do.

A guilty conscience also plays no small role when work - and adult life in general - is added to the mix. And even if the children themselves often want it that way, isn't it also a critical sign of this time that children should be kept busy? What are we afraid of? That our children won't be able to cope with the competition? That they will be bored to death or just get up to mischief? Have we become nothing just because we stared at the ceiling for days on end?

According to a study conducted by Bepanthen Kinderförderung in collaboration with Bielefeld University in 2015, one in six children and one in five adolescents in Germany exhibit clear symptoms of stress. The causes lie in the (too) high expectations of parents and the associated lack of freedom for self-determination. Isn't it therefore better to see boredom as an opportunity for creative play, the development of one's own thinking and will?

Nothing is more important than allowing a free spirit to grow in order to shape it. This certainly does not happen if the child is not given any chance at all to let it grow.

My interests also developed over the years: photography, sewing, drawing and writing. I was also in a sports club ... none of which my parents got me into. I was lucky enough to be able to decide freely and try things out. Was this encouraged by the boredom that my parents allowed? I think: yes!

Playing is for children

"Children are happiest when playing independently," writes US psychologist Dr. Laura Markham on her website ahaparenting.com. "This is how children learn to process emotions and experiences". Children need their own experiences - whether it's building with blocks to develop motor and cognitive skills, playing with other children to develop interaction and social skills or creativity through activities such as crafting or painting - children need to experience what it means to create something themselves, Markham continues.

Children get bored

Always allow boredom

Boredom encourages this creativity and self-determined play. It can often be observed that children come up with great ideas after a period of boredom. Many renowned brain researchers, educationalists and pedagogues have written on the subject of children's boredom. One of their central demands is always: Allow boredom!

The well-known educationalist Peter Struck is quoted in an article published in 2006:

"Children need to learn how to deal with idle time and how to occupy themselves on their own. If parents always step in, that will never happen."

Family therapist Jesper Juul also states in an interview that children often get bored when there is a lack of external stimulation from computer games, DVDs or television. Many parents literally feel compelled to continue these inspiring activities at home. The pressure is actually created by the children, because they have simply been made "addicted to stimulation". However, it is essential to create islands for the children where they can simply be bored children - without any external stimulation.

The author and educational consultant Jan-Uwe Rogge says:

"If a child feels safe in relationships, boredom is extremely important for personality development. It is a time that belongs only to the child."

And psychologist and mother Dr. Vanessa Lapointe also writes on her blog in the Huffington Post: "Children need to sink into their own boredom so that the world around them becomes so quiet that they can hear themselves".

So there is nothing reprehensible about allowing boredom or even teaching it to your children. No, it is even beneficial. Remember this the next time your child doesn't know what to do with their time and sit back and relax.

pme Lernwelten - Your provider of company daycare centers

As a provider of over 75 childcare and educational facilities, we offer parents and their children high-quality and flexible education. Our colorful teams are made up of people from different nations, with diverse talents and interests.

You can find out more about our educational concept and current vacancies here: www.familienservice.de/web/pme-lernwelten

 

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Further sources:

http://www.sueddeutsche.de/leben/die-muehen-der-erziehung-laaaaangweilig-1.2660964

http://www.stern.de/familie/kinder/daddylicious/kinder--langeweile-ist-wichtig-fuer-die-kindliche-entwicklung-7002370.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.de/2016/07/05/kinder-hauufig-langweilen_n_10816324.html

http://www.freundin.de/darum-sollten-sich-kinder-langweilen

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/09/being-bored-is-good-for-children-and-adults-this-is-why?utm_content=bufferb8f6b&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffe