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Time to read 4 min
Camping with Kids — A Practical Family Playbook
"Camping with kids" is the phrase that makes some parents flinch. Tantrums in tents, midnight wee accidents, the kid who decides they hate camping after one rainy night. It can absolutely go badly.
Or it can become the family ritual everyone talks about for decades. The difference is preparation, expectations, and starting at a level that matches the kids' ages. Here's the practical playbook.
Photo by Marcos Vinicius Ferreira on Unsplash
1. Start with a trial run, not the bush
The classic mistake: jumping straight to a remote bush camp with the kids. Then nothing works, the toilets are 200m away through bush, and someone cries.
Better starter sequence:
- Set up the tent in the backyard for a "test night" — kids sleep in it, you sleep in the house
- Then a one-night caravan park within an hour of home — clean toilets/showers, hot water, kid-friendly facilities, and you can bail home easily if it falls apart
- Then a two-night caravan park further afield
- Then a national park camp with basic facilities
- THEN a remote bush camp
Most families fast-track the first two stages and pay for it.
2. Pick the campsite for the kids, not the view
- Toilets close — within 50m for under-7s
- Hot showers — at least for the first few trips. The 5-day-bush-shower experience can wait
- Drinking water on tap — refilling from a creek with a filter every hour wears you out
- Camp kitchen with shelter — invaluable in a downpour
- Other families nearby — kids find friends, you find adult conversation
- Safe play area — flat grass, room for ball games, not on a steep slope
BIG4 caravan parks tick all these boxes. National parks with developed campgrounds (Wilsons Prom Tidal River, Booderee Green Patch, Cradle Mountain visitor area) are the next step up.
Photo: Museums Victoria / Unsplash
3. Pack right — practical over fashionable
Kids' camping clothes ≠ kids' Instagram clothes:
- Sturdy enclosed shoes — toes get hurt fast in rough country
- Long pants and long sleeves for evening — protects against bugs and cold
- Spare everything — they WILL fall in the creek, eat dinner with their hands, find mud
- Hat and sunscreen, daily — UV at altitude or near water is brutal
- Beanie even in summer (cold mornings)
- Warm sleeping bag rated to at least 0°C even in summer (alpine nights drop)
- Their own torch (essential for confidence + bathroom trips)
4. Hazards to actively manage
- Water — kids near creeks, beaches, dams need active adult supervision (within arm's reach for under-5s). PFD on for water activities
- Fire — the campfire is hypnotic to kids. Set firm boundaries (1m from the ring at all times) and never leave it unattended with kids around
- Snakes/spiders — see our safety guide. Rule one: shoes always
- Getting lost — even at established campsites, kids wander. Set boundaries, do regular head counts, give bigger kids a whistle
- In croc country (NT, FNQ): no water access, ever. No exceptions for 3-year-olds who want to splash
Photo: Christopher Ott / Unsplash
5. Activities — keep them moving and engaged
Bored kids are unhappy kids. Plan more activities than you think you need:
- Ball games — soccer, footy, frisbee, cricket. Don't get hung up on rules — let them invent
- Bush bingo — pre-made cards listing things to spot at camp
- Rock pool exploring (if coastal)
- Stargazing after dark with a star app on the phone (red filter to preserve night vision)
- Marshmallow toasting (safest is gas stove with a long fork; campfire if allowed)
- Kite flying (always pack one)
- Fishing — see our kids fishing guide
For night-time, see our 9 campsite games guide.
6. Camp with friends if you can
Camping with another family — especially one with kids of similar age — is genuinely transformative. Older kids look out for younger ones. Adults take turns watching the group. Kids don't get bored because they have company. Tantrums get diluted across a bigger group.
Bonus: nobody has to remember everything. One family forgets the marshmallows, the other forgets the egg rings, but together you've got it covered.
7. Save treats for the right moments
Don't blow all the special treats on day one. Save:
- Sweets for the energy slumps
- Night-spotting walks with a torch for the boredom moments
- Swimming opportunities for hot afternoons
- The "promised activity" (kayak hire, ice cream from the kiosk) for the last day
This is leverage. Use it strategically — kids who can see a reward at the end of the day get through hard moments better.
Our take
The first family camping trip needs to succeed — that's the foundation everything else builds on. Pick a friendly caravan park within an hour of home, set realistic expectations (one or two nights, not a week), invite friends, prep more than you think you need to.
Done well, you've started a tradition the kids will be doing with their own kids in 30 years.
Common questions
How do I start camping with young kids?
Build up in stages rather than heading straight bush. Pitch the tent in the backyard for a test night, then a one-night caravan park within an hour of home, then two nights further afield, then a national park campground, and only then a remote bush camp.
What makes a campsite good for kids?
Toilets within 50m for under-sevens, hot showers for the first few trips, drinking water on tap, a camp kitchen with shelter for downpours, other families nearby so kids find friends, and a flat safe play area. Pick for those things rather than for the view.
What hazards do I need to watch with kids at camp?
Water needs active supervision, within arm's reach for under-fives, with a PFD on for water activities. Keep kids a metre from the fire ring and never leave it unattended. Shoes always, for snakes and spiders. Set boundaries and do head counts, since kids wander even at established sites.
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