I don't know about your kids, but mine very rarely actually play with toys, not through want of me trying, nothing would please me more than them happily playing with some toys, while I woke up nicely, made a coffee and sorted the van out. What really captures their attention is crafting! However the last thing I want is the van full of PVA glue, sequins and glitter, so I have found a few 'less messy' options which have been tried and tested by my kids and have the big thumbs up. Also, depending on your children's ages, these are all things they can set up and complete independently, which is the most important thing in my eyes. Camping should be a holiday for everyone, after all!
Painting! show me a child who doesn't love painting, but I won't even entertain the idea of those little pots of surface staining poster paints entering the van, so a different option is magic water painting books, and you can get them aimed at all age ranges as below from baby to toddlers to big kids
Rock painting with a twist Who else remembers the rock hunting craze from lockdown V1 (or was it V2,3,4,5??) not only was the hunting fun but the decorating was too. However, at the rate mine like to decorate them, I couldn't help feel guilty for all the pebbles we were permanently defacing with sub standard graffiti. I've found the happy medium here....Chalk pens!! You can buy them here in a huge range of colours that last ages and have a vibrant finish, but, its guilt free as over time they will wash off. If you don't want to paint rocks, then any surface works well, hand the small ones a spray bottle of water and sponge to wipe and start again and the fun will last all day!
Pom-Pom making Sounds simple and a bit boring, right....oh don't be fooled. We met up with our lovely instagram friends @doracamperadventures who bought with them a pom-pom making kit, well, the kids were literally obsessed, two whole days they spent either climbing trees or making pom-poms to hang in the trees. Once we got home, I had to place an emergency order of wool and pom-pom circle things (turns out they don't have a proper name) so they could carry on with their new addiction. My house may look like a pom-pom factory, but they are planning a garland for the van....
The stationery bag In our van you will permanently find a small bag (I actually use a small packing cube) full with stationery, with enough variety to keep them entertained for a good while. The contents include the basics like writing pens, pencils, rubbers and note books. However there are some items I have to replenish and smuggle into the van without them noticing, before a trip and these are envelopes (these are crucial to the stationery experience), novelty post-it notes, tippex mouse, washi tape, foam stickers etc these will literally keep them entertained for hours and I receive a lot of 'post' delivered to my camping chair.
Kinetic Sand This is a good mindfulness activity for overtired and stressed out pre-schoolers, requires zero skills and is nice and squishy and calming. Definitely one for outside the van though. You can buy all sorts of sets but this one is a good size to keep in the van.
I hope this has been useful and enables you to relax a bit more on your next camping trip. The links above come at no extra cost to you, but I do receive a teeny bit of income through each purchase, which in turn helps to fund the envelope addiction. I'd love to hear any other crafting ideas you may have in the comments below, we all know how quickly the kids blast through these ideas.
Amy x
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