Benefits of camping with teenagers
Camping with teenagers is a great way to get them away from their devices and spend quality time together as a family. Your teens will learn that camping isn’t about what you do, but who you do it with. Going camping with adolescents can also be a great way to feel young again.
You can even have them invite their friends over. As they say, the more, the merrier. Here are some benefits of camping with teenagers:
Happy camping
Teenagers are full of life. They are curious about a lot of things and would want to explore their environment if given the opportunity to do so. Hence, camping is a great outdoor activity for teens to unwind and traverse nature.
Being with young people can, in turn, make you feel youthful again. You’ll get to experience life the way they do, leaving you with a good time.
Great adventure
As stated earlier, teenagers are curious about almost anything. They love to try new things and explore new environments, even when it’s risky. The joy of being with a teen is that you’ll get to reach new heights and do things you’ve never done before.
Young adolescence is the stage of development where people discover more about themselves. In order to do this, they must also open themselves to new experiences. If you’re camping with teenagers, you’ll most likely become influenced by this action – allowing you to step out of your comfort zone and enjoy life the way teens do.
Openness
Teenagers are often open to new ideas. They are willing to take on any challenges that come their way. Aside from that, you can talk to them about anything. They enjoy a good chat, and this will be a great opportunity for you to learn more about their life, and vice versa.
Creativity
Sometimes, there are things you are unable to do alone when camping. But if you have a teenager with you, there is no doubt that they will be able to find ways to ensure that the job gets done. Teenagers always have a fresh idea of what to do; they have creative and innovative minds that are open to experimenting with new things.
Friendly
Teenagers are open to making new friends, may it be through physical interaction or through social media. For most teens, friendship is everything. This is the stage of development where they get a sense of comfort and security through their peers.
How to make your teenagers go camping?
Convincing your teenagers to go camping can be a challenging task. They tend to have this misconception that camping means having to deal with bugs, uncomfortable beds, canned foods, and dirt.
Even though this is not entirely false, there’s a lot more to camping than what they know. As a parent, engaging your teenagers in outdoor activities, like camping, does a lot for them physically and mentally.
Camping is not only a form of exercise or a way to get them to do physical activities, but it is also a great opportunity to connect with nature, spend time with family and friends, and get to know more about oneself.
Here are some tips to convince your teenagers to go camping with you:
Bring their friend
Young adolescence is the period of life in which people spend more time with their peers. These friends will become a major support system for your teenagers. Allowing your teens to bring their friends along on your camping trip will certainly persuade them to go on the trip.
Excite them
Teenagers love a good photo. One way to convince them to go on the trip is to tell them how camping is a great opportunity for them to take Instagram-worthy pictures, or anything that you can think of that is applicable to your teens. In doing so, they would have something to look forward to during your trip.
Don’t force them
The more you force them, the less likely they are to comply. As a parent, it’s critical to understand that teenagers are capable of making their own decisions and that it is important to respect that.
The more you push for what you want, the more they’ll fight back. Besides, camping wouldn’t be fun and enjoyable for you and your teen if forced. It would only lead to bad blood and destroy an otherwise enjoyable outdoor activity.
Plan activities
Teenagers love to take on new challenges. Make sure that you make camping enjoyable for them as well, or else, it would just be a one-time trip for them and they won’t likely do it again anytime soon if they find the experience boring. If possible, have them plan activities that they find enjoyable such as swimming, canoeing, or fishing.
You can also bring along some board games. The goal of camping is to spend time with the family and away from your screens.
If teenagers find the camping experience uninteresting, they’ll end up on their phones. So make sure that you bring out the creative part in you and plan activities that your teens will enjoy.
Entertaining your teenager
Camping is one of the most exciting outdoor activities. There is an endless list of activities you can enjoy when going camping.
The best thing about these activities is that they are free and applicable to all generations—from kids, teenagers, adults, and the elderly. Among this age group, teenagers are the hardest to entertain. Here are some things you can do to make camping fun for your teenagers:
Camping games
Camping games is one of the activities you can always engage in when camping to avoid boredom. These games can be physically and mentally strategic. Due to the numerous games you can play on camping trips, you may choose to play individually, by pair, or by team depending on your personal preference.
Cooking
One of the most anticipated activities campers want to experience is cooking outdoors. It is a whole new experience to cook and prepare food the traditional way, especially nowadays that the modern world is operated by appliances that make cooking effortless.
Teenagers who have a passion for cooking will enjoy preparing their meals outdoors. They can learn and apply many things associated with traditional cooking, such as patience, creativity, and innovations.
Stargazing
Stargazing is one of the most significant activities you can engage in during camping. When it starts to get dark and the skies are clear, you will appreciate the true beauty of the night sky as constellations slowly fill the empty sky to shine like diamonds.
Choose their own entertainment
Whenever you go camping, it has always been free to try new things and express your personal desires and hobbies without the fear of judgment. If you are a book lover, pack along with you the current book that interests you. You are in control of choosing your own personal entertainment.
What to expect when camping with teenagers?
If you are planning to camp with a teenager, you must be prepared to expect the following things, especially for those who are on their first camping trip.
Curious
It is important to understand that teenagers tend to ask a lot of questions and at the same assume answers to things they are curious about.
One crucial action you may do whenever a teenager asks is to answer them with factual information about the certain thing they are curious about. Aside from that, they love to explore and discover new things to feed their curiosity, so give them the freedom to wander around the campsite.
Independent
Teenagers, during this stage in their lives, start to yearn for independence. They try to discover and solve things on their own. It is right to let them be, so as to prepare them for the future. However, it is still vital to guide them properly on the right way in dealing with certain challenges.
Complaints, especially if they are new to camping
Nowadays, teenagers tend to utilize technology daily to make their lives effortless. Going camping means not having access to the internet.
Camping forces teenagers to live and act traditionally, and they will most likely complain about it. This is a natural reaction especially when they are new to camping. Give them some time to adjust and they will be able to handle it at the end of the day.
Are teenagers really annoying when camping?
Camping, particularly for first-time teenagers, may not always sound appealing. You might hear them complaining, mainly because they already have preconceived opinions about it.
They hate the idea of hiking, sweating, having no access to electricity, internet, or water, and a lot more. It’s not something that they are used to doing, so their reaction is expected.
However, these thoughts will all go away once they’re already on the trip, and this, of course, has a lot to do with what activities you plan on doing.
Make sure that it is something your teenagers will also enjoy doing. Some parents bring their children on camping trips as early as possible, when they’re still kids. The sooner you bring them outdoors, the better.
Tips for camping with teenagers
To make the most out of your camping trip, here are some tips to consider when going camping with teenagers. This will ensure that all parties are satisfied and happy with the experience. Maintain a positive vibe all throughout your trip so that you can have an enjoyable camping experience with your teens.
Limit their gadgets
Camping is an opportunity to spend quality time with your loved ones. But you won’t be able to bond and cherish those moments if your teenagers are always on their phones. Hence, make sure that you limit your teenager’s gadget exposure so you can still spend time with them. It’s not advisable to restrict them completely as this will just make them defiant, but only limit their usage to a certain amount of time.
Bring some music
Music adds a splash of color to the world. Teenagers enjoy listening to music, especially pop. Music, without a doubt, sets a mood and helps you pass the time on otherwise boring situations—such as traveling in your car.
Depending on what mood you’re trying to get into, you can never go wrong with music. If you want to relax and just enjoy nature’s scenery, you can listen to instrumentals and soothing music. If you feel like dancing or jiving along with the music, you can listen to pop music. There is no limit as to what music you can enjoy.
Campsite
Look for a campsite that has good amenities that you think your teenager will like. Your campsite is somewhat the first impression for your teenagers. So choose a clean campsite, with a beautiful view of nature, plenty of utilities, and, most importantly, a spot where you can relax with little to no noise.
Own space
Even when you’re out camping, teenagers still need their privacy. Give them their own space and allow them to stay in a separate tent if they want to.
Freedom
You can set rules to follow during your camping trip, but you must also never forget that teenagers yearn for independence and freedom.
They would want to explore their surroundings on their own, so you should also grant them this opportunity.
Not only is camping a great way to spend time with the family, but it is also an activity where you will be able to self-reflect and learn more about yourself, which is an important aspect of a teenager’s life.
