Backyard Camping with Kids: The Best Way to Prepare for Your First Family Trip
Once you decide to start camping with your family, the thought of taking your kids camping can make you feel overwhelmed. Don’t worry, you’re not alone. We’ve been there, staring at our checklist of gear and wondering, “Where do I start?”
Want the simplest answer?
Start in your backyard.
I’ll never forget our first “camping trip.” We set up our brand new tent less than 30 feet from our back door. All while the kids got in our way while trying to help us out.
I’ll be honest. We felt a little ridiculous planning to camp in the backyard, but it was one of the smartest things we’ve done.
And the kids did not think it was ridiculous. They absolutely loved it! Sometimes I think they love backyard camping more than actual camping, go figure!
Doing this taught us more than reading a checklist or watching a YouTube video ever could. It showed us what gear we need and what we can live without. It showed us which kids could handle sleeping outside and which ones needed some help falling asleep.
The best part was we learned it all from the comfort of our backyard.
Start in the Backyard?
Why should you follow in our footsteps and start at home? You can test everything without the pressure.
If you forget something important, you can run inside and grab it.
If your tent leaks, you’re not stranded in the rain.
If bedtime turns into chaos, you can retreat to your real bed.
More importantly, it builds confidence for you and your kids.
You’ll understand how your equipment works. You get to think about your cooking routines and your bedtime routines.
You will also understand what it’s like to sleep outside. If you have never done this before, let me tell you, it’s different. You will discover noises you never knew existed.
Don’t worry about your kids? They’ll think it’s an epic adventure and have a blast.
DAD TIP: Choose a night with good weather and no big plans for the following day. You want this to be a fun and relaxing night and not one where you are rushed.
Treat It Like the Real Thing
This is important if you really want to test everything. You need to pretend your house doesn’t exist.
This means no running back inside for snacks, pillows, or phone chargers. The whole point is to simulate a real trip. You need to think through everything you need and then take everything outside at the same time.
Set a rule: no one goes inside unless there’s an emergency and running inside quickly for the bathroom.
You need to use the actual gear you plan to take camping. The same tent, sleeping pads, sleeping bags, headlamps, cooking setup, bug spray, the whole deal.
Pack like you’re driving to a state park, then bring it all outside in one go. Set up camp, cook outdoors, and even brush your teeth outside.
The first time we did this, we packed the car like we were taking a real trip to make sure it all fit. Then we unpacked it and hauled everything into the backyard by hand, like we would at the campsite. It seems a bit ridiculous, but it helped us balance what we wanted to take with how much we could actually take.
And most importantly, we learned what gear we were missing and what we did not need.
DAD TIP: If you pack everything you think you need and then take it outside. Once it is all outside, don’t go back inside. This shows you what you almost forgot. Write those things down so you don’t forget them on the real trip.
Gear Testing: The Backyard Shakeout
This is your chance to put every piece of gear to the test with no real danger.
Let the kids help you set up the tent. If this is your first time, take it slow. It can be confusing until you’ve done it a time or two.
The next morning, take it down and pack it up. It can take a few tries to get it to fit back into that small carry sack.
Now the big test. Do all of your sleeping bags fit inside the tent? Can your gear fit inside also? I hope you took our advice and got a tent at least one size larger than you thought you needed.
Arrange the sleeping bags the same way you want to at camp. Our first night, we discovered that my daughter did not like sleeping at the edge of the tent and wanted to be between their mom and dad while my boys wanted to be at the edge of the tent. Learning that at home meant on our first real trip, we did not have to rearrange the sleeping bags during the night.
When you wake up the next morning ask yourself if the sleeping bags were warm enough. Do you need to bring more padding to put between the bag and the ground? Maybe you need an air mattress.
Cook a meal outside on the camp stove. Cook the exact same meal you plan to cook when camping. This will let you see if it’s possible or if you need to plan to make something different.
Try out the lanterns, flashlights, adn headlamps once it gets dark. Make sure they work and your kids know how to turn them on and off (don’t forget extra batteries on your camping trip.)
Test your bug strategy too. Whether that’s citronella candles, bug spray, or full-on mosquito netting, try it out now and make sure it will actually keep the no-see-ums away.
DAD TIP: Let each kid set up their own sleeping space. It gives them a sense of responsibility and helps them get comfortable with their own stuff.
Teaching the Kids
Camping in the backyard is the perfect setup for teaching outdoor skills in a low-pressure way. Kids soak up a ton without even realizing it and that’s the magic. And when they are home and not distracted by the wilderness, they pay more attention.
I have taught my kids to start fires, cast fishing poles, cut firewood, and much more in our backyard before we take trips.
Show them how to zip the tent doors closed to keep bugs out. Teach them how to use a headlamp, organize their gear, and keep their sleeping area tidy. Let them help with prepare dinner and cleanup afterwards. These little lessons add up.
On our first night, our daughter learned how to use her headlamp to find her baby doll in the dark. She was so proud she told the story for weeks.
DAD TIP: Assign camping jobs. “Flashlight manager,” “gear checker,” or “s’mores helper” all go a long way in making kids feel capable and involved. It doesn’t matter what the job is, just make sure it’s a real job because these kids have a built in BS detector!
Make It About Fun and Not Just Practice
This is a test run to find what works and what doesn’t. However, to your kids, it’s camping! It should feel like an adventure. Make sure to have fun while you are doing this. This will help you discover if the activities you have planned will keep them occupied or not.
Build a campfire in your fire pit, toast marshmallows, and tell ghost stories. You can play flashlight tag or have a scavenger hunt. You can play board games or read a book.
When it gets dark, lie back in sleeping bags and count the stars.
Unless you are inside a bright city, the sky still looks big and awesome when you’re seeing it from a tent with eyes adjusted to the dark.
DAD TIP: Keep a surprise up your sleeve glow sticks, a favorite snack, or a small “camping prize” can keep the excitement going when energy dips. This is something you will need when you go for real, so try to figure out what will surprise them and keep them interested.
What You’ll Learn as a Parent
You’ll learn so much in just one night. More than you could possibly expect. And not just about you kids and your gear. You will learn things you never knew about yourself.
You’ll figure out what gear works best and what gear you really do need to go buy. You’ll find what needs fixing and what stuff you never even touched. I have a clothesline I bought for our first trip. I don’t think we even touched it for the first year!
You’ll discover which routines need to be improved on.
A big one is that you will learn how long it actually takes to set up your tent and the rest of camp. This will let you know how long before dark you need to be at your campsite.
Most importantly, you’ll get an idea of how your kids handle the outdoors. Granted, this is still your backyard and provides security. They may act differently when they are at camp. But after they have slept outside at home, it’s easy to remind them about how easy it was when you are at camp.
Some kids will love it instantly. Others take a night or two to warm up. Either way, you’ll know what to expect before your first real trip.
DAD TIP: Keep a notebook nearby and jot down anything you’d change. Don’t try to fix everything that night, just take notes and adjust before the real thing. Don’t just take notes about what you would change, but also what went well so you can remember later.
One Night Closer to the Real Thing
Once you have done this even if it wasn’t perfect, you still camped out. So what if you forget your kitchen knife, or if there was a rock under your sleeping bag, or if someone ran back inside? You made it and are now ready to try the real thing.
Backyard camping builds confidence and helps you dial in your gear. It shows your family that they can handle it. Now there are fewer excuses not to go camping.
When it’s time to hit an actual campground, you won’t be guessing. In the words of the Boy Scouts, you’ll be prepared.
DAD TIP: Take a group photo before bedtime. Whether everyone makes it through the night or not, it’s a memory you’ll all look back on and treasure forever. It will be a great reminder down the road of how far you’ve come.
Ready to level up?
Check out our beginner guides on how to choose a campsite and how long your first camping trip should be. You’ve already taken the first step — now let’s get outside and do it for real.
