Toddlers may be a little intimidated by the idea of outdoor camping the first time you take them out. Therefore, it’s a good idea to introduce them to it with some indoor camping and run a test to see how they embrace it and the challenges involved.
At the same time, indoor camping comes in handy whenever the weather is unfavorable for outdoor camping, or you’re looking for an easy way to have an adventure with your toddler this weekend.
I’m going to share with you some terrific ideas of activities that toddlers can engage in and enjoy during their indoor camping moments. The young ones will play a lot, have fun and they won’t even miss the screens.
Additionally, they will be prepared for outdoor camping trips that you may plan in the future. Let’s have a look at the activities in depth.
1. Play The Sound Of Nature
This is an excellent idea that excellently simulates the camping experience. YouTube has lots of nature play sounds to keep your young one well entertained. You can play the sounds of jungle animals, birds, crickets, or forest animals.
These sounds are best played during the night since they are relaxing by nature and will lull your baby to sleep easily.
2. Use Toys To Search For Animals
You can never go wrong by involving your young one in imaginative play. Young children love such games because they have very vivid imaginations.
Hide some of the animal toys you have and let your little one go searching for them as ‘’wild animals’’. You can also let them hide the toys and watch as you look for them. That way, they will feel involved and will anticipate more camping experiences.
3. Use Newspapers To Build A Eiffel Tower
Kids love projects that involve building and putting things together, and therefore you can challenge them to build an Eiffel tower. It will stretch them to think outside the box.
The best thing about this activity is that you use newspapers, a material within your house. You will only need a stapler, some tape, and an Eiffel tower model (or picture).
Building the tower is straightforward because the toddler will look at the tower model and build the structure. He or she may need a little help with the tape or stapler, depending on their age, but you can be the best judge of that.
4. Do Some Decoration
There are a few ways you can bring a campground to your living room through decoration. Your toddler will embrace the idea of decoration since it intrigues most little kids.
A good decoration idea would be to stick some glow-in-the-dark stickers on the walls and ceiling and turn the lights off.
You can also have them fill vases with rocks, flowers, or river stones. Additionally, they can draw and color some nature pictures and stick them on the wall.
5. Sleep in a Camping Tent
It’s not a campout without the tent, right? Your young one will be excited to sleep in a camping tent as it brings a different feeling from sleeping in their bedrooms.
Ensure they carry the toys they like in their bedrooms to the tent and maybe a blanket they are attached to as well.
Besides being fun, sleeping in a tent will help you identify problems you might have with your toddler during outdoor camping.
6. Tell Wildlife Stories
Storytelling is another excellent activity that will excite your toddlers. They love stories, and you can take advantage of the indoor camping time to narrate wildlife stories to them.
An animal encyclopedia will be an added advantage since they will see the photos of the animals you are talking about.
Nature stories will make your young ones desire and look forward to going outdoor camping and experiencing some of the animals. Try as much as possible to be creative since they might ask many questions about wild animals.
7. Prepare Some Camping Meals
There is excitement when kids know they will be eating something different from what they are used to. That’s why changing the diet and making some camping food would be an idea that they will like.
The best time to start indoor camping is in the evening, and therefore you can make a camping dinner and wake up to a simple breakfast they have chosen.
Some camping meals you can make include tortilla chips, Skillet sausages, roasted potatoes, or macaroni and cheese.
Since an open fire might not be possible in an indoor setup, improvise a different cooking process while still bringing a feeling of outdoor camping.
8. Make A Box Road
You don’t need to break the bank to buy expensive toys or gear for your little one when camping indoors. Simple things like box road making can be a great hit.
Grab a box, cut it open and draw a sketch of a road on it. Maybe the road to their school or shopping center, or another place they are familiar with.
Once done, allow them to play with their toys on the road sketch you have drawn and see how much they are thrilled by it.
9. Make a Pom Pom Tube Run
This is another excellent indoor camping activity that will grab your child’s attention and keep them fully engaged. For this activity, you need many toilet paper tubes.
Then simply show your children how to tape the tubes to the wall in a slanting pattern. Ensure you use a tape that’s safe for the wall and won’t pull the paint off.
Once done, let the young ones roll their pom balls through the tube.
10. Use Flashlights
A flashlight is always a great companion when camping, and you should try it out on your indoor camping night. You will be amazed by the excitement of your young one as you use a flashlight to read them a storybook under the blankets.
You can also use the flashlight to play hide and seek in the dark and shine it on the person you catch. Your kids can also play with the cat by pointing the flashlight to it and having it chase the beam of the light.
11. Pictionary
This activity involves your toddler choosing anything they want to draw. They simply start drawing a picture and continue until the other kids or adults give a correct guess of what they have drawn.
Your toddler will be excited to see who offers the right guess. The whole family is sure to have some laughs over the pictures and the guesses!
12. Have a Dance Party
Dancing is another activity that your children will love as they get silly with their choice of music. You can join them in the dance and make it more enjoyable.
Don’t play music from the television or your phone; instead, make a drum and dance as it’s being played, or make up your own instruments. This will bring the camping feeling to your living room more authentically.
13. Camp Related Arts And Crafts
The number of arts and craft activities your young ones can engage in is uncountable. They can make some binoculars using toilet paper tubes and some colored paper.
Alternatively, the young ones can make some decorations from natural materials like leaves and stick them on your dining room wall.
14. Animal Tape Rescue
Although toddlers are notorious for short attention spans, the animal tape rescue game will leave them with lasting memories. The game is perfect for them because kids love tape.
You will need a cookie sheet, small animal toys, and tape. Cut several pieces of tape and use them to catch the animals on the cookie sheet. Once done, let the kid rescue the animals by removing the tape.
This game might not be easy for them, but they will love it once they have two or three animals rescued.
15. Find The Shapes
Finding shapes is an easy activity for your child and a perfect way to spend indoor camping time. You need to have butcher paper (or any other large pieces of paper), crayons, and giant sharpie markers.
Unfold the butcher paper and tape it to the wall. Draw some circular, triangular, oval, and square shapes on the paper.
Let them color all the similar shapes with one color.
For example, they pick the purple color for the triangles and red for the circles. This will keep them occupied for a long time, and they will be glad to show everyone what they did during their indoor camping afternoon.
16. Toy Washing
Very few parents take time to wash their kid’s toys, and doing it during indoor camping would be a perfect idea. Toy washing will entertain your toddler and leave you with clean toys.
Fill two basins with water, put in a little soap, and give them some scrubbing tools. Let them drop the toys in and out of the water as they scrub and enjoy the moment.
Indoor camping presents a perfect time to focus on nature. Also, it gives you a chance to withdraw from the television, phones, and laptops, among other electronics, and spend time on family bonding within your home.
Your baby doesn’t have to feel bored about it when you have the option of the above indoor camping activities for toddlers. Taking part in any of them will excite the young ones while also preparing them for outdoor camping.