Camping with children can be a balancing act for parents. You want to make sure to pack enough toys and supplies to keep your children engaged in case they get bored, and you want to be ready for unexpected events such as bad weather or a sudden extension to your trip. At the same time, you want to make sure you do not overload your camper so you still have enough space for the entire family to live and sleep comfortably in the camper. Besides upgrading your camper to the next size up or adding extra storage, you can also reduce your children's luggage. Below are three tips for doing so. 

Go Natural With Arts, Crafts, and Toys 

Many items around your campsite can become toys and games for creative children. However, as a parent you may have to help your children re-imagine items such as sticks, rocks, and leaves. Older children may enjoy a scavenger hunt or learning to lash together camp crafts. Younger children will likely enjoy painting rocks or sticks or making pictures from leaves. Consider packing a small bin with paint, glue, and string rather than packing a large bin of toys. 

Teach Your Children to Utilize Camping Equipment Appropriately 

Many parents think they need to bring kid-friendly versions of all of their camping supplies. However, you may be surprised at how young your children can be when they learn to handle camping supplies appropriately. From a young age, teach your children basic camping skills including food preparation, safe knife handling, and fire safety. This way you will not have to pack toys to simulate these experiences. However, make sure you closely supervise young children until you are certain of their skill level. 

Make All Toys Do Double Duty

Just because you are trying to pack light does not mean that you should forgo toys altogether. However, you should be selective about which toys you bring. Try to bring what are known as "open-ended" toys. These are toys that kids can play with in a variety of ways and tend to amuse children of different ages. For example, balls, building blocks, and cardboard boxes are all considered open-ended toys. These toys do not have a specific end goal that can be reached, so they are more likely to engage your child over hours or days of play, reducing the amount of toys you have to bring with you. 

Packing for camping trips with children may take some trial and error. However, you may be surprised at how little your child actually needs when exploring the great outdoors.