Many families dream of leaving the world behind and touring the country in an RV, but they’re not sure it’s a good idea to go full-time RVing with kids. Won’t they miss their friends? What about schooling on the road? How will they feel about parting with many of their belongings?
The fact is, RVing with kids is a terrific opportunity for your whole family. Kids gain tremendous benefits from RVing that no other experience can provide—even if you just go part-timing in your RV for several months.
What Do Kids Learn from RVing?
Here are five wonderful life lessons kids learn from RVing.
What nature and beauty are like in real life
While documentaries and Pinterest can open your child’s mind to the wonders of nature, they can’t compare to the real thing. Whether you’re full-time RVing or taking an extended vacation, your kids will experience the beauty and grandeur of nature firsthand. RV adventures give your kids the opportunity to explore many wonders of creation and to witness the changing landscape of the country, from region to region.
How to live with less
No one wants their children to become spoiled by all the possessions they accumulate. One of the great benefits of RVing with kids is that it forces you to learn how to live with less. As you prepare to move into your 400-square-foot home, help your kids to think about which belongings they really need and which can wait for them in storage.
After you’ve been on the road for a while, take time to talk about the things they left behind, and how little they are missed. Help them think about what they really need to be happy.
How to be a family
The typical family calendar is overpacked and families are stretched as each person is going in a different direction. Scouts, youth group, sports activities, band concerts, PTO meetings, networking meetups—everyone has a separate schedule that takes away from together time.
RVing gives you back your precious time together as a family, allowing you to get to know each other on a much deeper level.
RVing with kids also teaches the family how to live together better. When you’re in a tiny space and have almost no time apart from each other, you discover pretty quickly how important it is to learn how to get along. RVing as a family teaches you how to be patient, how to overlook the small stuff, and how to operate as a family in creative ways. You discover all kinds of innovative solutions and new ways of relating—and it all enriches your relationships.
This terrific video by a full-timing family of eight shows how they’ve learned to live as a family on the road.
How to meet and accept new people
If you’re on the road for an extended time, your children will make a lot of new friends as you travel. For some children, this will take some getting used to—especially if they’re shy. But you’ll be surprised how much they’ll grow in their ability to make new friends with people who are much different from them. They’ll develop confidence around new people and learn how to connect quickly with others.
That learning can happen anywhere
Homeschooling on the road—or roadschooling—gives your family a rare and precious opportunity to get experiential, hands-on education that textbooks alone can’t provide.
There are excellent homeschool curricula available for full-time RV families. Find one you like, and supplement it with your own family adventures. Take advantage of the junior ranger programs at national parks. Visit nature centers and museums. Visit the historical sites your kids learn about in textbooks. Explore nature. Study the solar system, then attend a ranger-led night sky program.
There’s no greater education than firsthand experience.
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