Vacation Packing List | Get Kids To Pack Without Any Help!

Inside: Packing for vacation can be overwhelming if you have more than one child. This post breaks down the best ways to teach kids how to pack their own suitcase or duffle bag! Included is a FREE packing checklist for kids.

(Originally published on June 3, 2019; updated on May 14, 2020)

Summer is just about here AND many states are reopening so who else is screaming, “FREEEDOM??!!!”

I am lifting my hands high!

It’s time to grab your vacation packing list and pack for vacation!

If you were planning on traveling to another state and that trip has been canceled, go on a staycation. Thankfully, we live in Arizona which has gorgeous resorts and hotels that are great for a one to three-day stay.

Or what we do often during the summer is go camping! Because unless water is involved, it can feel like our eyeballs are going to melt off of our faces. I wish I were kidding.

After saving for three years, we sold our pop-up camper and bought what I call “an apartment on wheels.” It’s a 30-foot pull-behind trailer with triple bunk beds, a king-size bed, microwave, oven, sink, and full bathroom. I feel like we’re cheating when I say we camp. However, we are able to head to the woods or campgrounds around 60 days a year! Our summers wouldn’t be the same without it.

The goal is to leave Phoenix every other week to escape the heat. We only need to drive a few hours before we are in a totally different climate surrounded by a totally different landscape (aka: grass and trees)!

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When we first started taking a lot of road trips, I was losing my mind with having to pack for myself and three kids.

Since we camp, the vacation packing list is twice as long as it would be to stay in a hotel because I have to prep and shop for meals, pack bedding and toys, restock toiletries and paper products, in addition, to pack cool and hot weather clothes because the highs can be in the 70’s or 80s and the lows in the 30’s or 40’s!

It didn’t occur to me until my boys were six and eight that they were completely capable of packing their own clothes and entertainment items.

All they needed was a little direction and guidance which did NOT need to involve me. Woot Woot!

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Keep Reading: 4 Easy Steps for Teaching New Skills to Your Kids

Teach Your Kids How to Pack for Vacation

The first thing you need to do is explain to your kids that they are old enough to do a very important task – decide what to wear on vacation by packing all by themselves! Make sure you are very positive in your communication.

Last year, we came up with a vacation packing list together with all the potential items they will need for a road trip. Included is a quantities column that I fill out.

Then we followed the four steps to learning a new skill until they could pack without my help.

Now, our boys are responsible for packing everything they will need or use that isn’t already in the camper!

What Kids Learn When They Pack For Themselves

I didn’t realize how many skills and lessons my kids would learn simply by being responsible for their own stuff by using a vacation packing list.

Ownership

My kids can no longer yell, “Mom! You didn’t pack my favorite Harry Potter pajamas!” or “Where is my favorite blanket?”

If they forget something, the only person they can blame is themselves. And you know happened when they forgot something? When they packed for the next trip, they remembered everything! Our brains learn through failure!

Responsibility

Kids need to have duty over something, act independently, and be given the opportunity to act independently. Packing for vacation is a perfect way to teach responsibility.

Self-belief, Self-confidence, and Self-esteem

Humans are born with a sense of wanting to have control over their lives. Packing for vacation can really boost a child’s sense of self-belief, self-confidence and self-esteem. Especially when they see their friends’ parent doing everything for them and forgetting their favorite toy.

Life Skills

Allow your kids to develop these skills while they are young, teachable and while they have you to help!

Independence

This is one of the main points of parenthood, to raise little people who become independent big people. Being responsible for packing all of their belongings is a gateway to independence.

Organizational Skills

If your kiddo struggles with executive function, you may need to help them a little more on this one, but ideally, they will learn how to organize items in a suitcase or duffle bag.

What To Pack For Vacation

In having the boys gather their own belongings for road trips, we have learned a few other things that help it go successfully.

On the vacation packing list they use, all of the following items are included:

Clothes, Shoes, and Accessories

In deciding how many items to bring, have your kids plan one outfit for each day plus two additional. With kids, you never know if an outfit will make it an entire day!

Let your kids pick out their outfits!

This has been a toughie for me especially because I like to take photos on our trips. Every photographer knows that colors and clothing make a big difference. Slowly, I’ve been embracing the neons mixed with patterns and colors that don’t complement each other. At all.

If mismatched clothes really do bother you then teach your kids how to put an outfit together. Use a color wheel to show what colors look best together and explain about solids and patterns.

It’s important to be okay with whatever they choose especially if they throw that color wheel out the window as my kids have! Kids also have a need to express who they are!

Packing List Order:

• Shirts (and or dresses for girls)
• Shorts to match shirt (and anything to go with the dress like if they need leggings underneath)
• Long sleeves (if needed)
• Pants (if needed)
• Socks and underwear
• Sweatshirts or outwear that can go with the shorts
• Pajamas – Even if they don’t typically wear these, we have them pack at least one pair when packing for vacation.
• Hat(s)
• Shoes – One pair of flip flops or sandals and one pair of tennis shoes usually does the trick
• Water bottle – Check out these awesome Dyln bottles that create alkaline antioxidant water. Or Gululu is a smart water bottle made specifically for kids!

Don’t forget to check the weather. As I mentioned we often have to plan for both cold weather and hot weather outfits for each day.

Read Next: An Easy Way For Kids To Pack School Lunch (With FREE Lunch List)

Toiletries

Let your kids pick out their own toiletry bag and make sure they fill it with at least the basics.

• Shampoo
• Body wash
• A scrubby (doesn’t get gross like washcloths!)
• Toothbrush and toothpaste
• Comb, brush and hair accessories
• Lastly, other helpful items are sunblock, moisturizer, and lip balm

Entertainment

This category is vital for kids ages one to twelve. Entertainment items are used for the car ride as well as in and outside the camper. Here are a few non-screen ideas:

• Books and magazines
• Toys such as Legos, figurines or building toys (My kids LOVE these connecting blocks)
• Games
• Coloring and activity books, stickers and other crafts (check out this AWESOME craft store I found with all of these things!!!)
• Sensory toys

Here are some great games to play once you get to the destination! *Some can probably be played in the car.

Pick the Best Packing Method For Each Child

Find a method using your vacation packing list that works for each child.

Again, using these four steps to teach your kids a new skill really works! Just tattoo the steps to your arm seeing you’ll be using them a lot while your kids are young. Ha!

Ziplock Bags

A GREAT tip I came across for packing kids’ clothes in a suitcase or duffle bag is to use gallon-sized ziplock bags.

Have your kid use a sharpie to write his or her name on the bag. If your child needs some organizational help, he or she can label each bag with the day he or she plans on wearing each outfit.

Fold or Roll

There are basically two methods – fold or roll.

For most kids (especially those who want to get it done quickly), the rolling method is usually best. My son used one bag per outfit, one for socks and underwear and one more for pajamas.

1. Roll – For shirts, fold in the sleeves and roll from the neck down. For pants, fold in half and roll from the waistband down.

Here’s a great video with a demonstration. Once the items are rolled, put both the top and bottom into a bag.

2. Fold – When folding the items, have your child make sure the clothes are flat. Match the top and bottoms and put into a ziplock bag. There are many different techniques to fold clothes.

Other Ways to Store the Clothes

As your kids get older, the ziplock bag trick may be harder to fit the clothes into because of the size of the clothes.

Packing cubes can do wonders!

Another idea a friend just told me is that she assigns different colored rubber bands for each of her four kids and wraps the rubber bands around the rolled clothing. No baggies required.

Teach Your Kids How to Pack a Suitcase or Dufflebag

The ziplock bag, packing cube or rubber band method all make it very easy to pack a bag or suitcase. Some kids are naturally organized but others need to be taught how to stack and arrange clothes.

Show your kids how to utilize the different sections in a suitcase or bag that make it easiest to find what they need.

Download Your Free Packing List

To help my kids, together, we made a packing list with all the items they usually need to pack for vacation. I used my handy dandy laminator so they can write on the sheets with a dry erase marker and wipe it clean after every vacation or road trip.

For you, I’ve updated it and made two different lists – one for girls and the other for boys.

Oftentimes, I put the numbers in the quantity column but have recently been asking them how many items they think they need.

Having your kids think for themselves is just as important as getting stuff done independently. So far, my boys have been right on as they realize how dirty they get.

Do your children pack for vacation?

Have any questions or additional tips? I’d love to hear! Comment below.

And feel free to share with friends who are heading on vacation!