Camping is one of the best ways to foster a sense of family harmony. Even the youngest of preschoolers can benefit from the camping experience. Every part of the trip provides an opportunity for teaching teamwork and instilling an appreciation for nature. Even pitching the family tent offers good teaching tools for children.

To make your family campout a success, begin with a good tent. Fortunately, there is a wide array of options when it comes to camping tents. Picking the best one will require assessing your family's own particular needs. Some of the most important considerations you'll need to make are:

* The number of people in your family. Tents are typically labeled according to how many people they will sleep. Family-style tents may range from ones that sleep three people all the way to ones that sleep eight or nine. If you have a family of five, you'll naturally want to consider at least a five-person tent. However, it's important to remember that these sizes are generalizations. A tent that is made for five typically refers to five average-sized adults. For this reason, a four-person tent may be suitable for a family with two adults and three small children. Conversely, a family with two adults and three large teenagers may find a five-person tent a bit cramped. In this case, a six- or seven-person tent may be a better choice. Remember, you'll also want to take into account the amount of gear that you'll be storing inside the tent. The more luggage you have, the more sleeping space you lose.

* The sizes of all campers. In addition to the number of people a tent sleeps, you should also consider the dimensions of the tent. Adults and taller children may find it more comfortable to have some extra headroom when standing up. Some tents are shaped in such a way that some parts of the tent are wider or longer than others. Dome and tunnel-style tents may be wider in the center and become narrower at the edges. Tall children or adults may have trouble sleeping if the area isn't long or wide enough.

* Years of use. If camping is going to be a lifelong hobby, you probably want your investment to last as long as possible. Do you plan to have more children? Factor this in to the size of the tent you plan to buy. If your children are small, they'll most certainly need more space five years from now. Consider purchasing a larger tent that will accommodate your family longer.

* Privacy needs. Some families prefer sleeping in the same space. This may be especially true of families whose children are still young. Families with older children may want a little extra privacy at night. In this case, you might consider a tent with separate "rooms." There are two basic styles of roomed tents. The two-room style is simply divided in half down the middle by a fabric barrier. The three-room style usually has a common room in the center, with two separate rooms at each end. In some tents, the fabric barriers can be removed. This allows you the option of having a one-room tent when the children are younger. Then as they grow older, barriers can be added as needed to create separate rooms.

Camping tents come in various styles and types of materials. They can be simple or very elaborate. Whatever camping tent you choose, you're off to a great start for making camping memories that will last a lifetime.