Traveling with kids can be fun -
here some great ideas to make a trip easier.
here some great ideas to make a trip easier.
- Let the kids be a part of the planning process – Ask your children where they would like to go and what they would like to do on the trip. Spend time on the computer together looking at different websites and activities. If you have teenagers, let them help with the actual executing of the trip. Show them how to book a hotel, book a plane ticket and rent a car.
- Make a story of your planned trip – Draw a picture with your children of what the new location will look like and what you will do once you get there. Use pictures out of magazines or off the internet to add extra color and fun (like a picture of the exciting swimming pool at the hotel). This is a great way to prepare your children for the upcoming trip.
- Talk to your children the whole time (from beginning to end) - Talk to your children before the trip, during the trip and after the trip. Tell them in age-appropriate sentences where you are going, how long you will be gone, and what is going to happen during the trip. Make sure to check in with the children throughout the trip – ask them how they are feeling, what they are liking, not liking and make sure to tell them about what the next upcoming event is.
- Be prepared if traveling by plane - Don’t check any medicines or essential items! Instead carry them in your carry-on bag, as checked luggage can easily get lost or misplaced. Before getting on the plane, do a lot of walking around the airport terminal with your children. Look for new things to talk about and point out the airplanes parked at the windows. It is easier to burn your child’s energy before getting on the plane instead of after. For younger children, give them a pacifier or a bottle to suck on during take-offs and landings. The pressure change can really affect a child’s ears so be ready before the plane takes off.
- Mimic the schedules and sleeping environment for the child – Wherever you are staying, it is very important to keep the baby as close to his normal schedule as possible from nap times, to bedtimes, feeding times and bath times. Also, re-create the surroundings that your baby is use to having at home when sleeping. Bring along favorite bedsheets, blankets and crib toys so it is easier for the baby to go to sleep. Both of these will help a baby more quickly, and happily, adjust to the change.
- Bring new games, toys and activities for the children - Kids can get bored on a trip whether they are in a car, on a plane or in a hotel room. So bring some new and fun items for them to stay occupied with. But introduce the new items slowly (one at a time over the course of the trip) instead of giving them all at once. You want the new items to last for the entire trip.
- Include activities for all ages during the trip – From time at a pool for the little ones, to time in a museum for the older ones – make sure to plan activities that are age-appropriate for each person on the trip. Mix the schedule up so that you aren’t doing all the adult activities for days in a row and then finally a day for the younger children. Instead do alternating days or even two activities in one day (one for adults and one for children). This will help keep everyone engaged and involved during the trip.
- Most importantly, include educational activities as well as fun activities – Vacations are a great time to introduce children to different cultures, histories, animals and foods. Trips are a terrific way for children to really understand the differences that exist in our world today!
