Most kids will be incredibly excited at the prospect of going on holiday, but it can be hard to hold their attention the whole time you’re away. To make sure your kids have the best time possible, it’s important to plan ahead. So, once you’ve got all the safety concerns out of the way like the first aid kit and international health insurance, it’s time to think about fun. Here are some helpful tips when it comes to avoiding boredom-fuelled meltdowns.
Travel Games
Travelling is one of the most challenging times for children. While they’re excited about getting to the final destination, they won’t have much patience to sit for hours in a car or a plane. Making sure they have plenty of activities is key to keeping them happy. These can include colouring books, consoles or even a portable DVD player. If all else fails and they start to get restless, you can play a few classic games of ‘I Spy’ to pass the time.
Beach Activities
While adults will love lying in the sun with a good book and a cold drink, children won’t want to sit still for too long. Luckily, there’s plenty to do at the beach that doesn’t involve sunbathing. Buckets and spades can keep kids occupied for hours on end, so stop by a shop to get all the equipment they need to build the best sandcastles. Don’t forget armbands for the sea and maybe even some goggles so you can all hunt for fish beneath the waves.
Child-Friendly Tours and Museums
Museums are great places for learning, but some are more geared towards grown-ups than little ones. Try to find tours and museums that cater for a younger audience as well as adults. This might mean looking for treasure maps the kids can follow as you make your way around exhibits or tour guides who dress up in costumes to add an extra element of fun to the whole experience.
Take Breaks
It might seem like kids always want to be on the go, but they can tire out quickly. If you’ve been walking for hours in the hot sun they might start to complain. When this happens, take a short break and buy them an ice cream to lift their spirits. Sometimes even the most comfortable shoes can hurt their feet, so try to rotate walking activities with relaxing days and don’t do too much in one go.
Think Interactive
Children will find it hard to pay attention to a day-long tour, but they’d love visiting a farm where they can pet the animals or a theme park with rollercoasters to ride. Even if these don’t seem too different to what you can find back at home, it will help your kids to form special memories and they’ll always remember what a great time they had on holiday. Giving children a disposable camera of their own can also be a wonderful way to help them engage with what’s going on around them.
