Best Kids Vacations – If you are like me, you have a couple of kids at home and when you are planning a vacation, keeping those kids happy and entertained is high on your list. What kinds of things should be considered when you are planning a family friendly vacation? What will make this vacation one of the best kids vacations ever? With careful consideration given to the children in your life, you, too, can plan a successful vacation for your family.
Consider the ages of your children.
If you have a child under five, carefully consider if an activity could be seen as scary or too dark. Children this age often are afraid of the dark and are concerned and worried about animals or people who are “hurt” in shows or performances. They just don’t understand that those people are playing a role and get right up after the show is over, unharmed. They may worry and have bad dreams because of something they thought was scary. Stay away from wild west shooting shows, dark rooms and tunnels and haunted houses, to name a few, if you have a little one who is easily frightened.
If there is a teenager in your family, don’t forget to include activities in the vacation that he will find exciting. The best way to find out what he would like to do is simply to ask. Let him choose an activity for the family that will have him looking forward to the trip, even if it’s not something you find completely amazing. Letting him make some choices will ensure he feels heard and maybe, just maybe, he will leave the attitude at home and have some fun with the family.
Get those kids moving!
If you are planning one the best kids vacations, make sure there is time in every day for being active. Kids have way more energy than we do and they need to burn some of that energy a few times throughout the day. Stop at a park, play some basketball, take a hike. Giving children an outlet for their energy will keep everyone feeling better. And don’t forget to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! Take water with your where ever you go!
Mix things up.
Hiking through the forest is great for a day during the family vacation, but if want it to be one of the best kids vacations, you need to mix up the activities. Hiking may be greeted with cheers and whoops one day, but if you suggest it again a second day you may get a much different reaction. Have a day at the pool, do group activities or visit a museum or nearby attraction. What is fun for a day may be torture if done over and over.
Down time.
The best kids vacations always leave time for rest. No matter what the ages of your children, all of them get tired and the parents do too! Come back to your hotel or campground in the middle of the day and relax for an hour or two. Make one day a “hang around and relax” day where everyone gets to sleep in, lay around and maybe play a family game in the evening. Going strong from early morning until late at night just wears everyone out and even if they can handle it for a few days in a row, by day three or four, everyone is going to need a break. Give yourself and your family time to regroup and then hit those activities hard the next day when everyone is fresh.
Planning one of the best kids vacations may seem to be a daunting task, but if you take the time to think about the children in your family, what they like and what they don’t, what they need to be the best person they can be, you’ll be sure to score a hit on your next family adventure. Consider their ages. Get up and get moving. Change things up. Take a break. That’s really not much different from what you do for your kids every day.
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