What are some of your fondest family memories from childhood? For many, family trips and holiday vacations are some of the most powerful memories one can have. Family vacations are cherished experiences where everyone is enjoying their time together bonding and sharing their time with one another. With that said, if you’re planning a holiday trip with the kids, consider involving them in the planning process. Not only will it increase their excitement, but it’s also an invaluable learning experience for them.
Holiday planning with the kids
As parents, it can be easy for us to just take the wheel and let the kids tag along with the agenda we make. While this is perfectly fine, this leaves a lot to be desired for the kids. Imagine the excitement, the smile on their face, and how their eyes light up when you invite them to plan the trip.
Involving the kids in the family holiday planning can help them feel more invested in the trip. This naturally builds anticipation and excitement for the trip, as well as allowing them to think ahead of what activities and preparations that need to be done before the trip. This makes them much more capable and independent travelers when they eventually are old enough to travel on their own.
Setting parameters
Obviously, there are caveats to travel planning that are too complicated for kids, such as booking the accommodation and getting the flight tickets.
The key to involving kids in holiday planning is to set specific parameters and asking them age-appropriate questions regarding the trip. For example, you can give them a pre-curated list of activities, points of interest, or locations and let them decide on which ones to choose to add on the itinerary.
If you have older kids, you can involve them with more independent tasks that are within their capacity to execute. For example, you can assign them to create the roadmap for the trip, research flight ticket prices, or even let them handle the navigation for you.
Improve their travel experience
As we prefaced above, assigning some of the travel planning to your kids helps them feel more invested and builds excitement. In addition to that, they will also be more engaged during the entire experience too because they’ve chosen the activities or locations themselves.
The last thing you want on a family trip are kids who are bored and complaining about the trip because of their lack of interest. Involving them in the planning ensures that the activities include things that they actually want to do. This ultimately yields to much more gratifying travel experience and memorable memories that will last a lifetime.
We hope this article has proven insightful for parents who are eager to plan for their next family trip together with the kids! Stay tuned for more parent-friendly tips from IPEKA Christian School.
