Traveling with your kids allows you to create tons of fun family memories. It also gives you an opportunity to teach them some important lessons in planning and budgeting, as well as about history and other important topics. Planning for opportunities of growth and learning on your family vacation will be something that everyone in your family can enjoy. If you’re planning your next big family getaway, then you’ll want to keep the following four tips in mind. They will help you create a vacation filled with lasting memories and hours of fun for all.
Get the Kids Involved
If you’re planning a vacation with your kids and don’t plan on doing anything that appeals to kids, then you’re setting yourself up for vacation failure. Getting the kids involved in planning the vacation ensures that at least some of the activities will appeal to them. It also allows you to teach them some important lessons about planning and budgeting in a fun, interactive way.
Include Some History
Your kids don’t need to spend hours reading textbooks in order to learn about history. A family vacation counts as a great time to immerse your kids in history. For example, let’s say that you are vacationing in Greensboro and want to help your kids understand the significance of Black History Month. Greensboro has a Civil Rights Museum that all families should visit once. Using vacation time to visit these kinds of historical or important sites prove to be great learning experiences for all ages. Taking a trip to a museum like this allows your kids to see history in context without having to read a history book in order to learn the information.
Rent a House
Renting a house on a website like Airbnb or VRBO offers your family a number of benefits that staying in a hotel doesn’t. Each of your kids can sleep in his or her own space, and so can you and your partner. Such an arrangement also allows you to cook your meals at home, to enjoy some downtime when you need it, and to hang out in front of the home’s built-in pool or fire pit at the end of the day. It’s like being at home–even when you’re not.
The To-Do Box
No road trip with kids is complete without a travel activity box. If you’re going to be driving or flying for hours, then you have to make sure you’ve given your kids plenty to do to combat boredom. Include items like coloring books, middle-grade novels, travel journals, portable DVD players and movies, and other activities. Your sanity will thank you.
Family vacations give you an opportunity to explore the world through your children’s eyes. These getaways can be filled with historical landmarks, plenty of regional food, and downtime by the fire pit at your rental house. The trick to making your vacation an event to remember is to include activities that everyone, even your littlest ones, can enjoy.
If you’re traveling with your kids to the western United States, be sure to visit these great locations!