Preparing Your Kids for a Vacation Adventure

Preparing your child to go on a family vacation is an important process that will help make the whole trip less stressful and more enjoyable. If you take a child on a family vacation away from home, your child could become confused, agitated, moody, or frustrated. Any mixture of those emotions from a child can put a damper on a fun family vacation.

Thankfully, preparing your child for a vacation is relatively easy. A week before you leave for your destination, sit down your child and talk to him/her about where you are going. Talk to them about what the destination looks like, what type of transportation you will use, who will be there, what time you will be leaving or arriving; any detail that you think a child would like to know. The second step is letting them pack their bag. Ask them what they would like to bring, as this helps create a sense of excitement. Please note that even if your child doesn’t say they want their favorite blanket or stuffed animal, bring it anyway. It is better to be safe than sorry.

Finally, the night before, tell your children that you will be keeping a normal routine while on vacation. Just because they are going to be in a different environment does not mean that they don’t have to go to bed or brush their teeth. Keep your children in a familiar routine. And if there is a fun thing you usually do, like read a bedtime story, or listen to a certain song, continue to do that while on vacation

Following these 3 easy steps before your vacation will keep your kids from getting too overly excited for a week, make your traveling easier, and arriving to your vacation much more pleasant. If you are going to a destination where there are certain activities you know of, like some of Minnesota Northwoods members’ supervised kid activities, water toys, or playgrounds, don’t forget to mention that once you get closer to your destination. This will increase excitement for the child while also giving them an incentive to continue being good while you are on your way to your destination.

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