So, the last few years you’ve curated some
wonderful vacations for the family. Together you have explored the quaint
villages of England, the historical and pre-medieval cities of Europe, and have
taken pictures around the great cathedrals in Italy. What does all this have in
common? Well, it’s quite cultural and intelligent to visit these places.
Now, not for one second are we suggesting that
your children are unintelligent or cannot derive enjoyment from these
activities. However, it might be that the youth and energy of childhood might
be best served elsewhere. After all, while the energy is high and the youth is
free-flowing, why not allow the child space to truly burn some of those
calories and experience an active
adventure? This is akin to
allowing them to read a fantasy novel rather than making them read a history
textbook. If your children adore the first form of vacation, then that’s
absolutely fine and more power to you.
However, that’s not likely to be the statistical
majority. You can include these activities in your vacation of course, and it
can inform the education of your child. However, be sure to also supplant some
of the following activities in the whole experience. You never know, you might
also have some truly accidental fun. Relating to your inner child is sometimes
just what you need to completely shed that office-related stress you have found
all year.
Challenge
Children are no stranger to challenge. Their
entire life thus far has been learning how to behave and socially develop in
the world. It has been filled with lessons and learning things as complex,
strange yet as basic as the alphabet and basic math. Depending on the age of
your child, it might be they have been exposed to even more perplexing tests.
Children know challenge, and often they thrive with it. So why not let them
experience something new?
Now, of course there’s no need to enter them
into anything to strange and difficult. But why not choose a completely new
activity this year? Learning how to ski or snowboard for the first time can be
an extremely useful experience, particularly if your children haven’t really
been too exposed to cold in their lifetime. This can reinforce an early love
for this activity, and encourage them to become a regular attendee.
It can also bring a family together to
experience something completely new alongside one another. It’s not hard to
understand why. When the experience is fresh, you all have stories to tell one
another and enjoy. There’s nothing quite like family bonding when you all start
from the same level, and you are all equal in status before the competence of
the activity in question.
Expect to hear ‘Hey Mom, remember when we both
fell over trying to go down the beginner slopes?’ often after the event. These
things do generate the funniest
stories, after all.
Adventure
We all love a good adventure. Kids even more so.
So why not curate one? Some of the best holidays for kids revolve around a general purpose. This might be fragmented, but
it does have that core. For example, it might be that you decide to experience
all of the beaches for surfing in a given location, or you attend a business
that offers treasure hunts for children. Something which you can all enjoy and
look forward to day after day will often make children jump at the chance to
leave the accommodation, ready to get the day started.
If you’re just on vacation to check out a number
of locations, try and share why you're interested in this with your children.
Plan the route out so it escalates and it comes to a head. For example, if
heading on a road trip, enjoying the many side attractions could be themed around a
certain perspective.
It might be an aquatic aquarium adventure, or an
animal-themed road trip in general. To use this example, it might be that your
final destination is something huge, such as a massive zoo you spend a couple
of days visiting. This is an interesting way to curate an experience for you
and your family, rather than simply ‘going with the flow.’ This will also help
you achieve more activity during the entire visit, as it’s quite easy to relax
and lay back, wasting the time you have reserved. Of course, you are more than
free to run your vacation how you hope to, but this could be a fun and novel
way to conduct it this year at least.
Games
Who doesn’t love
games? Maybe a better question is - who loves games
most of all? If you answered ‘children,’ you are absolutely right. So why not
bring games into your vacation, or even make them a fundamental underpinning of
the event? We mentioned that adventure often culminates in a large event. If
your children are huge fans of soccer, could it be attending a foreign Spanish
game could be a wonderful thing for them (and you of course) to experience?
Games can also come through in many other ways.
For example, instead of curating a select adventure based on semi-narrative of
attractions, why not try a sporting vacation? This might mean signing up for a
week of watersports, or even a forest camp with activities all around to enjoy?
For example, there are many wilderness camps with huge adventure activities,
such as shooting, arts and crafts, and even extreme sports such as abseiling or
BMX courses. There are some that have child-friendly action courses, such as
those with ziplines and climbing wall lengths.
This can also be a great way to stay active on
your vacation, a great way to inhale some fresh air and avoid the temptation of
alcohol while you’re there. Doesn’t sound so bad, does it?
This year of adventure and activity can gift you
a truly memorable year. It will also allow you the opportunity to once more
visit the countries of culture you hope to attend next year. Have fun!
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