With the warmer weather approaching and the summer almost here, you are probably looking forward to everyone’s favorite time of year: vacation! At first thought, you may be overwhelmed by the idea of packing, planning and organizing your family’s trip, but the quality time, memories and experiences you will give your preschool children will far outweigh any stress of travel.
Below you will find a few tips that will help make your vacation run more smoothly.
- Avoid meltdowns-stick to routines. Infants and small children thrive with their normal schedules. It is best to eat at the same time and nap at the same time, if at all possible.
- Leave plenty of extra time. It is always best to leave a little early so that you can be prepared if you hit traffic or unexpected circumstances come up. Emotions run high when we feel rushed, and it is impossible to rush a preschooler to get dressed and put on their shoes. Can anybody relate?
- Entertain them. Make sure to pack a variety of age appropriate toys, books and coloring books to keep your infant, toddler or preschooler busy. It’s no fun to be stuck on a plane ride or car ride with nothing to do.
- Play games or sing songs. Scavenger hunts and “I Spy” work great for keeping everyone on track for having fun! Encourage children to look for colors or letters in signs or for special flowers, or cars. Sing songs with movements and easy lyrics for younger children. This may even become your vacation “theme song”. (It may sound corny, but your children will LOVE it.) This is how to make memories that will last a lifetime!
- Pack LOTS of snacks. No one has fun when they’re hungry and this is especially true for children. Pack plenty of easy to handle and mess-free snacks. You should also do your best to plan for meals in advance and search for kid-friendly restaurants.
- Be cool. If you set the tone and can remain calm and relaxed, the rest of your family can follow your example. Children are not always good with change and can overreact about even the tiniest things, like their socks hurting. (laugh). How you respond to your child will make the difference. Try a big hug, distraction or their favorite toy to put them at ease.
- Plan some down time. This is supposed to be a vacation, right? So make sure you try to relax a little. It’s perfectly acceptable to devote an entire afternoon to…nothing but relaxing. You deserve it and so do your children. They will welcome a little rest.
Have fun and enjoy your vacation!
