Family Vacation - 6 Smart Tips to Keep Your Kids Entertained
Looking for the perfect family vacation destination but can't seem to find a place that children might find interesting? The beach is a safe bet.
The United States is home to a large number of beaches, most of which offer a wide variety of sports to keep kids engaged and happy. If you're in South Carolina, you should definitely explore Myrtle Beach. Over 19 million people visit this spot each year to soak in the warm waters and enjoy nearby attractions.
Doesn’t matter if you are traveling as a couple or a group to Myrtle Beach, there is something for everyone — from parks and museums to state parks and boardwalks. But if you’re traveling with kids, your trip will be quite different from a trip with adults. For starters, children get bored way more quickly, so you need more than just sand and water to keep them occupied. Younger kids are an even bigger challenge as they tend to feel homesick, and they express this by throwing tantrums.
How to Keep Kids Entertained During Vacations
Traveling with kids isn’t easy. Before you depart, you need to make sure that you’ve packed all their essentials. While en route, you need to take care of their meals, their sleep, and their entertainment too! Children are also bound to get bored in places that adults might be looking forward to enjoying.
You might think that traveling with kids is a hassle, but it is still extremely necessary for their growth. So, before you plan a family vacation, read up on these 6 smart tips that can help keep your kids entertained while you travel:
1. Maintain a Balance of Activities for All Ages
When you’re planning your trip, keep a lookout for things to do in Myrtle Beach with kids. For example, you can visit Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show, where children can enjoy watching a fun, pirate-themed performance and helping themselves to a delicious four-course meal. There are also interactive experiences available for additional fees. Kids can be transformed into pirates or mermaids with fun makeovers, or the family can book tickets for an animal encounter to meet some of the popular characters of the show.
While the trip cannot be all about the kids, you can maintain a balance of activities that you and the kids can enjoy. Add places in your itinerary that the kids would look forward to. You can talk to them about the places you will be visiting and get them excited about the places that interest them. This way, you can ask them to wait patiently for the promised visit to the amusement park when you are relaxing on the beach.
Younger kids might not understand the concept of waiting, so it is important to pack things for them to do that might be of more interest to adults. For instance, kids can enjoy sand toys at the beach, or play with their gadgets at restaurants.
2. Have Special Family Time
The family trip shouldn’t only be about going places. When you’re on a holiday, you will spend some time at the hotel as well. Plan a family game night or a movie night so kids are entertained at the hotel. This way, you can relax after a tiring day out and keep the kids entertained at the same time.
These moments are a great way to strengthen the connection with your kids. They are also a fun way to develop their cognitive abilities! You see, when you’re playing board games with kids rather than letting them waste time on gadgets, you are working on their organizing, planning, and decision-making skills.
3. Capture Memories
A Polaroid camera and a journaling diary are two must-haves in your luggage when you’re traveling with kids. These two things can help keep them engaged during the trip. They will think of fun ways to pose in places where they are bored so adults can take a breather.
Also, when they add these photos to a photo journal, you can encourage them to write about the trip which will help improve their writing abilities too. These photos and write-ups are a great way to gift your kids memories that they will reminisce about when they grow up.
4. Pack their Favorite Items
Many kids become homesick when they are traveling and end up throwing tantrums to make themselves feel in control. Packing items that are their favorites like toys, board games, or coloring books can make them feel at ease. You can even pack their favorite snacks that they can eat while you are out and about.
As for older kids and teens, encourage them to pack their own luggage. They can bring their favorite things, keep them safe during the trip, and pack it again when you are heading home. Giving them this freedom can develop a sense of responsibility in them and allow them to learn how to plan ahead.
For instance, they might pack some board games that they like to keep themselves entertained when they are going to places where they feel that they will get bored.
5. Invest in Activity Packs
Children from 4-8 years of age are buzzing with energy. So, even when they go to places where you expect them to enjoy, it won’t last 15 minutes till they are bored again.
While packing their favorite toys at home might help, they won’t enjoy them for long since they have already played with them. New toys or books are more entertaining for kids, especially those who are 4-8 years old.
Before you travel, order some age-appropriate activity packs for them. Select packs that have their favorite characters on them so they can’t say no to them. If you are traveling with an artist in the making, keep coloring supplies and art books with you so they can draw and color wherever they feel bored.
6. Create a Flexible Itinerary
Traveling with kids is a whole other experience. Apart from feeling bored, they might feel tired and sleep in the car, disrupting your schedule.
To keep yourself from feeling frustrated because of a change in plans, keep your itinerary short and flexible. If you know that your children will get tired from the day at the beach, don’t plan for anything to do at night. If you do, they will end up getting fussy the next day which will ruin your plans. To keep them entertained in places where you know they won’t enjoy, they need to be well-rested too.
Final Words
Granted, traveling with kids can be a challenge. However, while you cannot - and should not - put off your traveling plans when you have children, you can always accommodate them.
Kids are quite energetic, so they tend to get bored very quickly, especially in places where they aren’t engaged. You can keep them engaged by promising them a visit to fun places, giving them activity packs, and giving them the responsibility to take pictures during the trip.
For more creative ideas, you can always refer to the tips mentioned in this article. Even if they are little, your children will fly out of your nest soon. So, make sure to make the most of this time.
