How Family Vacations Help Supercharge Your Child’s Development
by Emily Martin
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Emily is a teacher and a mom of two who loves nothing more than exploring the planet with her family. She is passionate about introducing her wild-hearted daughter and shoe-refusing son to stunning new places and watching them explore both the natural world and learn about new cultures.
Since witnessing the positive impact travel has had on her own children, sparking their creativity, boosting their development and shaping them into well-rounded individuals, she has been inspired to share the benefits of family travel with other adventurous parents across the world. Her hope is that children everywhere will have the opportunity to learn, develop and thrive through unique experiences which so often can only be found when we venture outside of our comfort zones.
As she shares her own hard-learned practical tips, top destination ideas, and personal insights into the joys and struggles of taking children overseas, Emily helps to empower and inspire others looking to do the same. Armed with this knowledge, she hopes families everywhere can make the most of their time away and create precious, lifelong memories through enriching travel experiences.
When she isn’t busy writing or planning their next expedition, Emily enjoys watercolor painting and exploring the woods and hills near her hometown with friends and extended family members.
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To get the most out of your vacation with your children, make sure to create an itinerary that allows you to spend lots of time with them – keeping a consistent routine can help to ensure you get quality time together to play, and may help to create a sense of stability for your children.
While playing with your children can significantly boost their development, don’t underestimate the benefits of individual play sessions, too – a healthy balance can help your children to learn while feeling both supported and developing a sense of healthy autonomy.
Traveling with your children can be a wonderful opportunity to introduce them to new routines, activities, cultures, and ecosystems. While there’s plenty for your children to learn on their own when exploring somewhere new, taking the time to play with them can help to further enrich their vacation experience and enhance physical and cognitive development.
Here, we share the potential benefits of playing with your children on vacation, as well as some of our top tips.
Emotional regulation
Travel can be stressful at times, both for adults and children. Out of their normal environment, your children will be experiencing all the unfamiliar things that come with exploring a new country and culture, which could feel overwhelming at times. Temper tantrums can be common while on vacation, but there are ways you can help your children to feel more at ease when away from home.
By playing with your children on vacation, you’ll help them feel heard, understood, and supported. They’ll find your physical presence soothing, and with your help, can use play as a tool to better understand and process the different emotions they’re experiencing. This will give them a safe and healthy channel in which they can express themselves, helping them learn to regulate their emotions more effectively – both while on vacation and when back at home.
A great example of a type of play that helps with emotional regulation—especially useful while traveling—is pretend play or role-playing.
Before or during your trip, encourage your child to engage in a simple role-play game where they "pretend" to be a tour guide, a pilot, or a traveler. You can give them a small map, a toy suitcase, or even use objects from your hotel room. Ask questions like, "Where are we going next, Captain?" or "Can you show me where we’ll eat lunch today?"
This kind of pretend play allows them to:
- Process new experiences in a way that feels safe and controlled
- Express anxieties indirectly through the role they play
- Feel more confident and prepared for unfamiliar activities
Safe exploration
Children will always seek out new experiences, particularly when in a new environment. By playing with your children, you allow them to interact with their surroundings in a way that is safely guided and monitored.
You might want to play with your children on the beach, introducing them to the sea, sand, and small ocean creatures – or perhaps you’d want to make a game out of learning new words and phrases in a different language. Interactive play can help to boost your child’s understanding of the world around them, and your support and guidance ensures they’re free to explore without risk.
Interpersonal skills
Children learn how to communicate with others through watching their caregivers and having a safe space in which they can experiment for themselves. Playing with your children on vacation allows them to continue to hone their interpersonal skills while away from home and may help them to feel more confident communicating with new people while on vacation.
You could take this as an opportunity to teach your children about how social norms differ in different parts of the world, to further enrich their learning. You could also encourage your children to use their non-verbal communication skills during play, to help them feel more comfortable communicating with people who speak different languages.
Physical health
While it’s normal to take it easy and indulge in more treats than you usually would on vacation, it’s important to ensure your family still sticks to a healthy routine for the most part. To help keep your children on the right track, consider playing games that incorporate movement, such as individual or team sports.
Not only will your child stay healthy, but they may also learn some new skills they can take home with them, further boosting their development. Consider trying out some fun activities or games inspired by the local area, to give your child a unique, well-rounded experience.
The benefits of family vacations
The benefits of taking your children on vacation are numerous. As well as introducing them to new experiences, it also provides you with the chance to play with them, boosting their learning while simultaneously deepening your bond.