Preparing your child for going on vacation

Going on vacation: let your child know the destination

Whether or not you change country, the landscape, the environment will be different: you will go from an urban landscape to a green countryside, from a house to an apartment by the sea … Explain to your child what will find it there, giving him details that he can understand at his age – will he see a sandy beach or a pebble beach? Will he be able to feast on pancakes or exotic fruits for afternoon tea? – and show him pictures. Read together the documentation on the region, the tourist guide. If you are traveling abroad, be sure to tell him that the people you are going to meet will not speak the same language, that they will not be the same color. It may seem logical to you, but he does not yet know the world and its diversity.

Going on vacation: explain the journey to your child

If you have opted for the plane and your child has never taken this means of transport, take the time to explain all the steps (check-in, boarding). How long will the flight last? If you go very far, and you spend the night on the plane, do not forget to tell him… Once at the airport and in the waiting room, take the opportunity to show him the planes up close. and explain to him that the luggage that you have just entrusted to the hostess is transported to the hold (the trunk of the plane!) on these strange machines. Ditto for a trip by car or train, prepare him by giving him notions of time that he can handle. “We are going to roll the time of a DVD, of a nap…”.

5 tips and tricks to properly prepare your child for vacation!

Describe their holiday accommodation to your child

Hotel, campsite, rental house, stay with friends? Will he sleep in the same room as you? Share your enthusiasm with your child and give him as much detail as possible: “At the hotel, we will all sleep in the same room but we will have breakfast in the dining room” … If you rent a house you will surely have the photos of the different rooms, look at them together and choose your rooms, make the place your own with him.

Holidays: prepare the program with your child

Beach, hikes, visits, you surely already have an idea of ​​the activities offered on site and those that tempt you. Ask him for his opinion or inform him (if he is too young to make a decision) before registering him for a children’s club, a sailing course … Discuss with your family how your days will unfold, so that he is also preparing to live differently.

Going on vacation: pack your child’s suitcase with him

Include him in the preparations. Make the last purchases before departure with him: swimsuit, beach towel, Bermuda shorts, summer sandals, walking shoes … always planning your vacation. “You need shoes to walk on the rocks, a mask to watch the fish in the water …” Ask him to prepare his bag of toys, checking of course that he takes what will be useful: bucket, ball , books… Just like you, he will feel that the departure is approaching and will be very excited to live this new adventure.