Exposing Your Kids to Travel... From Home!
There are many reasons why parents are hesitant to put down money on travel with their little ones. “Is it really worth all the hassle?” “Will they even remember it?” I totally get it. We didn’t travel much at all in our first few years of parenting. But once we started to travel with our kids, we found that exposing our kids to travel from the comfort of our own homes made our future trips a lot easier. Small things like having your child try new foods consistently. Shaking up our weekend routine by visiting new places. Reading books about destinations that we want to visit. This exposure to newness and a world beyond our 10 block radius helped our kids become more flexible and curious. Which are two important traits to have while traveling (and in life in general!).
Here are 5 ways that you can expose your kids to travel from home!
PICK A COUNTRY TO LEARN ABOUT
Have your child pick a country to learn about for a week or two. You could have them flip through a book like Maps and choose a country that interests them. Or choose a country where your family is from. Or have you kids spin a globe and see where their little finger lands.
Then start with what your kids are already interested in to get them excited! My kids love animals. We research what animals are native to the country and begin our learning! It’s so easy to find documentaries on specific animals these days. We also love to make new recipes. The kids and I will research what dish is popular in the country and choose (the easiest) recipe to make together. We’ve made fondue from Switzerland, pasta from Italy, ramen from Japan, and chocolates from Belgium.
Aside from animals and food, you could learn fun facts about the country, read about what inventions or famous people come from there, research holidays unique to the destination. The sky’s the limit!
KID-LED ADVENTURES
Put the kids in charge of the afternoon while you explore a place familiar to your family. Hand them a map and some cash and have them make the decisions. We forget that kids don’t really get to make any choices outside of their homes. So this freedom is exhilarating! It’s also a great way to sneak in some learning. A little math while they decide how to spend their money. Directions while navigating the map. Also, encourage them to do all the social interactions. My kids are always a bit nervous at first and then filled with confidence once they do things like ask for a table at a restaurant or order the meal for themselves.
EXPAND YOUR PALLET
Sometimes introducing our kids to new foods while traveling is just not worth the struggle. Especially if we’ve had a long travel day or are exhausted from a day sightseeing in the sun. My kids ordered many ham and cheese sandwiches in Siem Reap. And you know, that’s ok! But trying new foods is a fun part of traveling for me and I find that it’s easier to do with my kids when we expose them to new foods regularly.
Order takeout from somewhere new. Trying out a new cuisine. Or order from a favorite restaurant and try a new dish or two to share. During our travels, we loved to pick an appetizer or dish that was new to us to share, even if the rest of the meal was full of safe options. The rule for me growing up was “just try two bites”. It’s the same rule that we stick with today. They don’t have to love it, they just have to try it!
TACKLE A NEW ADVENTURE
Try something new as a family. Don’t hike much? Haven’t been kayaking? Want to learn archery? It’s great for your kids to see you try and learn something new. Being a good sport when we make mistakes, not giving up in the beginning, and not needing to master something to have fun are all great lessons to set an example for your kids. Learning and getting out of our comfort zone is a big part of travel and you don’t need to go far to start learning those lessons at home.
CATCH A SHOW
What do you like to do as a family when you travel? Do you always catch a musical or show? Do you love visiting a nature center or national park? There are so many ways to mimic those experiences from home, virtually. Spend the afternoon exploring Angkor Wat's temples or the Palace of Versailles. Tour Yellowstone from the comfort of your couch. Take a tour through famous stages around the world and find a virtual performance to enjoy.
What do you do to prepare your kids for travel? Any ways to explore the world from home to add to this list?
