How about an educational holiday with your children, clubbed with fun-filled activities? Irrespective of your next trip involving the exploration of a neighbouring town or heading to the coastal areas, there are very many ways to incorporate a tad little learning along the way. A bit of education added to your holidays can not only make it an informative one but also extraordinary! Here are the following six tips to make your family vacation an educational one.
- Involve kids in choosing the Holiday Destination
Try respecting your kids’ suggestions related to the next holiday. It might vary from beaches to mountains or camping. It will instead help in kick-starting the learning procedure, as they will be aware of knowing something they choose. Try sitting together and discuss the following itineraries as per the location. It might be that they have gained knowledge about some places from school and interested in exploring.
To make the whole concept simple, plan to prepare a powerpoint presentation with the help of your kids. Try including pictures of various authentic cuisines which you can expect to try out. For instance, for a trip to Paris, try emphasizing Louvre, which used to be the King’s palace. Try discussing the famous picture of Mona Lisa and other paintings, while planning a day out at the museum. Your children will have a different experience altogether while appreciating and accepting the whole.
- Stopover at the public library and travel office
The public libraries and travel offices are the knowledge pit. Try gathering some facts for your family trip. The libraries cater to all sorts of books following the child’s age. If planning to visit a town, try looking up the books or journals related to the town’s well-known tourist attractions. Or if planning to hit the shorelines, attempt getting some information about the aqua-life there you might come across. These all thought-provoking history will aid you and your child with fascinating facts, which might heighten your trip. The local galleries often cater for conducted tours or have various kids’ programs, which turn out to be educational and entertaining.
- Map marking
Take a world map like the one you can find here on your vacation. Explain to your children about the starting and finishing points. Then ask them to trace the whole trip along the route. Leave the entire activity to them, as they will very excitingly mark the stopovers all along the way and draw whatever they see. For instance, while driving over the Grand Canyon, ask your kids to trace the whole route, as well as make a sketch of the background you pass along the way.
- Experimenting your taste buds
Local cuisine will always make your children excited. And try to discuss more on the local kitchen and plan for testing your taste buds, all through your journey. If you plan to travel to Florida, talk about the seafood items which you all will be tasting, as well as the desserts like lemon-pie. Or if a plan going the Chicago style, discuss the well-known hot-dogs and the pizzas! You can turn this into a memory game, where all of the family members can sit together and play.
- Airport navigation
Take time out in explaining the airport terminals which you have to come across often while on vacation. Give them the liberty to help you in navigating via the arrival and departure screens, schedule chats, maps, and following from one gate to the other.
- Explore the traditions and culture
While on vacation we always prefer stopping over at beautiful places, enjoy many activities like swimming or hiking. Try exploring the local areas. Make it a point to interact with the local people, to gather knowledge about their traditions and cultures. Plan a trip to the local marketplace, where your kids will enjoy learning about the various local vegetables, and poultry. Many places are famous for their spice markets. You can find the local manufacturing units of spices and other daily goods. Try taking your kids to one of the manufacturing units. To get help while interacting with the locals, download the language application, and start incorporating a handful of phrases into your children’s vocabulary every day. Thus, planning a trip to Mexico?
Conclusion
Acquiring good attendance is always commendable for children. But then there is a time and a place to gain some knowledge apart from classroom studies. The above discussed are the only a handful of ideas to explore and learn about the world they reside in. Doing a bit of research work and peppering in specific fun-filled facts will make your children enjoy the whole family vacation. Rather than staring at random things that come along the way.