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Don't tour with
children under nine or ten. Younger children just can't
appreciate historical sites. One child I know kept on asking
for the air-conditioned shopping mall when visiting a restored
19th century village.
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Do
primarily child-oriented stuff with kids under ten; zoos,
amusement parks, swimming, limited hiking in national parks.
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Children
Over Ten: Don't take bus tours. Children don't like sitting
on a bus. They want to be active. Walk, hike, explore. Try
to take more than one kid, so that they have peer company.
If possible, the children should be close in age, so there
are not great differences in attention span. "Always be
aware of attention span," one tourist guide warns. "You
need to know when they're losing it."
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Preparation
is as important as the trip itself: Kids should read up
on where you're going. You can send away for free folders
from the state and national parks as well as tourist information
of different states, countries. The children should decide
on some of the places they want to visit.
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Each
child should have his/her own small suitcase to wheel, and
for which he/she is responsible. They should carry their
personals in a small backpack.
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Each
child should bring his/her own entertainment for the plane
or long car trip. A tape recorder to listen to the music
he/she likes is recommended. This will also reduce fighting
about what to listen to. For younger children, make sure
to have paper, magic markers, games and books.
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Make
a short list of what you absolutely want to see and the
grandchildren should realize that they have to respect your
choices, just as you respect their decisions as to what
to see.
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Read
about the historical or natural sites before you visit them,
so that you don't read from the book, but can talk naturally
about them.
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Let
them choose their favorite picture in a museum or a special
site and make them responsible for telling the group about
it.
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Try
to make games out of things. It works even with older children.
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You
might try to have the children act out what happened at
some historical sites or battlegrounds, so that they feel
they're living through it.
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Instead
of giving straight information, let them guess the answers.
Quiz them about things they've already heard. Keep them
hanging for an answer until later; build up suspense.
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Tell
them ahead of time about something they're going to see
and ask them to look out for it, so they're always on their
toes.
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Be
aware that "togetherness" can sometimes be too much of a
good thing. Allow each child to sit away from the group
at times; give everyone an opportunity to have his/her own
space, including yourself.
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Don't
be upset if they just want to "hang out" and watch TV once
in a while.
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Beware
the constant requests to "Buy this" or "Buy that." Each
child should receive an allowance with which he can choose
to buy whatever he/she wants even if it's the ugliest souvenir
you've ever seen.
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Let
the kids photograph, draw, record, collect postcards as
much as they want. It's great if they make a scrapbook and
look back upon it later. Maybe, someday, they'll show it
to their own grandchildren.
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Never,
never, say to a child, "You're spoiling our time," or, "I'm
sorry I took you." Accentuate the positive. The nagging,
sulky moments pass and the good memories remain.
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Remember
that a sense of humor goes a long way.
Have
a good time!
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