Family Matters Spring 2022

It’s Spring! School is out and already the children are bored. Perhaps your ‘big’ holiday is already done and dusted, or is some way off. Either way, it’s time to think about a family day trip. And whether your trip is to a local beauty spot for a picnic or somewhere further afield, be sure to prepare thoroughly for the perfect day out.

PLAN YOUR DAY

The greatest thing you can take – whether sightseeing or getting from A to B – is extra time. Young children love to explore and don’t care for the time pressures of travel, so you’re more likely to all retain your cool if you factor the faffing, toilet stops and, dare we say it, tantrums into your timeframe

INVOLVE THE KIDS

When you’re planning your trip, encourage your children to find out about where you’re going. Let everyone choose one activity, if that is viable, so it’s truly a family trip that involves everyone.

DOCUMENT YOUR TRIP

Hang on to bits and pieces from the day as keepsakes: tickets, brochures, a couple of postcards, etc. Your children can then create a way to remember their day when they get home – and share their experience at Show & Tell at school or nursery.

TAKE SNACKS AND WATER

Similarly, you need to be prepared for any delays to normal mealtimes, so take plenty of healthy(ish) snacks like breadsticks, carrot sticks, grapes, raisins etc. Filling up on sweets and chocolate could mean kids are more likely to get travel sick, or get a sugar rush at an inopportune time.

BOOK/RESEARCH AHEAD

If you’re going to a special event, place or restaurant, it pays to book ahead, or check opening hours if this is more relevant. If you arrive at your destination to find you can’t get a seat, need to wait an hour for lunch, the museum is closed on Mondays, or whatever, then tempers will soon flare. And there’s nothing more demoralising than having to hit the road again with tired, hungry children melting down in the backseat. So, where you can, do your homework before you leave home...

LET THE KIDS TAKE SOME PHOTOS

If you have a suitable device or camera, or the kids have their own device, encourage them to take some pictures. It’s another way to get the kids more fully involved with the day, and allows them to record the trip from their perspective, which will be very different from yours.

TAKE SOME ACTIVITY STUFF

Whether it’s to cover a long wait in a café for food, or you’re trapped on a delayed train, you never know when you might need to suddenly occupy the kids. So, take paper and crayons. A must-have for any urban trip!