Engaging kids in international travel

[4KookieKids]

We scored roundtrip tickets to Europe today for $630 per person (!!!), so we'll be landing in Paris mid-Dec and will slowly travel north to fly out of London mid-Jan (spending the majority of our time in Germany). We're super excited, and I've been thinking that my kids will get far more out of the trip if we can prep them by getting them involved with what we'll be doing, seeing, hearing, etc. before we go. I'd just like to make it a good experience for them!  So: with kids ages 2,3,5, and 7, how would you go about doing that?

 

Certainly, we'll look at weather averages together to decide exactly what to pack. We'll look at geography together and map out our route. But what else? I'm not really sure where to start and am a little overwhelmed with options right now ( famous buildings, famous museums, etc.!) I'm not really sure what I can do *with* the children to help them, since reading websites about famous museums or parks may not be super exciting to them (except my oldest), you know?
 

ETA: Updated in a later post: I should've had different ages: They will be 2.5, 4.5, 6.5, and 8.5 at the time of the trip because they have birthdays this summer.

Edited June 4, 2017 by deanna1ynne

[Xahm]

I recommend reading books about kids who traveled to those areas. The Madeleine books would be good. They aren't so much about the places, but famous suis are in the illustrations, and that seems to make it relatable. Maybe work together to make a to-do list for Europe. Kid things, like buy pain aux chocolate in a French bakery, slide down a slide in a Belgian park. They won't necessarily be the most cultured things, just everyday kid life stuff. Come up with a challenge of some sort as a running gag while you are there, like seeing how many different kinds of transportation you see in use or how many different toppings for French fries you see. When we were in France, my two year old didn't care much about the historical sites or museums, but he got a big kick out of the trains, buses, bikes, etc we used.

If you are going to be in Amsterdam with those ages, I strongly recommend the Maritime museum and the zoo is really special; you can walk amongst several of the smaller primates as they cavity in the trees around you.

Also, I would focus on a few artists, maybe the or for at most. Read about their lives, watch a movie if possible, look at their works. Then, in any museum, focus on works by that artist. My three year old had several artists she could id after months of museum going. If you do Rembrandt or Van Gogh, both have museums in Amsterdam focused on them that are good in different ways.

[EKS]

 I'm content to let most of my "other" school plans go (I'll keep math and piano) and focusing on learning about Europe, its history, its art, its peoples, etc. So: with kids ages 2,3,5, and 7, how would you go about doing that?

 

I wouldn't.  Everyone but the 7yo is way too young.  And the 7yo is mostly too young too.

 

But the adults can do that even if the kids are just being kids.

[theelfqueen]

There's a bunch of kids travel shows on Amazon

 

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[EmilyGF]

We went to Europe in February and all our "prep" was to do CM style picture studies of some famous Rembrandt paintings beforehand. But we ended up staying till closing at the Rijksmuseum, so I guess that stuck. And we visited a Roman museum and the kids have connected it to their Latin. We may have looked at a map beforehand to show them how small the Netherlands was compared to where we live. So it was pretty chill, but my kids have a very broad education so they already had a lot of hooks to hang things on.

 

Really, they mainly wanted to play. You have to take things at a kid's pace! At the Roman museum, we must have spent an hour letting them play at the amphitheater. Because they are kids and needed to. And while the older ones closed out the Rijksmuseum, the younger ones went home. There was much bike riding and much playing because that is what kids like to do.

 

I do think reading for yourself will help because if you are excited, they will be more so.

 

We stayed with friends, so my kids really experienced the difference in daily life. They are now learning Dutch (!!!) via online resources they have found for themselves.

 

Emily

[Xahm]

You may also want to keep in mind that the value of the trip is not just what they learn before and during travel. Afterwards, you can keep tying things in. If you pick up a colorful children's book in French as a souvenir, that may be a fun motivator for your kids to learn French. Pictures of your children in famous locations will help your kids be interested in learning about those places, even if they don't remember the picture being taken. Knowing that they went on such a trip as little kids may help them be willing to try new adventures in the future.

You will all get a lot out of the trip, but be ready for it to be more about playgrounds and cafes than you expect. A lot can be learned there, too.

[airforcefamily]

We've done a lot of travel. In your shoes I wouldn't worry a bit about making the trip educational. Your kids are young. Very young for a trip like this. Just let it happen and they'll learn what they're able. Don't stress about discussing weather and making group packing decisions wth little kids or trying to teach European anthropology lessons to toddlers. I get where you're coming from. I've been there. I've tried to teach my then preschoolers about the geology of the national parks we were visiting. I've taken some of my younger kids to restaurants and explained the culture and cooking of the people for whom that cuisine is everyday food. Then I stopped. I just let learning happen naturally while traveling. We spend a month or two of every year traveling plus frequent long distance moves. The kids learn just as much if not more when I don't try to force it and I just talk casually about where we're going and answer or help research questions as they arise.

[lulalu]

We travel a lot so this is what I have learned.

 

Kids will pick up on something they see that you don't expect. The history is hard to grasp at young ages, but gives a great experience to refer back to.

 

We take pictures (or let ds) of whatever catches ds eye. We use it later for learning. Example we were at ancient ruins and saw mosaic tiles making a pattern. Took pictures. Then at home we remember with the pictures and tried making a picture in mosaic with paper and realize how hard and much skill is needed. Pictures help kids remember what interests them.

 

But the biggest benefit for travel education is adults learning what they are seeing/experiencing. The more you know the easier to answer questions and make connections. And this can happen afterwards too doesn't all need to be before.

 

We always do map work. Grab some cheap compasses and use while on the trains looking at maps. Locate the continents on a globe and compare how far you are going. Use a globe and flashlight to show why the time difference. Get a europe specific map and draw your travels.

 

Learn a few words in a bunch of languages of where you are going. It goes a long way and is polite. Kids learn a lot that way.

 

And research some specific food, culture or something specific to where you will be. These things are remembered for years.

 

But don't stress too much. The travel experiences will lay the foundation of experience that will benefit learning years to come. They will remember things when reading years later.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

Your kids are very young.  Having said that...

 

Look around at some of the Louvre options and choose ONE "guided" tour that you want to do.  This could be with an audio guide, and app audio guide, or a book guide, such as Rick Steves.  Then, make your kids familiar with those works of art.  Look for youtube videos and then do some related art activities ahead of time, either same technique, coloring pages of the works, or whatever.

 

Read up on the history of the Eiffel Tower.

 

Work on a map of Europe- filling out the countries you'll be going to and any natural features like rivers, seas, etc.  I wouldn't do all of Europe, just the path you'll be taking.  

 

Learn basic greetings in French.  Maybe read through books like "Castle" and "Cathedral" or "Castle Diary" since you'll see quite a few of those.

 

Work on restaurant table manners, and if they are not pretty open-minded eaters, I'd work on that too.  Many restaurants won't have "kid" options, and those that do will be limited to nuggets or a hot dog usually.  On the up side, it's considered totally normal to order your kid a big plate of french fries and call it dinner.  There are some interesting documentaries that compare what is in a French child's school lunch vs an American child's, and those might be fun to watch, though I'd preview them first to make sure all of the content is appropriate.  I think it's Jamie Olivier who did that one, but not sure.  

 

England should be a lot of fun too, I'd read about both the historical and fictional legends of England, etc.  I'd really do more story-based stuff than history and those ages.  I'd read through some of the classics that are English, like Narnia, King Arthur, Shakespeare, Peter Pan...  and then try to see things that correspond in some way.  I've never looked into a visit to England, but I know there is a Harry Potter park.  Maybe there is a similar way to visit The House on Pooh Corner or Neverland or something more age-appropriate.    

 

 

 

 

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

Couple more things that previous posters sparked in my mind:

 

- DO go to the Rodin museum in Paris.  It's outdoors, and therefore VERY child-appropriate, plus the statues are interesting.  You can enjoy Rodin while the kids just run around.  

 

- DO study how pigeons live.  It doesn't matter where we go, my kids are totally fixated on pigeons and their urban lives.  They may be nothing but "winged rats" as my dad would say, but kids just can't get enough of pigeons!!!  Maybe there is a children's poem about pigeons or something to memorize, not sure, but they'll keep your toddlers enthralled for most of the trip.  lol

 

 

But the best thing you can do from now until then is character, character, character.  Having agreeable travel companions is a lot nicer than having informed ones.  :-)  Be reasonable in your expectations.  

 

 

[Rosie_0801]

This is one time when I think the "my neighbourhood" version of social studies is a good way to think.

 

"If we lived here, what take away shop would we go to?"

"If we lived here, what ice cream would we buy from the supermarket?"

"If we lived here, which would be our favourite playground?"

 

They also want to see all the toilets possible. You should most definitely recite "They're changing guards at Buckingham Palace" (by A. A. Milne) when you go to see it, because it'd be such a waste not to!  :laugh:

[Laura Corin]

Think hard about the season - special things happening over Christmas and New Year, but also, accommodation, opening hours of attractions, and when shops and restaurants will be closed.

 

Travel from France to the UK may well be very booked up and expensive on certain days, unless that's included in your ticket.

 

Will you be using public transport or a car?

Edited June 4, 2017 by Laura Corin

[regentrude]

We have traveled with our children overseas every year since birth. We find that our kids have barely any memories of the early years. Spotlights, isolated places, but, for example, neither of them has any recollection of living almost a YEAR in England at ages 2 and 4. None. 

 

Based on this, I would not worry too much about preparing them. I would select destinations that could be interesting for little children - but especially the little ones may be more impressed by a particularly good play structure than by historic sites. They may love the museum playground more than the exhibits.

So, I'd just make sure they have fun on the trip and connect the Europe trip with positive feelings. That means planning sufficient time without sightseeing and attractions. Mine could only take so many museums/castles/fairs - they need down time and just hanging out and playing. You might want to investigate indoor play options, since you are traveling during a time of year when it will be cold and rainy much of the time.

 

For the 7 y/o, it may be worth getting some books on England and France, some stories set there, maybe watch a documentary. For the5 y/o, looking at books about castles and knights and kings, some stories. For the littles, don't bother.

Maybe sing some nursery rhymes. London Bridge - they may get a thrill out of seeing London Bridge. But I'd keep the prep very low key, because it will have very low ROI.

Edited June 4, 2017 by regentrude

[Laura Corin]

We have traveled with our children overseas every year since birth. We find that our kids have barely any memories of the early years. Spotlights, isolated places, but, for example, neither of them has any recollection of living almost a YEAR in England at ages 2 and 4. None. 

 

 

 

Yes.  Both my boys have travelled all their lives.  They each went to Rome/Pompeii at the age of 7 and have only the very haziest memories.  I don't know that they remember anything much from before that, except a general feeling that travelling was interesting.

 

Make sure to include silly, fun stuff.  The Tower of London is good: there is space to run around; when I was there, there were hot drink and cookie stalls outside where you can warm up with a hot chocolate while the kids move, you can pop in to see the exhibitions of armour, walk through the Crown Jewels without taking too much time, and get away.

 

For your older child, most UK museums have trails with things for kids to spot.

 

The Natural History Museum has animatronic dinosaurs and also (when I was there) things like ant farms that are fun for all ages.  Again, check on opening times and be aware that queues might be long in school holidays.

Edited June 4, 2017 by Laura Corin

[4KookieKids]

I should've had different ages: They will be 2.5, 4.5, 6.5, and 8.5 at the time of the trip because they have birthdays this summer.

 

I love the idea of an art/artist study! We are planning to play a lot. :)

 

I know we're going during the coldest/wettest months... but compared to our current climate, I feel that lows of 35 and highs of 40 actually sounds like a very lovely winter! lol. We spend lots of time playing outdoors with the kids in that weather, though I will still certainly look at fun things to do indoors as well!

 

Prepping them for different foods is a great idea that I hadn't thought of.

 

They children speak German fluently already, but I love the idea of trying to learn just a bit of French together before we go (maybe phrases like, "Can I have a turn, please?" and "Thank you!" lol.)

 

Great thought on checking the school schedules over there as well to make sure we know when things are likely to be busier.

 

Thank you all so much for all the great suggestions so far! :)

[Laura Corin]

 

 

I know we're going during the coldest/wettest months... but compared to our current climate, I feel that lows of 35 and highs of 40 actually sounds like a very lovely winter! lol. We spend lots of time playing outdoors with the kids in that weather, though I will still certainly look at fun things to do indoors as well!

 

 

I don't know if you are used to a lot of humidity in winter - forgive this explanation if you are.  

 

When we moved to Scotland, we bought Lands End coats rated for the temperatures that were normal here.  They were inadequate because the level of humidity in winter made it feel much colder.  Of course, it's completely manageable with decent clothing, and London tends to be warm because of the number of people/cars, but the winter here is a different thing from crisp cold.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

I should've had different ages: They will be 2.5, 4.5, 6.5, and 8.5 at the time of the trip because they have birthdays this summer.

 

I love the idea of an art/artist study! We are planning to play a lot. :)

 

I know we're going during the coldest/wettest months... but compared to our current climate, I feel that lows of 35 and highs of 40 actually sounds like a very lovely winter! lol. We spend lots of time playing outdoors with the kids in that weather, though I will still certainly look at fun things to do indoors as well!

 

Prepping them for different foods is a great idea that I hadn't thought of.

 

They children speak German fluently already, but I love the idea of trying to learn just a bit of French together before we go (maybe phrases like, "Can I have a turn, please?" and "Thank you!" lol.)

 

Great thought on checking the school schedules over there as well to make sure we know when things are likely to be busier.

 

Thank you all so much for all the great suggestions so far! :)

 

 

As long as you go in with reasonable expectations for your kids, I'm sure you'll have a fun trip.  Christmas is a fun time to be in Europe- all the winter markets and decorated streets!  January is also usually a huge mark-down/sales time, so if you like the local fashion, don't buy until Jan!    

[4KookieKids]

  I don't know that they remember anything much from before that, except a general feeling that travelling was interesting.

 

I'm content with this much, I think. So long as they have fun ON the trip and they came away feeling fondly about it, still. :) I'm not looking for them to remember it their whole lives, going at this age. :) We went on vacation (just one state away) last year, and they had such a great time that they still look at all the pictures regularly (which helps them remember it, I think) and ask when we're going back. So even if they only remember it for a few years, I feel that the experience is worth it!

 

 

Make sure to include silly, fun stuff.  The Tower of London is good: there is space to run around; when I was there, there were hot drink and cookie stalls outside where you can warm up with a hot chocolate while the kids move, you can pop in to see the exhibitions of armour, walk through the Crown Jewels without taking too much time, and get away.

 

For your older child, most UK museums have trails with things for kids to spot.

 

The Natural History Museum has animatronic dinosaurs and also (when I was there) things like ant farms that are fun for all ages.  Again, check on opening times and be aware that queues might be long in school holidays.

 

Thanks for all these ideas! We definitely want to do primarily stuff that's fun for the kids!

 

 

[4KookieKids]

I don't know if you are used to a lot of humidity in winter - forgive this explanation if you are.  

 

When we moved to Scotland, we bought Lands End coats rated for the temperatures that were normal here.  They were inadequate because the level of humidity in winter made it feel much colder.  Of course, it's completely manageable with decent clothing, and London tends to be warm because of the number of people/cars, but the winter here is a different thing from crisp cold.

 

For reference, our winter humidity is generally 60-70% and temperature lows around 10F and highs around 30F, with a significant wind factor making things feel 10-20 degrees lower usually (though I don't understand how windchill is calculated, honestly). When the windchill is above 20F, we're usually still outside (with appropriate clothing, of course). How would this compare to your experiences? Would we need to bring along even warmer clothes, or will our winter-wear be sufficient.

[tdbates78]

We got back from Europe a little over a month ago ($400 rountrip tickets to Zurich! Though a few were free with FF miles) and it was the first trip abroad for our 7 year olds. We purchased a few Amanda Bennett and Teachers Pay Teachers country unit studies and devoted the last week of school before we left to learning more about the could countries we were visiting (in our case, Switzerland, France (Alsace and Paris), southern Germany and Austria). We watched YouTube videos and documentaries and read books.

 

We had intentions of keeping up some of their school work on our to trip, but not gonna lie it didn't happen. They get so much out of being there, more than what can be taught in a book. The experiences alone are a learning adventure. My girls LOVED our trip and still talk about it daily.

 

The best advice I can give is to be flexible. Museums sound great, but if your kids are tired or not interests its going to ruin the experience. You don't need to drag them into every museum for them to get a lot out of the trip. We tried to pick and choose wisely and were OK if plans had to change on the whim. And definitely seek out the fun museums! We did the Caillier chocolate factory in Switzerland. And in Paris thee favorite thing was....the carrousel next to the Eiffel Tower! Since, you know, we have no carrousels around here or anything :p Definitely experience the Eiffel Tower light show at night. Its glittery and amazing and very magical for little ones.

 

Where will you being Germany? We've done some of the castles along the Rhine and Mosel on a previous, before-kids trip that were so fun.

 

You are going to have an amazing time!

Edited June 4, 2017 by tdbates78

[tdbates78]

Deleted - duplicate post

Edited June 4, 2017 by tdbates78

[Miss Tick]

I make a photo book after a trip like that and order a copy for each of my kids. It helps boost their memories.

 

We often "visit a painting", so you might choose 1-3 works of art at the Louvre and hang up printouts or postcards at home and read kids books that include them and share interesting tidbits - "this took 12 years to paint! The smallest brush used was made with rat fur! The subject was actually not a princess at all but the washer woman from the village over!" Then use Monica's idea of taking one tour that includes those works of art. Anything else you see is a bonus, plus the kids have an easier time soldiering on if they are expecting a familiar face.

 

We often use airbnb-type places so we can wash our clothes and use wifi to make plans. If I find a few I like, I will use Google Maps to zoom way in and see if i can find a park or green area near the potential accommodations.

[Laura Corin]

For reference, our winter humidity is generally 60-70% and temperature lows around 10F and highs around 30F, with a significant wind factor making things feel 10-20 degrees lower usually (though I don't understand how windchill is calculated, honestly). When the windchill is above 20F, we're usually still outside (with appropriate clothing, of course). How would this compare to your experiences? Would we need to bring along even warmer clothes, or will our winter-wear be sufficient.

Relative humidity in the London area is in the mid to high 80s in January, but the temps are warmer.

[Beth S]

Our family loved reading "Linnea in Monet's Garden" and the video.

The "backyard" of Versailles will be irresistible. 

(I'd skip the inside, or you may get separated amongst the crowds.)

Tuilleries gardens in the backyard of the Louvre will be another fun stop.

Maybe you and your dh can take turns with the kids?!? 

 

And I'd be prepping for the Flight Across the Pond.

Our dd & husband are taking their 2yo & have a backpack filled with activity books, stickers, etc.

I found lots of free Paris coloring pages online & made a little France Coloring Book for her.  :)

They're taking a non-stop daytime flight . . . rather than the Red Eye.

[zaichiki]

When we went to Russia the summer my oldest two were 5 and 2. We did a couple of museums (things my 5 year old liked), but largely we just "lived as the locals did." I would suggest you take your kids to the places the local kids go and try to give them opportunities to do what the local kids do. We played at famous parks and had ice cream from street carts every day (as we walked along the city streets). We did go to the summer palace, which was gorgeous, but the only thing my kids liked about it was the boat ride there and then playing in the fountains (someone controls the height and timing so that when little kids approach, they get wet). Oh yes, and we went to a puppet show -- that was a hit.

 

Teach them a few words in that language... they'll hear them at the park. 

 

Shop in the local markets. Maybe rent bicycles? Wait... will there be snow? This is winter... so perhaps my suggestions above will not be worth much. Local kids will be in school, right? Where do the locals hang out on winter weekends?

 

Hope it's a great trip!

[LMD]

my friend just got back from Europe. Her 9 year old recited Wordsworth in the Wordsworth museum. *swoon*

 

#typicalhomeschoolers 😂😂😂