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“He who would travel happily must travel light.” –
Antoine de St. Exupery
Hello!
Today I wish to share with you the games I always take with me while going on vacation or traveling with my kids.
There are a few rules: They must be light, small, easy to pack and a sure fun, so I will avoid taking new games to try on vacation unless I have extra space or if the travel will last very long!
The reasons I always take them with me :
1. Having an activity if the child gets bored. When children get bored, it is not fun for any of us!
2. Quality time is more available for the whole family while on vacation, so why not use that time to play together and connect?
3. When we are together 24/7 while traveling, having a few minutes for yourself and getting the kids to play on their own is a must!
4. Playing is a part of our life, part of our everyday life as well during vacation. For the same reasons I always carry water and food, I carry games with me as well. 😊
Here are my 5 Best Travel Toys for toddlers:
- Crayons or markers, drawing booklet, a small set for basic coloring and drawing. This can be activity booklets like Kiddo I talked about in that post or just papers and colors.
2. Regular card game or any of those best card family games.
3. Sleeping queens: (it says 8+ but we play here from 5 years old already!)
While vacation does not have to be far or expensive, there is a very big impact on children when families travel together (source: parents.com):
“Family holidays are valued by children, both in the moment and for long afterward in their memory,” psychologist and best-selling author Oliver James explained to The Telegraph. “It’s all about talking nonsense with your parents, sharing an ice cream and moments of time in which your interests are genuinely taken into account.
Travelling with your kids can also be beneficial to their brain development. “An enriched environment offers new experiences that are strong in combined social, physical, cognitive, and sensory interaction,” says child psychotherapist Dr. Margot Sunderland. “Think: family together in the pool, walking together through the forest, touching long tall grasses waving in the wind, toasting marshmallows on campfire, hanging out together under warm sun, feeling sand between the toes.”
These experiences then turn on the genetic expression of key brain fertilizers in the frontal lobes, Dr. Sunderland explains, enhancing executive functions like stress regulation, attention, concentration, good planning, and the ability to learn, and also improving physical and mental health. “The brain fertilizers triggered in enriched environments are also associated with higher IQ in children,” she said. “So, spend time exploring together in a new space, and you’re making your child smarter.”
Did you know?
According to 2015 research conducted by the Family Holiday Association out of Britain, the happiest memory of 49 percent of those surveyed was on vacation with family. A third of the respondents said they can still vividly remember their childhood family vacations, and a quarter of them copped to using such memories to get them through tough times.
“Reflecting on our happiest memories of joyful time spent together as a family can be extremely powerful in bringing relief and respite when faced with the darker times that life can bring,” John McDonald, director of the Family Holiday Association, told the Huffington Post. “By using these memories as an anchor to take us back to more cheerful moments, we’re often able to approach problems with a fresh sense of perspective.”
Thanks for the great ideas!!!