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Keeping the Kids Entertained Requires Planning
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What is the most important thing to bear in mind when travelling with children? They need to be constantly amused!

And remember, children’s attention spans can vary dramatically; they can spend five minutes with one toy then hours and hours playing with seemingly nothing in the garden. Therefore, you need to have options. Here are some helpful hints for every step of your journey.

Before you leave home get your kids involved with the holiday. Show them pictures, tell them weird and wonderful facts, find out what there is to do and ask them what activities they’d like to do most. If your children feel a part of the holiday they will be engaged from the start and the whole experience will be more enjoyable and engaging.

Plane journeys are boring no matter what your age, but for children they can be particularly tiresome. They can’t move, they can’t make lots of noise and they can’t choose what they want to do. Make sure you counter all of these arguments in some way.

For example, take them for walks around the plane, point out what things are and what they do; tell them how fast the plane is going and what countries you are flying over.

They can’t make lots of noise, but they can hear it. Take mp3 players, mini games consoles and comfortable headphones. Most long-haul planes will have in-flight entertainment systems, but take your kids favourite movies in case they don’t like what’s on offer on the plane. Take other games, colouring books and reading books so they can dictate what they want to do and when they want to do it.

Your destination should be one with plenty of activities on offer and a chance to go on an adventure. Theme parks and water parks are always winners; your hotel should have plenty of swimming pools or be on or very near the beach.

It’s best to go for hotels that hire out free equipment such as windsurfers, sailing boats and snorkelling equipment. If you are going skiing, pick locations with ski schools designed for fun. Children don’t just want to perfect a snowplough, they want to do power stops, jumps and go in the fun park.

If you are going on hiking or biking holidays, make sure the routes are doable for children. Take plenty of snacks and make sure each day has some adventure or some other activity included, as mentioned previously, children’s attention spans are somewhat unpredictable.

Check out Thomas Cook for a wide range of holidays, perfect for all the family.




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