If you’re anything like most, the thought of lessons on holiday probably has you rolling your eyes and sighing. Shouldn’t this be a chance to get away and stop worrying about education for once? Even when you vacation with kids, you may feel that they deserve a break as much as you do. And you wouldn’t be altogether wrong.
Holidays should, first and foremost, be about having fun in the sun. No one’s denying that. That said, it is also vital to note that educational opportunities are one of the best parts of taking kids abroad. At few other times do they have such unlimited access to knowledge they’d struggle to find otherwise.
This can leave parents with a dilemma. Do you let them kick back and forget, or do you try to help them make the most of the lessons all around? If you’re currently asking yourself this with regards to your next summer trip, then fear not. We have some suggestions that could help you inject education without ruining all the fun. That way, you and your kids can enjoy your explorations without worry.
# 1 – The life lesson of flights
Your potential lessons start as soon as you hit the airport. Let’s face it, knowing how to catch a plane and navigate security is a useful skill to have. While your kids might not need this knowledge for a while, there’s sure to come a time when they’re glad you made the effort of showing them.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that you should overwhelm your youngsters and expect them to know everything. That’s no way to start your time away as you mean to go on! Instead, take this easy. Talk them through everything as you do it, and show by example rather than by overload. That way, you can start sowing the seeds that they need to navigate flights easily when they’re older. As simple as that, you begin your educational(ish) vacation as you mean to go on.
# 2 – Learning the language
Language is another fantastic focal point for teaching here. Even better, it’s a lesson that should arise organically. After all, you’re going to need to teach kids a few keywords just to interact with people around during your stay. Why not take that one step further by taking this chance to teach them a little more from each country you visit?
Don’t hold back from giving them a Spanish crash course next time you head to Costa Del Sol or getting them straight into Italian during your Rome expedition. If it helps, let them learn alongside you so that they don’t feel this is just another ‘boring lesson’ they have to deal with. Like the airport, keep it light. Open up that Italian dictionary whenever you’re sat at lunch, and make an effort to speak the language as much as you possibly can. You should find that your kids start to do the same, without your having to push them into it.
Along the same lines, this is the ideal opportunity to introduce your kiddies to some cuisines around the world. Giving youngsters as many different foods as possible while they’re young is the best way to avoid picky eating, but that isn’t the only benefit from this lesson. Cuisines of the world also teach a great deal about their origin countries, and it’s a pretty fun lesson to learn.
# 3 – Try the local cuisine
Think about it; tapas is a fantastic example of the social aspects of Spain, while pizza perfectly reflects the passion behind Italian culture. And, of course, the spices and flavors of India reflect its vibrant streets. Obviously, you don’t need to go overboard with this lesson, but don’t be afraid to encourage your kids to try things and give them a little back story when they do. You never know; you might end up learning a few things, too!
# 4 – Seek tours where you can
Tours are a fantastic staple for family getaways. Whether you book an entirely tour-based trip or just attend that ‘arrivals meeting’ when you get to your hotel, you provide yourself the opportunity to see the best sights and break your trip up a little in the process. And guess what? Tours can also be some of the best educational experiences going. Even better, your kids probably won’t realise they’re learning until it’s already happened!
What you opt for tours about is, of course, entirely up to you, though it may be worth thinking about what will most engage your youngsters. It may be that your little history lovers will respond best to Jordan tours revealing some of the world’s most impressive historical sights. Or, you may find that your science-keen kiddies can’t get enough of volcano tours in locations like Teneriffe. The world is, quite literally, their learning oyster. Plus, accommodating their tastes like this guarantees that the fun never stops, no matter that learning sneaks its way in.
One thing worth noting is that, with a few exceptions, kids generally won’t respond as well to more ‘culture-based’ tours. In fact, these could well end up in chants of ‘I’m bored’ and an absolute lack of learning, so you might want to hold off with these until they’re a little older!
# 5 – Take time out for wildlife
Last but most definitely not least, it’s always worth taking time out for wildlife during your trip. Again, there is a risk that the majority of kids will get bored here, so you probably won’t want to go overboard and learn all the local flowers or anything like that. Still, there are some amazing natural sights to see in nearly every country, and they’re things that your kids may not get to see anywhere else. Whether it’s new plants or, more excitingly for most, new creatures, this can be a lot of fun if you approach it in the right way.
Instead of imposing some sort of classroom-like lesson around this, let it find its way into your stay. Get into the habit of walking rather than catching the bus or driving your rental whenever you can. Keep your eyes peeled for lizards, exotic birds, and more. Then, if you spot something, simply point it out to youngsters and watch their amazement. The chances are that they’ll start asking questions without your even prompting them to, and hence the lesson will begin. Simply make sure you have a guidebook to hand to make sure that you can give them all the information they need to learn something worthwhile!
A final lesson
It makes complete sense that you would shy away from injecting your vacations with lessons like these. After all, even young minds deserve a rest from all that info!
At the same time, though, failing to grasp holiday learning could see your young ones missing out on some of the best opportunities that going away can bring them. The answer, then, seems to lie in finding a balance you can all work with.
The pointers mentioned here are fantastic for this purpose as they provide fun-centric learning that certainly won’t leave your kids feeling like their brains are fried. Make sure, too, that you give them plenty of downtime by the pool so that they can also spend a fair amount of time with nothing more to worry about than the ideal dive, which, ironically, could well turn into an unexpected lesson all of its own!
