Places to take the children and things to do before they grow up?

[Greenbutterlfy566]

What places would you like to take the kids and things to do with them before they grow up?

I Have one 7 year old and would love some inspiration of where to go and things to do before they grow up.

For us we go to DH and my home counties (admittedly both quite touristy destinations) so they know where they come from but also go to various places round the UK so they appreciate the bistory of this country generally. SIL lives in a SE Asia country so we plan to take them there before they leave home. But that will be a big expensive holiday so needs a few years saving. We're taking them to different European cities each year at the moment so they start appreciating different cultures.

Otherwise, lots of opportunities for different exercise, lots of time devoted to reading,

Some of these lists read like adult bucket lists.

I travelled a bit as a kid and much more as an adult. From all the people I've met, also whilst living abroad, I'd say the best thing to do is develop open mindedness in kids. That does not follow on from visiting every country in the world before age 14!

I've met adults who had barely been abroad before but were so open to the people and the culture they were visiting (and where I was living), that they really got to understand the country and people. I've met other adults who had parents with expatriate jobs who would live abroad and then go on holidays abroad from there and they effectively lived in a privileged bubble. They had AMAZING holidays and an incredible life, but wherever they went, they viewed the people living there as "others", different to them and no real meeting in the middle.

Learning a foreign language at school, experience of a wide range of people at home and camping in a local campsite would be better overall than ticking off a checklist of world's most amazing places.

Yes kids easy pleased we took DS to a zoo think he was younger than yours we saw a tiger really close to I can still remember it.
But what DS enjoyed the most most was the penguins and naughty lemurs.
We went abroad (not loads) but the DC seem to remember a caravan holiday and camping trips more fondly.
You don’t need to splash out and show them the whole world or a goodly chunk of it before they are 16 just love them, let them enjoy their childhood and have fun with them.

I think it was Jack Dee did a skit about taking children to fantastic destinations and all they wanted was the Playground

I feel as though I'm lowering the tone but my DC's favourite things have been:

• the year family members clubbed together and got us Merlin passes for Christmas and we spent a year doing theme parks and staying in premier inns
• a bucket and spade holiday, preferably somewhere warm but, failing that, any beach in any weather will do
• anywhere with a water park

All of the above is a complete contrast to my childhood which was mainly spent walking or visiting English heritage sites (the National Trust with its cafes etc was seen as a bit too soft) As others have said, it's always the random things they remember - or, in the case of my DC, particularly good ice creams.

I love that National Trust Link

Oh, and slightly bizarrely, my DC talked in awed tones about the two trips we have done to Birmingham. We live near London so go there a few times a year and have been to other big cities in both the UK and elsewhere but Birmingham is the one which seems to have got under their skin.

Where in Birmingham cobweb?

Lapland is great. We went last year but in Feb so not for father Christmas stuff. Saw the northern lights and had a blast for a full week in the snow.

We went to Croatia in the summer and my 7 year old on the first day after snorkelling in the sea surrounded by fish gave me a huge hug and said "I can't believe you organised this just for us!"

But my kids also all want to go back to Scotland where a couple of years ago we spent a week in the pouring rain by a loch. Yet although I hated almost every minute they thought it was all amazing. So go figure.

Play pooh sticks

Curl up on the sofa together with a drink of choice and read aloud a book you both enjoy

If the children like swimming, waterslides - I wish I'd done these more as a child. Doing them as an adult is not the same! It's an activity which is relatively cheap.

I agree with some previous posters that children don't remember the things you think (or want them to remember). When staying at holiday cottages in England, I remember far more about the cottages themselves, board games we took with us, blind man's buff in the garden, rather than where we visited nearby.

Definitely camping if you can

Nurture a love of learning, of meeting new people, of trying out a new language (DS was bonjour-ing for months after we got back from France!).

For our 8yo he loves:

Wild swimming - looking for fish with his snorkel, seeing frogs, he remembers insects that skip across water fondly, watching someone's flip flop floating down the river!

Interesting ice cream flavours - his favourite is violet, tried at a little medieval watermill from 1096, fascinated him.

Walking up a big mountain surrounded by cows and waterfalls, he also saw a snake.

Simple campsites where he can ride his bike and have adventures with other children, plus he likes sleeping on the floor, playing Uno and eating sausages outside.

Walking in the woods and building forts out of sticks. Better if there's a picnic site.

Very rarely do we do big expensive day trips out - zoos etc.

He has friends from many cultures and he loves other languages, I think that'll carry him well through life.

Take them to the theatre, especially if you have one near you specifically aimed at children.

@SquashedFlyBiscuit, do u remember what story books with paintings they were? I'd love to find the equivalent of Dan Brown for younger age.

These sort of threads can always result in parents who can't afford these grand experiences in feeling like failures. Kids don't need to see the Grand Canyon for real they just need to be loved and nurtured
💯

I did a lot with mine when they were little but they as adults talk about the funny things that happened quite randomly.

Im 54 an have never been to the Grand Canyon or seen The northern lights.

Rather than looking at big trips ( great, if you can do them and why not!) but also look at 'things to do before you are 11 and 3/4 by the national trust

I don't know if my link will work though.
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/50-things-to-do

I see the link to the NT has been done.
It has some really good ideas!

Yoga - Katie and the impressionists/Katie and the stary night etc. Aimed at under 8s I think but mine loved finding the paintings. We really didnt spend long staring at all the paintings just went and looked for the ones in the book/our favourites. But it was lovely!

I agree with many posters that they dont need lots of abroad/expensuve holidays. So much is about the memories and being together as a family.

Kids theatre
Butlins
They won't like these as adults, let them enjoy being kids
My 4 year old enjoyed any holiday we go with friends, so we go to butlins a lot with friends.
I have travelled the world under my own steam, started a holiday job at 14 to pay for it. Mg first purchase was a back pack.
I funded my own flights for school exchanges.
That's what I want for my daughter, some drive and ambition, not the world literally handed to her on a plate!

Children simply don t appreciate Paris, Rome, the grand canyon. Teenagers might - but they don't want to be with their parents!
We go on cheap family holidays but I am saving and she will go on all the school trips in secondary..with her friends, not me. I think she will get more out of that

Just asked my teenage dc which things they remember best and no 1 was fossil hunting on the Dorset coast. They also loved riding the sea tractor at Bigbury on sea and exploring Lundy island. Best holidays apparently were camping by the sea in North Devon.

My kids loved Paris but it was literally a packed day - they wanted to see the eiffel tower (not go up it!), eat a crepe and see a famous painting....
The other few days were in Disney!

But your point is true - they just want experiences with their parents . As I said, mine lvoe camping far more than I do!

I would just love to take my girl to more UK costal places and countryside places and historic places. Learn and appreciate our wildlife and nature and the different seasons.

To be honest the more I think about this thread and think about to my kids being little they were happy doing simple things. The liked making mini dams in streams, making shelters in the woods, crabbing in rock pools, rolling down grassy slopes as they got older we would go hiking but have fun and take hot chicolate and treats. The kids loved caravaning in Brittany and taking their bikes rather than going to many of the cities I took them to as well
Interactive science museums were always good as well.

I took the kids o many countries and they can hardly remember them but when we start reminiscing it's things like ' remember when that crab started to chase dad' or ' remember when you showing us a fish in the marina andanother fish came up and ate it' or remember when you thought you saw a snake and it was just a fat worm 🐛?

Those are memories you want to be making where you can all look back and laugh and be happy together.