Things to do and places to go with DC before they grow up.

[Greenbutterlfy566]

What types of thing would you like or have done with your children before they grow up? I mean all types of different things.

What would you do if you had all the time and money (in theory)

I don’t want to regret that I didn’t do ‘this or that’ before they are grown up and it’s too late.

Lego House in Denmark if you have kids that love Lego. Can also visit Lego Land theme park. We stayed in Denmark for a week and had an amazing time!

Camping
Movie night
Games night
Hiking/biking
Wild swimming
Farm visits
Star gazing/meteor shower
London exploring
Baking and indoor crafts
Seaside everything in Cornwall
Bouldering in France
Euro Disney
When I ask them what they remember enjoying it’s not the expensive stuff although I’m sure they would love those sort of outings too, but you can make the loving memories on any budget.

Lovely suggestions Thankyou

Could you tell me more about Lego Denmark my son loves Lego

Go fruit picking at a strawberry farm.
Go punting in Oxford or Cambridge.
Take them to a Christmas market, in the UK or abroad.

Make sure they have been on bus and train journeys.
Go on a late night bat walk.

Play boardgames.
Get them to invent boardgames then play them as a family.
Beach for rock pool, sandcastles, swimming, beach combing, dolphin watching.
Swim in a lake and a river.
Go to the woods, look for birds, insects, funny-shaped sticks, pine cones nibbles by squirrels.
Find a stream, make a damn with mates, Pooh sticks, stepping stones.

I haven't done 1/4 of the things listed so far: Florida, Lapland, northern lights, Eiffel Tower, Harry Potter world. Not in my lifetime, not in my child's.

Things I did as a child that I have carried with me:
Love of and respect for nature.
I can see, I can cook, I can change a plug, do DIY, paint, wallpaper, sand, use tools with confidence.

One thing I'd add to this list is make sure your child learns a foreign language, then they can make their own foreign adventures.

Board games are coming up a lot. Good way to get the family together.

I'd really reccomend exploring your local area. So anywhere within a 3h drive. There will be tonnes of things to see/do and they'll always associate that area with their childhood. It's also more affordable than holidays and is handier to do when they're younger. Start traditions like always going to x beach in the summer, etc.

Pepepig- Thankyou

Geocaching is fun too. It helps you see your local area in a different way.

I don’t think it matters what you do with them as long as you spend time with them doing stuff and exploring. Being in nature is so beneficial for them so include lots of it.
We’ve travelled quite a bit but that’s been more for me although my dcs have enjoyed it too, and learnt a lot.
My dcs have loved the beach, rock pools, woods, parks, mountains, and farms.
They’ve also enjoyed museums, zoos and aquariums and learning about animals.
They love space and we’ve been on stargazing nights.
Ive enjoyed giving them a sense of adventure, a love for exploration and a respect for nature because those are the things I love.

Ilive- where did you travel?

This is a great thread! Place marking but felt I should contribute too, so

Two which have already been mentioned up thread are Northumberland and Whitby. My parents live there, so for my children it's associated with family times anyway, but I agree with the suggestions re Barter Books in Alnwick and Holy Island - we have had two amazing New Year's Day walks on Holy Island in recent years, including this one when it was a gorgeous sunny day with perfect blue sky. Followed by chips on the way home at Seahouses, just perfect. Alnwick Castle is always a winner, not least for the Harry Potter link, and they love running around Alnwick Garden and mooching on the swing seats.

Whitby was a surprise hit for us and we are going back this year - see if it's as popular without the sweltering temps of Summer 18! Given their ages, we managed to avoid all mentions of vampires..... stayed in the Youth Hostel, which my children are also strangely obsessed with.

One we have yet to do (waiting for youngest to be a little more confident with swimming, just in case) is the descent of the Ardeche river in France - I did it whilst working out there and would love to do it as a family.

And mention the word 'Eurocamp', and they all go dewy eyed - but anything similar is very well received.

Have fun making and working through your list!

I regret not taking them to Lapland.

I'm really pleased that we did:
Lots of beaches (UK).
Legoland.
Disneyland (Paris) on Eurostar (different experience to flying).
Holiday to a hot country with lots of pools.
CenterParcs
Walks in the wood, building forts etc.
When they were teenagers - a mini cruise.

We’ve done lots of trips in the UK and been to Wales several times. Skomer island to see puffins is one of my dcs favourite thing they’ve ever done.
Ds2 has told me he loved the Durdle Door and Cheddar Gorge.
They loved Austria, lake Como and Rome. We’ve been to quite a few countries in Europe by car.
Road trips across 4 US states.
Snorkelling is another of their favourite things.
They seemed to have enjoyed everything which is why I think it doesn’t really matter where you go.
Some of their favourite memories aren’t even of the place they’ve been to but the random dog they played with there.

This is a bit of a strange one but I'd like to take my kids to India when they are a little older so they can realise actually the world they live in isn't how everyone lives and to have compassion and appreciation.

DS had visited about seven countries before the age of ten
Museums
Disneyland
Botanic gardens
Hill walking
Canal boat
Yachting
Surfing
Pond dipping
Swimming in the sea
Building amazing sand sculptures taking hours
Skipping stones
Target practice with catapult
Archery
Shooting range
Learning to cook a full dinner
Cruise
Seeing dolphins
Safari parks
Making collages with stuff we found on nature walks
Paper mache
Steam train
Amusement arcades
Gaming together
Board games
Playing with the cat and also my sisters dog

I live these threads and have got some great inspiration from them. My 4 year old really loves Butlins, but she also really enjoys just going and staying with my friends and playing with their children. This was always massively exciting for me as a child too.
The most amazing places I went as a child were
Southern down beach in South Wales, we went at least yearly, it has everything..ruins at the top, sand at the bottom, rocks halfway up so great for stone skimming, and a cafe to buy ice cream.
I also really like broadstairs beach.
As a child, what I really enjoyed was if we went camping, sitting outside and seeing all the stars and trying to identify the constellations
Barbecues...my parents weren't keen so bonfires and sausages were something we did with brownies
I've taken my daughter to eurodisney but at 3 she was too young, still napping and didn't know who the characters were as we haven't seen the film's, so wish I'd waited until she was older, particularly as it was a lot more expensive than butlins, which she loves
She did enjoy the Eurostar
The steam train up Snowdon was pretty amaxing as a child so hoping to take dd there.
Castles
I loved a national trust property called a la ronde in Devon I went to as a teen
Also the seashell cave in margate

Pony trekking or a farm holiday.

Valka- what countries did you visit?

There are so many different places mentioned

Slightly different spin, but it doesn't ever have to be too late. We've just got back from a weekend away with our adult DC, their partners and children, something we do a couple of times a year, and had a fabulous time. They're already planning the next one!

Only -aww

What’s everyone think of centre Parcs?

Dd is 14 now but we still travel a lot and do things as a family.
We do lots of history stuff both local / national and abroad and where ever we go I have a list of 3 or 4 main things we will do or see.
We also love to go for a 'fancy meal' every once in a while and get dressed up.
I am thinking of taking her for an afternoon tea this year as I think she would enjoy that.
When she was younger we often had 'tea-parties' for tea and she loved that.
We have camped, gone horse riding, stayed in 5 star hotels and a holiday in a beach caravan about 1.5hours away from home.
We've built tree houses, had lots of pets, gone swimming and fishing. Forest walks, visited many castles, eaten fish and chips by the sea in winter all wrapped up.

We never made it to lapland and now I think it might be too late...