do you put your children in kids clubs while on hols?

[goodbyemrschips]

As in the title ''do you put your kids in kids clubs while on hols, if yes why and if no why?

I went to kids clubs on foreign holidays when I was younger. They were brilliant and I have photos of all my friends I met on different holidays in my albums now. I used to go to the discos, my brother and I went on a camel ride, face painting etc. My brother and I loved it and I will definitely want my kids to go if we ever go abroad.

I still have loads of memories with my mum and dad as well but neither worked that long hours and were practically always with me anyway the rest of the year. Also its not like kids clubs are on all day. I would have hated it if my mum and dad had stopped me going kids club and missing out on doing things with people of my own age just cause they wanted me to.

My husband never did them as he was too shy he said but if you have outgoing children who can talk and make friends with anyone then it is brilliant for them.

'Nope, wouldn't use them. Training and safety ( CRB) checks vary from country to country. I wouldn't risk it. '

Also most of the workers are English. I work in a nursery now with ex kids holiday reps and am friends with ones that had to go and do it. They have to have exactly the same training as UK nursery nurses.

They have both asked to go if there have been activities on they would really like to do. We have never said to them you are going to Kids Club, it has always been their choice. Rock climbing, Archery, t/shirt painting, water activities - right up their street.

DS's have always been the type of boys to make friends very easily on holiday, so they always have something to do.

They are older now 14 and 11 and last year there were about 10 of them who palled up and they had a fabulous time. In fact we never saw them!

I haven't and wouldn't but that's mostly because I can't imagine choosing to have the sort of holiday that included a creche or club. I don't really like staying in hotels (do it too much for work), and am not keen on pools or beaches (I get bored very easily). However my children have a tendency to find other children to play with whenever possible (and if not will happily disappear together), and might quite enjoy clubs. But then I think that they do plenty of organised activities in ordinary life and can probably cope with being a bit bored with their parents for a week or two.

Yes, can't keep DD1 away from kids clubs. She's 6, we went on holiday a few weeks ago and she sent us away once when we went to collect her. It's the highlight of her holiday. We tend to spend mornings together and she goes to kids club in the afternoon while DD2 naps for an hour or two and DH and I read in the sun. I believe that everyone should be able to do what they want on holiday. We spend lots of time together on holiday too.

When we went to Ibiza the hotel had a kids club ran by First Choice. I made them go the first time but made it clear if they didn't like it, I wouldn't make them go back. I think it's important to at least try things before dismissing them and yeah, we wanted a bit of adult time (by that I mean walking around the "boring bits", not sex btw).

Anyway they loved it. They held pyjama parties and all sorts! If they had thought it was shite I wouldn't have spoilt their holiday by making them go.

If Ds really wanted to go to one or two sessions I wouldn't stop him, but at the same time I wouldn't encourage it and certainly wouldn't use it as a babystiter for a child free holiday.

Back again lots of interesting replies.

As said I would not use them as if it is a family hols I would want to spend it together as a family.

[but then we don't use child care or hols clubs at home either.]

I am now wondering if the people that freely put into clubs on hols use child care when at home.

Please do not take this as a dig at anyone I am just interested, as when I have been on hols and seen the clubs some children are hooning around and there does not seem to be much control and some children look lost and sad.

I have been abroad many times ranging from the cheap and cheerful to the more exclusive and don't see much difference in the clubs or at least their activities on the beach beside the pool etc. I admit though to not seeing the full story as I have never used one.

Sirzy - if my children saw an activity on offer and were dying to get involved, I'd say fine.

But the thought of children in them for hours each day, seems anathama to me.

Aren't people out and about? Sightseeing? Soaking up the different culture?
Isn't that the point? To introduce your DC to all the otherness? To immerse oneself in it?

I agree wordfactory. But then some people go on holiday and sit by the pool all week which is my idea of hell!

I always book somewhere with children's clubs and then it is up to my children if they go or not. Mostly they don"t bother but they are now teenagers and want to being doing things with kids their own ages not hanging with the oldies so this year i have booked a completly different type of holiday than we usually have. We are going to a first choice holiday village and there is so much on offer i doubt i will see them at all unless they want money or food.

I think it does depend on the type of holiday you go on, you for this year my idea of heaven is to have some time alone reading my book in some lovely warm weather, but then I have a toddler and a baby and am not getting much sleep and until recently have had very little nice weather or seen the sunshine. Therefore the idea of going somewhere where I am trekking around lugging the two small children looking at sites doesn't really appeal. However that doesn't stop me wanting in the future to go to some interesting places with interesting sights, but at the moment I just need a rest or a break. However I can't imagine going on holiday when they are 6 onwards and going to kids clubs unless they really want to go, however at that age we are unlikely to be going to hotels too often its just that at the moment having someone else do the cooking and cleaning is also very appealing

"I am now wondering if the people that freely put into clubs on hols use child care when at home."

errr - yes! Otherwise we couldn't both work, and we wouldn't be going on holiday

Nope because I look forward to my holidays as time to spend with DD. Maybe when she's older and thinks that hanging out with mum and dad is boring I'll have to reconsider though!

..hence my comment that my DC can go to kids clubs whilst we are all on holiday if they choose to - and sometimes they do, and sometimes they don't, and that's fine by me. It is entirely different to the holiday clubs they go to at home, which they do enjoy massively, but they also understand that they have to go, because Mummy and Daddy are going to work.

The past few years we have been to turkey the first year my ds dident want to so he dident last year we couldnt keep him out of them so he went. My dd wasnt old enough last year and was desperate to go in this year she will be old enough so probably will. I think its each to there own if they dont want to that is fine with us we will do something else. The other thing my ds liked was that it was so hot last year that a bit of indoors time out of the sun suited him.

Completely misread thread tittle, thought it meant kids club as in school holiday childcare in school holidays, yes we do this. No wouldn't put children in childcare during a family holiday, kind of defeats the point.

"I am now wondering if the people that freely put into clubs on hols use child care when at home."

No, I don't use childcare because I am in the fortunate position of working very part time from home and DH also works from home much of the time.

I do use kids clubs on holiday (if we are on the sort of holiday that has kids clubs - which is not every year) and my child chooses to go on activity holidays (PGL type, Church holidays etc) on his own. As mentioned previously he is an only child and enjoys being with other children and doing a wide range of activities.

I love the idea of sight seeing different historial locations, hiking as a family, long leisurely meals etc etc but the reality is a bored 10 year old who would rather be with a gang of mates than his parents .

As others have said, holidays is all about everyone enjoying themselves.

OP you said: "when I have been on hols and seen the clubs some children are hooning around and there does not seem to be much control and some children look lost and sad."

This is an important point - for most people who are happy to use kids' clubs in principle, it will still depend on the quality of the club in question AND on how happy their particular children are there.

For example we have used kids' clubs only where the carers are all trained to British standards, and care ratios were at least as good (and for some age groups, better) than required in UK childcare - in fact DD ended up with one-to-one care whenever she was in kids' club last time! But we chose the holiday partly based on that, and would not have gone somewhere with lower standards if we planned to use the kids' club.

Also I think most parents would see if their child likes the club, and then remove them if not. We definitely hung around lots to make sure they were happy, in fact often when we went to pick up DS he asked to stay longer. However there was one other small boy who we often saw crying for his parents (and being comforted by the staff - they did their very best but he just didn't settle), if he was mine I would certainly not have left him there and think most people would not have either!

As for wondering whether kids in the clubs are in childcare at home - well I wouldn't be surprised if the clubs have a higher ratio of children who have had some childcare, but not necessarily because those parents "don't want to spend time" with their kids - it's also likely that children who are used to spending some time at nursery or playgroup are more likely to be happy to try out a kids' club, whereas those who have never been without their parents are more likely to get upset and not be left.

Wordfactory - you are forgetting age differences again, seeing the sights is all very well with older kids (if they don't refuse because it's "too booooring" ) but with smaller ones, it may be just too difficult and impractical (and exhausting - not a holiday!) to do that every day.

It depends on the child. At any age I would have preferred sight seeing to a kids club!

But we went camping so kids clubs weren't an option. We made friends in the early evenings on the play ground on the site!

We never use kids clubs on holiday.

To me a holiday is for all of us and we like to spend the time with the children. Also they wouldn't enjoy it so there would be no point.

Genuine question Nefret - if you've never used kids clubs how do you know your children wouldn't enjoy them?

Camping. Now there's my idea of hell on earth.

I love camping, but not with a 2 and 3yo. Also we generally wouldn't camp in campsites as such so it would be much more of a make-your-own-fun kind of deal, so maybe a few years off yet.
I see no reason why we can't enjoy a kids-club holiday one time and camping the next - they aren't mutually exclusive are they?

'Aren't people out and about? Sightseeing? Soaking up the different culture?
Isn't that the point? To introduce your DC to all the otherness? To immerse oneself in it?'

That's all very worthy, wordfactory, but for some people holidays are all about rest and relaxation.
We love spending days beside the pool or at the beach and gorging at the all inclusive buffet. We do enjoy some activity- jet skiing, water parks, going out on a boat or driving a golf buggy round a small island, but the thought of days spent traipsing through historic towns or going to local markets is a total turn off for my family.

It may be that we are cultural philistines. I remember being forced to visit amphitheatres and ruins etc on holiday as a child and I hated it. I would beg my parents for a 'pool day'.

My daughter is the same, she would rather be relaxing, playing in the water and doing the YMCA at the mini disco

One man's meat is another man's poison.