Come find out why there is no time like the present to get traveling with your little ones with these 5 Reasons to Travel with Your Preschooler Now...
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Disney. The opinions and text are all mine.
I speak from experience when I say that traveling with younger ones can be challenging and downright exhausting at times- we started traveling with Little Miss when she was about 5 months old. :) But even with all it's challenges (disrupted routines, missed naps, car sickness, etc), we have always believed that traveling with our kiddos from a young age was definitely doing them much more good than harm.
You can only show and teach so much to your children from books or a television show. Sometimes you just have to take them to the source, let them get their hands in it all (yep, and sometimes that means getting a little dirty ;) ), and experience the world around them hands-on and in-person.
While I am not really going to touch on solutions for the challenges and obstacles that traveling with a preschooler (and younger) can present, I am going to chat with you all about why you should shove those fears and concerns aside, pack up the car, and hit the road or head to the airport with your little ones.
I will just let Scholastic.com and their Ultimate Preschool Travel Guide handle all of those other tips and advice on traveling with your younger kiddos for you. You can click on over to those once I have convinced you all that there is no time like the present to get traveling with your little ones with my 5 Reasons to Travel with Your Preschooler Now...
1. Cognitive Development (aka, getting the wheels in those little brains spinning). I think most of us know by now that a lot of growing and learning is going on in the brains of our preschoolers. They are forming the foundations for what they will come to know and believe about the world that they live in.
As a former educator, I can tell you all that hands-on learning and experiences can do worlds more for children's cognitive development than just simply reading books or spending all day on educational apps on their tablets. ;) I mean, it is one thing to read about what a Civil War battlefield looks like, and quite another thing to actually stand on one and look out across at the cannons still lining the field.
2. YOU get to experience the world through their eyes and their experiences. As we get older and grow into adults, we oftentimes miss the simple pleasures and little details while traveling. Traveling with your preschooler not only opens up another world to them, but it does for you as well. Think of all the things you wouldn't do or would forgo to experience (or would just be too old to do!) if it wasn't for a having a little one in tow with you. Having a preschooler for a traveling partner gives you free permission to be a kid again, to experience the world through their childhood wonderment and awe. :)
3. You are helping them to build a bigger world view. Sometimes it can be hard for a preschooler to grasp the concept that the world is much, much bigger than just their backyard, or hometown, or state. You can point to different countries on a globe or pull out a map and name the states of our country, but showing them opens up a whole other view for them! And you don't have to plan a trip across the globe (or an ocean) to do this. Sometimes just getting away to a museum for a day and letting them see dinosaur bones or a hands-on exhibit about outer space is enough to help them see just how big our world and universe really is.
4. Traveling with little ones forces you to slow down and relax. While you can buck the normal routine when traveling with your preschooler and just be spontaneous, it is pretty much guaranteed that at least a few times during your travels together that your little one will just run of steam and will need a little downtime. Honestly, I never realized myself how much the adults need this downtime too until we started traveling with Little Miss.
It is so easy when planning a vacation or trip to try and pack in as many activities and sites to see as you can, but then you forget to relax and just be in the moment. I mean, isn't that a part of taking a vacation? To relax, breathe, really take in a new place, and come back from your trip recharged and renewed? :) A tired preschooler forces you to take those much needed breaks for yourself while traveling.
5. And this one is probably glaringly obvious, but I will say it anyways- the irreplaceable memories you make as a family experiencing a new place together. The memories you create together traveling as a family will be be something every member of the family will cherish no matter what their age. You are creating memories that will last your little ones (and you!) a lifetime. :)
Do you travel with your preschoolers?
If not, what is holding you back? What are your main concerns and fears of traveling with little ones?
Looking for even more resources for traveling with preschoolers? Well, you are in luck! Check out these favorites of mine from Scholastic.com's Ultimate Preschool Travel Guide-
- Traveling with Preschoolers Made Easy
- 14 Best Travel Apps, Games and Toys for Preschoolers
- We're Going on a Trip!
- Why Little Kids Love to Travel
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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Disney. The opinions and text are all mine.