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| Father & Son Exploring The Sea In Goa |
I travelled a lot during my entire childhood, thanks to my parents who loved travelling & knew how important & beneficial it is for children to travel. Be it an infant, a toddler, a teen or an adult, a family vacation or an outing is always an opportunity to learn & evolve. We also travel a lot with our toddler and love the experiences, learnings & the questions that our toddler comes up with! Read about some real kick-ass benefits of travelling with kids in this article.
Today, I am so happy to have Devishobha share her thoughts on this topic. Read on what she has to tell you about the benefits of travelling with kids -
1. They become naturally more inclusive
“Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow”- Anita Desai.
Children who travel soak up multiple cultures and practices. They become deeply empathetic individuals- one of the most important traits that directly correlated with success in adult life. Needless to say, children who are exposed to multiple cultures mould into confident individuals who are more socially more adept - because they hone their ability for acceptance and tolerance.
2. Travel fuels their insatiable curiosity
Travelling puts us in contact with myriad fields like archeology, art, culture, music, food, languages, tourist highlights - not to mention the hundreds of other travellers who criss-cross in and out of your life. There is literally no better way for an immersive learning experience.
Pro tip: If you think they need more- Use Google. Involve them in the planning to your vacation(with boundaries, of course). For example- give them a choice between 3-4 places that might have similar budgets. Help them look up the place on Google and learn what they can about it before they set foot on the land. Allow them to explore various routes. The richness of the experience is doubled when children “touch- and-feel” what they read about and imagined in their heads.
3. The family unit becomes tighter
When you travel as a family to a foreign land, it is natural to want to stick together as a family. Children are exposed to new cultures, but also learn to value their own identities as a society. Plus, it’s definitely more time spent hanging around with each other – making family units tighter in the process.
4. They learn in the context of the real world
Children learn exponentially more by being out in the real world than they can ever do in a classroom.
5. They become self-reliant and very resourceful
You might have made a thousand plans. Yet, the only thing we should really expect during travel is the unexpected. The limits that a backpack or a suitcase imposes on travellers is reason enough to be extremely alert, adaptable, self-reliant and resourceful! Plus, they will come up with a thousand ideas to beat ‘boredom’. And, yes- they will see first-hand the workings of group-decisions.
6. You soak in the world together and create memories
Travelling with your children not only changes the way they see the world, but it evolves the way an adult sees the world too. It’s a great way to see and understand the world through your child’s eyes.
Encourage the child to keep a travel journal. The way they write about their travels not only opens up the world to you but helps you understand what the child truly values. In all probability, you might find that the expensive dinner you took him to, did not even make an entry into his diary- but the sparkles you collected by the curb at the bus-station found a triple-star entry into this journal.
Seriously, is there a better way to know your child and see her evolve?
7. They become Global citizens
Travelling the world together means you are preparing your child to fit into the role of a Global citizen. They are less likely to be boxed into limited identities – setting the ground for limitless possibilities.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR - Devishobha is the founder of Kidskintha- an online parenting resource repository dedicated to jumpstarting conversations around millennial parenting, encouraging parents to bring their attention to words, thoughts and actions that will enable them to raise a well-rounded, empathic and motivated generation. You can also find her on the Huffington Post, Parent.co, Entrepreneur, Lifehack, TinyBuddha and many other publications.
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Hope to see you around. Happy Parenting!
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