Stress-Free Family Holiday: Practical Everyday Tips
Summer is approaching, and you managed to do everything on time: you’ve booked your accommodation on the Adriatic and you expect no major challenges during your holiday. But…
…your juniors aren’t thinking the same way you do! Their job is to surprise you with new unfamiliar situations during the summer and create challenges that only you can and must solve. To prevent them and turn your holiday into an unforgettable experience for the whole family, create strategies and fun rituals that will help you reach your desired goal. Your goal, of course, is a relaxing holiday and a stress relief, and their goal is gaining new experiences and making friends while having fun and playing.
As you’re trying to reach this goal, your kids certainly won’t lie still on the beach and splash all day long in the shallows with you. You should work together to design and complete the time between swimming, eating and sleeping, in order to avoid all unnecessary stress and, if possible, to have a great time. Everyone, even you! Fortunately, we are here to help you with tips on how to make that challenging 24/7 rhythm, usually at 30+ degrees, easier for all of you.
MORNING
Include your kids in the arrangements
Your day will surely pass more casually if everyone at least partially agrees on how you will spend it. Walking around the city, sightseeing, going to a water park or going on an excursion on a nearby island, what and where to eat in the meantime… Make arrangements together and, better yet, turn that planning into your internal routine.
Work out an alternative option
You’ve reached a family consensus on going to a water park, but the weather has changed, which means you also have to change your plans for that day. Always have a ready-made backup ideas like playing board games or better yet – take your kids to a gaming tournament or the children’s cinema at the resort. Reading books and picture books or writing postcards (yes, people still do that!) will also be a good pastime, as well as a going to a playroom where your children will have the opportunity to show their full creative potential.
Be ready to move
Children are impatient, especially when going to the beach or enjoying some new experiences. Use their excess energy and save time by organizing a little game for them. Give them a task to do, like gathering their toys and favourite things in one place and putting them in their bags as quickly as possible. Promise them a sweet reward and you’ll see that you’ll all be ready to go in no time! Keep your spare clothing and essentials ready in the trunk of your vehicle so you don’t have to think about it afterwards.
DURING THE DAY
New knowledge and skills through animation
If you make an agreement, or find yourself in a situation that requires that, seek professional animation staff at hotels, camping sites and resorts. Let your little ones spend part of the holiday participating in educational games or themed workshops where they can learn magic tricks, make colourful costumes, improve their drawing skills, or even learn more about the importance of recycling and preserving the environment. Of course, many accommodations also provide a handful of recreational activities adapted for children of all ages, such as sports, yoga or Pilates. In addition to spending quality time with their animator, your kids will gain new knowledge and skills through playing and socializing with their peers, develop motor skills, unlock their creative potential, and learn more about the world that surrounds them.
Don’t forget to rest
You’re on holiday after all… Take a break (maybe even one whole day) during which everyone will do their own thing. You can read a book that has been waiting all year for you to open it, while your kids can enjoy picture books, stacking cubes or running around the beach.
Keep your child safe
It’s not enough to keep your child in sight. However, with all your undivided attention, the child can get lost, overeat or experience an accident. Be prepared for unforeseen circumstances. Have a photograph of your child with you, put your mobile phone number written on a small piece of paper in your child’s pocket, carry a basic first aid kit with you and always have a bottle of water ready. Your child’s safety is the paramount concern and the staff in the children’s areas and playrooms bear that in mind while keeping track of children’s stay there, as well as the information about their parents.
EVENING
Seize the evening as well
For a good night sleep of your little ones, you can go dancing. The kids will jump around, go to bed early, and the parents will be able to deservedly open that bottle of wine that has been looking at them seductively all day long. This is the perfect time to review all the photos and videos you’ve taken during the day and send them to your loved ones.
Activities under the stars
If you’re staying at a resort, some properties allow swimming in the pool later in the evening. You can do the same on the beach during one or more evenings. Explore your surroundings with your pocket lamp, and when your kids get tired, listen to the sound of the waves together and tell them an interesting story – perhaps a fairy tale that takes place at sea. The kids will then have sweet dreams for sure. It’s a good idea to bring a blanket (or a sleeping bag) and something to nibble at and drink.
Pyjama party for all the children your kids met
OK, you didn’t read that one here.