Things definately seem easier once children reach school age. They are generally more flexible with sleep and food times than babies or toddlers and can walk for further without moaning every few steps. We really enjoyed our holiday with the kids this summer as did Julia who is part of our Facebook community. I asked whether people thought holidays got easier as children got older and she replied emphatically:
“Absolutely yes from me. Much less stuff to take as they turn from babes to toddlers to school-age. Less routine required so you can be more flexible with outings, mealtimes and meal content. Oh and we love the fact that ours can go for walks now – like 3 miles or so. We really missed that aspect of holidaying when they were tiny. Maybe it gets more difficult again as they become teens?… we’ll cross that bridge. We are certainly enjoying our holidays with them at the moment 100%. (My kids are 5 and 6).”
Some of the ups & downs of holidays with school aged children:
| Downsides | Look at the positive |
|---|---|
| Pester power definately increases as children get older | Children will be able to remember holidays you take them on now |
| Children of this age often have a strong opinion about what they want from a holiday, which may not always be what you want! | You can reason with children of this age (usually!) |
| Holidays seem to get more expensive as children reach this age - free entries to attractions & reduced rates start to drop off | School aged children usually make friends easily be it where you are staying or a trip to a local park |
| Unless you want to take your children out of school you will now be locked into going away during school holidays, meaning added expense and busier holidays | Increased stamina and flexibility make things easier at this age |
Tips
Try giving the children their own holiday money to manage to reduce pester power and encourage them to think about budgeting. This will put them in control of what they are spending it on and make them realise they will have to make decisions. If they find it difficult to budget for the whole holiday you could give them a bit to spend every few days. This worked really for us.
We’d love to know what you think – which age do you find it easier going on holiday with; baby, toddler or with children of school age?
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