Teach Your Kids to Pack for Travel in 5 Steps
Travelling with children is always a wonderful experience, and it only improves as they get older. Once your little ones reach the age of 5 or 6, you can begin to teach them how to prepare for travelling themselves – with some guidance of course. This makes travelling so much easier on you, while giving your children autonomy over their own travel choices to a degree.
One of the first things you should aim to teach your kids is how to pack their own suitcases. This is a great way of getting them excited about a trip, while giving them the power to decide what they want to wear and teaching them about the necessities of packing for globe trotting. Here is how to teach your kids how to pack for themselves in 5 easy steps.
Step 1: Select a Suitcase For Them
You will need to provide guidance as they learn, and if you don’t want your kids to pack their whole stuffed animal collection and nothing else, you will need to oversee the packing process! A good idea is to set out the suitcase they will be using, which gives them an idea of how much space they have.
The trick is to not actually let them pack the bag themselves, but to allow them to gather the items they want (and need) to bring. This also allows you to check if they have everything they need, suggest alternatives, and assess the amount of space left.
Step #2: Prepare a List
Giving your children a packing list helps in so many ways. Even if you hand-write a list on a piece of paper, allowing them to pack this way teaches them great organisational skills. Recommend that your kids select a full outfit for each day of your vacation, complete with an all-weather jacket that matches these choices. You can even find free printable kids’ packing lists online to help out!
Step #3: Lay Everything Out
Have your little ones lay out their daily outfits and extras on their floors or beds. While they gather what they need, you can work on your own suitcase, then come and evaluate their choices once they are finished. If you’re already packed, you can also enjoy some Microgaming casino no deposit games online. Remind them to pack underwear, socks, a hat, and other necessities that are often forgotten.
Step #4: Don’t Forget Toiletries
Toiletries are one of the most oft-forgotten items when it comes to packing for vacations, and kids are no exception here. Have your children survey their bathrooms and pack all the necessary items once they have chosen their clothes for the trip.
Encourage them to keep things simple – all they need is a toothbrush, toothpaste, sun cream, a wash cloth, and perhaps some after-sun lotion if you are going to a sunny location. Hotels tend to provide shampoo, conditioner, soap, and other basics.
Step #5: Praise Them
Congratulate your kids for their hard work and praise them for packing so mindfully. This encourages them to pack for themselves next time as well, and gives them ownership and responsibility of the task so that they don’t complain about what’s been packed – they did it themselves, after all!
This also involves them in pre-trip planning, which can make them feel like an important part of the vacation as a whole. Happy travels!