Ten Tips for Making your Trip to the Amusement Park the Best Ever By Thomas Haller and Chick Moorman
Millions of people will visit an amusement park this summer. Some will do it as part of an extended vacation. Others will make it a one day trip or a week end event. Regardless of the length of stay, the theme of the park, or the part of the country you visit, the following tips can make your trip to an amusement park the best ever.
Establish a mutual plan. Allow every member of the family to have input and contribute suggestions for what they would like to experience at the park. Brainstorm all the possible rides and activities to visit. Build a list of things you want to make sure you don't miss. Make sure each family member's top priority is included on the list. By letting everyone have a say, you build commitment and lower resistance toward the planned activities.
Stick to the children's regular daily schedule and routine. The younger the child, the more important it is to stick to your regular schedule. While on vacation, children under the age of ten needs to go to bed, get up, and eat at the same time they normally do. Young children's bodies are not able to adjust quickly to time changes and schedule adjustments. If this means arriving the night before and getting a full night's sleep, do it.
Don't attempt to do it all. Most amusement parks have more to offer than can be accomplished in one day. Slow down. The more you and your family members attempt to "fit it all in," the greater the chance that irritability and frustration will occur. Do not push to do everything on your list. Remember, a trip to the amusement park is about enjoying and savoring the time away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. It is more important that you be fully present for the activities you do than it is to do everything.
Take breaks. Stop every hour or so and regroup. Sit down and discuss where to go next. Relax for a moment. To continue to push may extend small legs or tired feet beyond their limits can create unhappy children who resist the push to move on and finish.
Don't attempt to do everything together. It's okay to split up as long as an adult accompanies each child. You don't have to do everything together as a complete family. Different people have different interests. Allow opportunities for each person to experience activities without insisting others participate. Look for chances to have one-on-one time with each of your children. The experiences of each individual will add life and energy to the family as they are shared and talked about later.
Share the maps. Amusement parks have hand held maps they distribute at information centers. Large maps are posted along the route with arrows that show direction. Let your children be the guide for part of the day. Give them a map and follow their lead. Go in the wrong direction if necessary. This can be a useful learning experience for your children as long as you don't make them wrong for their decisions or say, "I told you so."
Do not force children to experience anything they feel is not right for them. Some children are afraid of heights. Others do not like to be scared of prefer quiet activities. Still others dislike rides that make them dizzy. Respect the wishes of your family members in this area. Insist that all family members respect the choices of each individual person. Name calling such as
sissy, scaredy cat, chicken,
and
wimp
are not allowed.
Get your needs met too. Do some things you like. Refuse to go on rides you detest. Tell your children, "This doesn't feel good to me. I don't enjoy getting frightened that much." Refuse to cave into peer pressure and model for your children knowing what is right for you and sticking to it.
Allow children to change their minds. Sometimes a ride looks a lot different close up than it did on the map. So what if you walked 15 minutes to get to it? Make it OK for the child to make a new choice.
Have a plan for getting separated from the group. Teach your children what to do if they get lost. Encourage them to look for the helpers. Point out security guards, park employees and teach your children how to recognize these individuals. Teach them what to say to the helper, "I'm lost and need to find my mom." Have them practice saying that to you and pointing out who they would go to if they were separated.
Once your trip to the amusement park is complete, come together as a family and discuss it. Look at pictures together and reflect on what each person remembers about that moment. Talk about most and least favorite activities. Consider adjustments that would make the next family adventure smoother and more enjoyable. Record them so you have them for next time.
Preserve the history of your family outing by putting the photos and captions in a photo album. Place it in the nostalgia corner of your home where you keep the family memories. Look through the album on occasion to build connectedness and remembrances of your best trip ever to the amusement park.
Thomas Haller and Chick Moorman are the authors of
The 10 Commitments: Parenting with Purpose
. They are two of the world's foremost authorities on raising responsible, caring, confident children. They publish a free monthly e-zine for parents. To sign up for it or obtain more information about how they can help you or your group meet your parenting needs, visit their website today:
www.personalpowerpress.com
. Permission granted for use on DrLaura.com.
