How Imagination Parenting© helps you Travel with more joy
We’ve all been there–no matter if it’s an afternoon outing or full blown vacation far away….kids get bored, antsy, irritable, and act up.
And suddenly, the nice relaxing hike, or day at the beach is suddenly full of stress, arguing, pleading, and bargaining. All of the fun is gone and the day is on the verge of ruin.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Sometimes, we just need to put ourselves in our kids shoes—think as they do (with the wisdom and experience of an adult), and magically transform the day.
Again, we’ll use the simple Parenting with Imagination © formula:
Problem + Something your kids love + Think like a Kid = Creative Solution
Let’s look at an example:
Here’s a real-life example that I’m sure you can relate to.
Problem: As much as my kids enjoy hiking, it’s always a struggle to get them started. One day was particularly bad. You read more about it here. Even the “magical” unicorn trail mix wasn’t working that well–my kids we hot, tired, and complaining about everything. So I started thinking about my Parenting with Imagination © formula. And thought what do my kids love…
Something my kids love: DOGS!
Think Like a Kid: I wonder how many dogs are on this trail today?
Solution: We decided to Guess How Many Dogs we would see and whoever had the closest guess at the end of the day won bragging rights. Suddenly, my kids, who could barely take a step forward a few minutes earlier, were racing up the trail counting and counting and counting! It turned out to be one of our most memorable and enjoyable hikes that summer.
The full blog post is included below along with other travel posts with Imagination Parenting © techniques.
Another Tip
When our kids were younger, we used to take lots of very long road trips. And after my daughter decided to draw fireworks on the ceiling, I decided we needed more Mess-Free toys for the car.
Our favorite–which we still use to this day–are the reusable stickers. My kids still love to make up stories with them and stick them on the window.
Some of my favs
Looking for daily inspiration?
I love sharing my creative ideas on Instagram, so be sure to connect with me there!