Prepare for Take-Off: How to Tackle Travel With Little Learners
Traveling with kids, especially around the toddler years, can be daunting to say the least…especially if you are experiencing many ‘firsts’ with them at the same time. First flights, road trips, even first time in a new climate can be challenging for littles to adapt to. Throw a few sensory aversities into the mix and you’ve got the recipe for what promises to be an unforgettable getaway, and not always for the best.
Preparation is key when it comes to new experiences and it’s important to start the conversations with your children well in advance of your departure. Consistency and repetition are key, as we recommend in all of our lessons. Repetition with your littles will help you to solidify the mindset that something new is going to happen and help them to prepare as best as they can.
Getting the message across in the most effective way possible may look different to different children. It’s important to focus on adapting to their learning style: audible, visual, tactile and literary. If you’re not too sure which is the best style for your little ones, stick around! We have plenty of activities to assist you in their learning style discovery. What’s important to remember is learning styles are like love languages; you can absolutely embrace a combination, but the one that leads the way will always be your best bet at feeling grounded, connected and confident. For kiddos, this means delivering your message in the most connective way for them. For example, let’s say the first plane ride is something that you as a parent are feeling anxious about experiencing with your child. Mapping out an itinerary for the day can be an excellent way to prepare, yet how you communicate that itinerary will vary based on your child. Here are some ways you can can get your little ones mentally and physically ready for take-off.
Traveling with Audible Learners
Audible learning may sound straightforward to most as it stems from natural conversation. What I recommend with audible learning is that it is practiced in different types of environments – you may be at home, on a walk or in the car. All the time is a great time to practice audible communication! In this circumstance, you’ll want to create a step-by-step sequence to prepare your little ones with memorization activities and help them to understand the order in which the new experience will take place. Start off with listing something familiar to them. If you are planning for an early morning flight, begin the audible sequence by outlining your bedtime routine the night before. The next step in the sequence might be something like ‘mommy is going to wake you up while its still dark outside.’ Be sure to sprinkle in familiarity with new. ‘we’re going to put on our shoes and jacket and go for a car ride’ may be something common, ‘we are going to eat our breakfast at a restaurant at the airport’ will let them know you will be performing a familiar task in a new environment. You can be as detailed as your child will respond to as to ensure you’ve hit all the major milestones of your day. Some will respond well to a big picture scenarios while others (you know your children best!) will want to know each and every step. Regardless of how much you decide to share with your little one, consistency is important. Be sure to start the conversation at least 2-3 weeks before travel and even earlier if possible and have the discussion at least once a day. Be sure to include sensorial experiences they will have such as things they will see, hear or feel. Many of the newness may be physically uncomfortable, and if they can expect the discomfort, the shock factor may subside even just a little. As your kiddo gets more familiar with the activities, you can begin to practice word exemption, or a ‘fill in the blank’ concept. “The airplane is going to go up, up, up in the ____(sky). It is going to be very ____ (loud) and it might feel funny in our _____ (ears).” Inviting them to ask questions and voice their concerns will help you to adapt and pack things you may not have expected to need to bring along with you. On travel day, ensure you are discussing each step along the way so that they have a better understanding for their surrounding and can mentally prepare for what is next to come in real time.
Visual Learners
Our Visual Learners are going to love seeing pictures come to life on travel day. Sharing images and objects to prepare them for the new experiences will not only help them embrace the change but likely will increase their excitement when they come across the same items ‘in the wild’. Preparing them for a road trip could look like visual play with toy cars and trucks, creating scenes and examples of mountains, landscapes, forestry or farmland. Toy airplanes can be used to show them examples of take off and landing. One key thing I recommend is to try and help these types of learners visualize what things will look like from their perspective. Clips of travel vlogs from inside an airplane are a much better representation of what they will experience than showing them images of air transportation alone. You can also extend this to images and video of where you will be visiting, what the land and climate will look like and if possible, where you will be staying/sleeping. Sleep can be one of the biggest adjustments for kiddos when traveling so preparing them to see where they will sleep is highly recommended.
How can we use repetition and order for our visual learners to give them a better understanding of what’s to come? A sequence of printed images will allow them to process the new routine and changes to their day. Working through these sequences with them well in advance of the trip along with mini quizzes will help them to see for themselves what comes next
Tactile Learners
Tactile learning when planning for a trip really goes beyond the touch and feel of things (such as toy vehicles) that our visual learners need for their understanding. To involve our tactile learners in the planning process and to prepare them best, it is important to include them in the tactile activities along the way such as packing, and shopping. Let them sit in the suitcase and help you sort everyone’s outfits (even though it may mean you end up having to repack solo once they’ve gone to bed!) If you’ve purchased or put aside new travel toys, give them a few opportunities to play with them beforehand to ensure they will be a winner once you’re on your way. Sometimes, even changing to something like a new travel cup can take a bit of warming up to for tactile learners. Just because this is their preferred learning style doesn’t necessarily mean they are going to love everything they touch – in fact, tactile learners are some of the most common to experience sensory aversions through touch and feel.
When preparing for changes in routine, tactile learners respond very well to kinesthetic experience, where their bodies can have physical interactions with their environments. This goes beyond touch and feel and truly immerses them in the situation they will be in. Practice here is key, especially if you are introducing new tools, toys, clothes or equipment. Perhaps you are traveling to a warmer climate: you can prepare your tactile learners by having some fun ‘fashion shows’ with clothes, shoes, hats and swimsuits you are planning on packing for them. Trying out a new car seat, stroller or carrier will help you to ensure they are comfortable and content. (This is a key tip for parents as well – you don’t want to be thousands of miles out of your own comfort zone and home base before realizing that the new equipment you bought for your trip isn’t ideal for yourself or your child.) Even small additions such as stroller fans and noise cancelling headphones may seem like a great idea, but without some acclimatizing for your little one, the can be very difficult to adapt to, and the point of preparation is to avoid as many tears as possible and make your trip as smooth sailing as possible!
Literary Learners
Depending on the age or learning level of your child, literary learning can sometimes feel challenging, especially if you are trying to ensure comprehension of an idea or a message. Usually, this is because your child may not be at reading level yet. Once they get there, writing things like messages, directions and lists can be a great way to communicate, but for our early learners there are still ways we can lean into literary learning as a primary tool.
Let’s start off with things they can read; perhaps numbers and letter identification. (If your child isn’t quite at the level of reading numbers and letters, that’s perfectly fine! We may not yet be able to identify that they even are literary learners.)
In this case, we can create a written list for them (whiteboards work great) and lean on a secondary learning style for audible, visual or tactile effect. The key here is to really involve the literary aspect as much as possible, for instance pointing to the number one for the first detail, two for the second and so on. Another way to really get literary learners on board is to create a countdown for them to color in or check off leading to your departure date.
Regardless of how well you get your child ready for these new experiences, it would be naïve to believe all will run smoothly. Travel can bring countless curveballs and surprises, some good – others, not so much. Regardless of how much you’ve prepared, delays, cancellations and changes can (and likely will) happen.
Alterations in schedule, especially when it relates to meals and sleep can throw us off as adults, just imagine what it feels like in the world of a kid. As parents we always want everything to run perfectly. It’s okay if that’s not the reality. Let’s focus on the magic moments, expect the tantrums and know in the back of our minds that there will come a day when our family trips will look a lot different. These trips may not always go as planned, but the memories you are making with your children are helping to mold the incredible little people they are becoming. So hope for the best, plan for the worst, and remember to be flexible. All we can do as parents is our best.
