Recently I commented on how important it is not to give too many toys to a child and I proposed some alternative gifts that would also make them happy and help stimulate their imagination to a greater extent than a toy.
One of them was to give experiences to your children, such as trips or walks. Activities that you can share with your family and that, in addition to having fun, will create unforgettable memories in your children's lives. On this occasion and following this theme, I want to share why it is better to spend on family trips than to buy toys for your children.
Traveling as a family, strengthening bonds and creating memories
Getting out of the routine to get to know a new and different place is a great way to spend family time. And while traveling with children is sometimes complicated, the being all together in a different place helps strengthen the bond we have with our children. Traveling together we share unique moments and we create new experiences side by side.
We know in the same way, that sometimes traveling as a family is not the most economical because all expenses are multiplied by the number of members attending the trip. But traveling should not be something that leaves us without money in your pockets, since We don't need to make a trip to the other side of the world or even to another country to enjoy this wonderful family experience.
In Babies and more Traveling as a family brings great benefits to children, and also improves their school performanceA short weekend trip to a nearby town or a visit to the city zoo, is already something that breaks the routine and monotonous day to day. The important thing is not to make the best or most expensive trip of their lives, but to give new and different experiences to your children.
Why it is better to spend on travel and not on toys
Investigating this family travel, I found an interview that made the Telegraph site to Oliver James, one of the most recognized child psychologists in Britain and I found it very interesting what you have to say on this subject.
He begins by asking something that surely some parents have not even crossed our minds: Do you have any idea of the extraordinary proportion of gifts we give to children that are not ordered or valued?. According to him, the answer varies between one in five and two thirds, according to the different surveys he has read.
"The entire business of providing material comfort for children - each time in more expensive ways as they get older - is completely, 100 percent, to keep the industry benefiting from it. On the other hand, family vacations are valued by children, both at the time they occur, and for a long time after they spent in their memories. So if you are going to spend money on something, it is very clear which option makes the most sense."
Taking a trip will always be more satisfying than buying things. For both adults and children, traveling is an experience that enriches us. The difference is that we value some things, and other children, and that is the key for everyone to enjoy the trip.
"Children see the different world"says James."Give a two-year-old girl a gift and she will feel more entertained with the box. It is similar with children and travel. We must allow them to explore their own ways of finding the amazing around them."
According to, What children really appreciate about vacations, is that rare possibility that they create for prolonged periods of play with their parents.. The holidays physically isolate us from the pressures of daily life, where everyone is in a hurry to attend meetings or meet deadlines. They are times where everyone is relaxed and can be playful together.
In Babies and more, is it wrong for children to miss class for going on vacation with their family? And while there are toys that the whole family can have fun with, he talks about the collaborative game, the one that is funny, not educational: "a crucial human experience, especially for children, but also for adults. Without it, life is very empty and lacks joy."
For him, these moments are as simple as talking about nonsense with parents, sharing an ice cream and the moments when their real interests are taken into account. That is to say, those simple moments of joy that are shared and that help us form a bond with our children.
I am sure, for example, that my daughter enjoys more when we play to tickle or dance, than to watch a movie or play with a game together. These are moments when we both truly connect without being distracted by a third element. The smile and her laughter are proof that she enjoys doing this more than anything. And that is fair what family vacation trips give us: moments with our children, without distractions from work or housework.
Should we stop buying toys?
Of course not. There are families who have chosen to do this, but personally it seems too drastic and more than being a solution to the problem of excess toys, it could have an opposite effect to snatch the right to play with them. You just have to do it with measure and in a conscious way.
Sometimes we don't realize the big expense we make on material things and that in the end more than making our children happy, they might not even benefit them. From my point of view and seeing it in the long term, perhaps if we stopped buying so many toys (or expensive toys) we would reduce expenses and thus we could use that money to give experiences or trips more frequently with our children.
What is your opinion? Do you agree that travel makes children happier than a toy?
