Whether you go with your small or extended family, this vacation choice has as many advantages as disadvantages. For psychotherapist Benjamin Lubszynski, the key is to alternate moments of sharing and moments of freedom.
Family holidays are important for children, but also for parents. And you don't have to go very far for that. Taking the car or a train for a few days away from home is already enough to get away from the routine and share good times together. Discover below some advantages of family holidays.
1. An experience to develop complicity
Nowadays, city life pushes us to spend less and less time with our family. Therefore, organizing trips with your family members is crucial. Whether with your children or cousins you care about, this stay will allow you to tighten your ties.
As a result, your complicity with the people concerned can also grow. The relaxation offered by this holiday can only help you with this; small group activities will also be of great help. For example, you can opt for group dives or walks, with everyone's agreement, of course.
2. Holidays reduce stress for the whole family
A survey found that up to 75% of children said their parents brought work home, and six in seven said they brought the stress of work with them.
The inability of parents to set aside work has important consequences for children. A study found that the more stressed parents are, the less ready they are to respond to their children's negative emotions. And children deal with much of their stress themselves; 8 out of 10 children report experiencing stress daily. Other research shows that stress is rising in children. For example, the 2014 study found that teens have higher stress levels than adults.
When you take time off, it can help reduce your children's stress. The survey found that 77% of children said they feel no stress when their parents spend more time with family. Even a single day off can help. While only 19% of kids surveyed said they were in a good mood on an average day, that figure jumped to 60% when parents took time off to spend time with them.
Also, as parents, we can relieve our children of future stress by teaching them what is truly valuable.
3. Awaken children's curiosity and open them up to the world
Traveling as a family means opening your children's minds to the culture, to what surrounds them, and to what is different from what they are used to seeing. A simple hike in the mountains, in search of marmots and chamois, awakens the desire for adventure, discovery, and exploration. No need to go far to give your children a taste for adventure and put stars in their eyes; you can find a thousand landscapes that have endless stories and legends.
When you live in the city, it is also not easy to find bits of nature to take your children there. Holidays are thus the perfect opportunity to live in the middle of greenery, discover nature, and learn to respect it. Traveling as a family is not only about developing the curiosity and openness of the older ones who know how to walk; the younger ones also open up to the world. They taste different foods and thus broaden their taste palette; their adaptability also grows as they travel. They may fall asleep more easily away from the safety of the home. A trip grows and enriches any family member, young or old.
4. Family holidays make kids smarter
Holidays with children allow them to have real-life experiences outside of the classroom, and children learn best by doing. So while reading books and viewing pictures certainly have their place, nothing beats hands-on experience.
When children travel, there are all kinds of things to learn. International holidays allow them to have first-hand experience of the lives of others. They try the food others eat, encounter another language, and absorb the sights and sounds of another culture.
Domestic holidays offer their own possibilities. Children have a natural sense of wonder and are impressed by all that is new and different. You can improve the learning experience by involving them in planning the trip. Teach them where they are going, show them the location on a map, and discuss the interesting things they will see.
Family vacations provide children with a rich learning environment that allows them to have new social, physical, cognitive, and sensory experiences. These experiments rely on the genetic expression of the brain's main "fertilizers" in the frontal lobes, which improve executive functions such as concentration, planning, and attention. These enriched environments are also connected to higher intelligence. So when parents spend time with their children exploring a new place, those experiences actually make them smarter.
5. Create common memories
By leaving with your family, you will accumulate lasting memories that you will never stop reminiscing about in the evening together, laughing, wrapped up in a blanket by the fireside. You take pleasure in seizing the lens to immortalize your travels in the tribe. One thing is certain; later, you will not tire of leafing through them in photo albums. Young and old, everyone keeps memories that they will remember all their life, and it is certainly not the things that cost the most, but rather the time spent with loved ones. Childhood memories are precious, and all your life, you would like to press a button to be able to relive them, so you might as well make your children's memories magical by going on vacation together!
6. Find family balance
Recharging your batteries and decompressing as a family also means being able to approach everyday life together more serenely once back home. During family vacations, you are more easily relaxed and quick to talk, laugh, heckle, share and take your time all together. Going away regularly with the family allows you to find the secret of a balance to maintain this harmony once you return home. A well-deserved break allows you to start on the right foot together. You rediscover simple pleasures, you have fewer things to think about, and you realize that the most important thing is to finally be together.
The benefits of family vacations should not be underestimated. Regular escapes, even for a few days, are beneficial for your small troop. So, change your pace, go on a family vacation and get away from it all together!
