If you read my last post, you know that for me I considered my children "kids" when they went to Kindergarten. There's a maturity level that turned them from a "Little" in my mind to a full blown "kid". This age; around 5, until they became tweens at the age of 10, brought with it a new found maturity in how they traveled.
For starters, they were able to help plan our trip! They could think ahead and not think that the trip was tomorrow (you know how it can be with younger children!). This meant that we could talk about the different rides that the kids were now big enough for, but maybe not brave enough for.
They are funny! This trip to Disneyland was the one trip where both my kids fell into this same
category at the same time. I have to admit that this trip was perhaps one of our most memorable! My kids' senses of humor had developed in both of them and they threw themselves into this trip. They saw the humor around every corner and took advantage of it!
They will also have a tendency to pose for almost any picture! If they don't think about it (I admit my son thought of both the poses to the left), they're open to creating funny photos because, did I mention, their senses of humor at this age are a riot!? I mean when else can they hold up an entire mountain?
They don't need naps any longer! So the great thing about this age is you can go until your child can go no longer! You know your kiddo best, so you know if you'll make Park Opening to Fireworks. We never did. We typically made Park Opening to dinner time. But we didn't have to take any breaks in the middle of the day!
They can handle crowds and waiting in lines better than their earlier age group can. This age group needs less forced entertainment from Mom & Dad. They can entertain themselves. They can also be entertained with things that are a little more fun for Mom & Dad such as kid trivia or more thought provoking would you rather questions.
They're often big enough for all (or most) of the rides. As long as their thrill tolerance is there, then your family should be able to experience pretty much all of what the Parks have to offer with minimal leaving people by the sidelines. We still ran into this often with the roller coasters as our kids didn't hit the thrill level until the teenager stage, but I know many children who were ready to jump on Space Mountain the moment their head hit the top of that measure line!
They're now old enough to participate in a lot of the other things that Disney offers while at the Parks: pin trading, Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom, Agent P's World Showcase Adventure (which I just recently heard is being replaced and that made my kids sad), Tours (we did the Family Magic Tour in 2012 and the kids loved it!) and so much more! This age really opens up so many more opportunities to what Disney has to offer than just rides, shows, and characters!
They still believe in the Magic (or at least play along!). They still want to meet the characters. They may pick and choose now and not be willing to meet everyone Mom wants them to meet, but they still think it's fun (and sometimes funny) to interact with them. The characters who talk now become a bigger hit because these kids can talk back and interact with them! And they're still meeting some of their favorite movie stars!
And if you want to jump back to that argument of "being able to remember it". Yes! This one they will completely remember! Sometimes they might even remember details you forgot!
I've truly love taking all ages to Disney, but I think there is a special magic about this age. I think it's the balance of the belief still, the maturity that the child has in their ability to communicate, and the fact that they still have a desire to still want to spend all their time with Mom & Dad.
How about you? Have you taken this age to Disney? What joy have you found in bringing them?
For starters, they were able to help plan our trip! They could think ahead and not think that the trip was tomorrow (you know how it can be with younger children!). This meant that we could talk about the different rides that the kids were now big enough for, but maybe not brave enough for.
They are funny! This trip to Disneyland was the one trip where both my kids fell into this same
They will also have a tendency to pose for almost any picture! If they don't think about it (I admit my son thought of both the poses to the left), they're open to creating funny photos because, did I mention, their senses of humor at this age are a riot!? I mean when else can they hold up an entire mountain?
They can handle crowds and waiting in lines better than their earlier age group can. This age group needs less forced entertainment from Mom & Dad. They can entertain themselves. They can also be entertained with things that are a little more fun for Mom & Dad such as kid trivia or more thought provoking would you rather questions.
They're often big enough for all (or most) of the rides. As long as their thrill tolerance is there, then your family should be able to experience pretty much all of what the Parks have to offer with minimal leaving people by the sidelines. We still ran into this often with the roller coasters as our kids didn't hit the thrill level until the teenager stage, but I know many children who were ready to jump on Space Mountain the moment their head hit the top of that measure line!
They're now old enough to participate in a lot of the other things that Disney offers while at the Parks: pin trading, Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom, Agent P's World Showcase Adventure (which I just recently heard is being replaced and that made my kids sad), Tours (we did the Family Magic Tour in 2012 and the kids loved it!) and so much more! This age really opens up so many more opportunities to what Disney has to offer than just rides, shows, and characters!
They still believe in the Magic (or at least play along!). They still want to meet the characters. They may pick and choose now and not be willing to meet everyone Mom wants them to meet, but they still think it's fun (and sometimes funny) to interact with them. The characters who talk now become a bigger hit because these kids can talk back and interact with them! And they're still meeting some of their favorite movie stars!
And if you want to jump back to that argument of "being able to remember it". Yes! This one they will completely remember! Sometimes they might even remember details you forgot!
How about you? Have you taken this age to Disney? What joy have you found in bringing them?
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