What Family Vacation For 5 Year Old Boy
Have you been in a dilemma about what family vacation for 5 year old boy? Are you looking for an idea? In this short article, lots of information and tips will be given to make your planning easy. So let’s start the discussion.
The best family vacation ideas for 5 year old boy. A fun-filled vacation trip with a five-year-old boy can be a challenge for the whole family! Our sources and resources will provide you with many great ideas that are sure to make your five year old’s trip a memorable and fun experience. You will also find some useful tips and advice too.
When choosing a family vacation, how do you decide where to go? The five-year-old boy in my house has two good friends who live in New England. He is constantly talking about flying there to visit them. And I really want to take him this summer – it’s just that we’ve been incredibly busy and swamped with work and other commitments. My husband says the 5-year-old has only asked twice, so if I wait a few more times he’ll forget about it completely. I don’t think he will. So should I just make time and act like it’s super special for us to go? Screw that – no way am I taking a long trip somewhere cold when the beach is so close. It seems like such an obvious choice!
It has been said that vacations are the greatest gift you could ever give a child. I cannot agree more. Taking your kids on vacation every year to places like Disneyland, Universal Studios or Disney World will not only be good for their happiness as well as mental well-being, but will also help them grow up with a more positive attitude and outlook towards life. And lastly, it’s always enjoyable for parents when their children are able to have some fun and loosen up outside of their normal routine.
There is nothing quite like a vacation with the family. Get away from it all, spend quality time together… but if (when) your kid(s) act up, what are you supposed to do? There is force and there is reasoning. This article will give you some insight on both options!
What Family Vacation For 5 Year Old Boy
A couple of months before my daughter, Katie, turned 9, we hopped in the car for a day trip to Idlewild, a beautiful park in western Pennsylvania with a storybook theme. After about an hour of halfheartedly meandering around the Three Bears’ house and exploring Jack & Jill’s hill, Katie told me, “This would have been cute when I was younger!” She really was too old to be interested in (let alone excited by) most of the activities.
I had missed the boat. Don’t do the same. Visit as many of these places as you can while they’re still captivating for your child.
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art
Amherst, Massachusetts
Age Sweet Spot: 2 to 8 years old
In its large, colorful art studio with lots of natural light, kids create the most amazing projects. They might be tissue-paper collages (like the ones that grace the pages of Carle’s works), layered paper drawings, or a craft that relates to a special event or temporary exhibition.
“My 6-year-old son, Jack, loved making the collages, and he’s not typically interested in crafts,” says Cindy Leahy, a mom of two in Marshfield,Massachusetts. “Our 2-year-old, Kate, played in the space’s toddler area with artsy magnets and blocks.” The museum also has a library with thousands of picture books; stop by there for staff-led storytime. Outside the library, don’t miss an Instagram-worthy photo op: a giant, two-sided Very Hungry Caterpillar reading cubby. Take a scavenger hunt through galleries featuring Carle’s original artwork plus some from other picture-book creators. carlemuseum.org
Legoland Discovery Centers
Multiple Locations
Age Sweet Spot: 4 to 9 years old
Like a cool children’s museum, these centers, located in 11 U.S. states and Toronto, Canada, woo little Lego fans with building contests, short 4-D movies, soft play areas, and building workshops. Some locations also include a Lego Friends area, a Duplo section for toddlers, and a Star Wars exhibit.
“My 4-year-old can’t get enough of the laser ride where he can zap villains in a dragon car,” says Cheryl Eugenio, founder of the Chicago-based blog O the Places We Go. Although tweens are into Legos, they may find the centers babyish. (And if your kids love this experience, consider a subsequent trip to a Legoland Theme Park.) legolanddiscoverycenter.com
The David F. Bolger Playspace
Sarasota, Florida
Age Sweet Spot: 3 to 8 years old
For your budding acrobat, The Ringling (of circus fame) recently opened this imaginative playground that’s attached to its free Bayfront Gardens. Designed by a German manufacturer, the playground features basket-like swings, colorful Bouncing Flowers (aka mini trampolines), and a three-story, 12-foot tunnel slide that kids climb up using nets and ladders. Toddlers will like a house with a small slide and splash area with a waterfall. ringling.org/playspace
Children’s Museum of Indianapolis
Indianapolis, Indiana
Age Sweet Spot: 2 to 9 years old
The largest children’s museum in the country—with five stories of fun—does a great job of engaging toddlers and pre-tweens in the same exhibit.
“For instance, in the Dinosphere, a parent could help a 3-year-old try on a dinosaur costume while still keeping an eye on her 8-year-old who is talking to a paleontologist about a real dinosaur fossil,” says Kim Harms, director of public and media relations. But the earlier you make the trip, the better.
The museum’s centerpiece is Playscape, a massive exhibit on the third level just for children 5 and under as well as their siblings. Kids can launch balls from the Reaction Contraption, see things fly through the Whirly Twirly Tower, and grab a net and explore the pond habitat. Thoughtful conveniences like hand-gel stations, family bathrooms, child-size toilets, and nursing rooms, right in the space, make the outing less stressful for you. childrensmuseum.org
Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park
Gilroy, California
Age Sweet Spot: 2 to 6 years old
Started as a tree sanctuary, this park has become a haven for the stroller crowd. “One of my biggest regrets is that I waited until my kids were 4 and 7 to do it,” says Peter Hartlaub, pop-culture critic for the San Francisco Chronicle. “I thought it was going to be cheesy, but it was awesome.”
Most of the park’s gentle rides are themed around fruits and veggies, so your kiddos can twirl in garlic bulbs, spin in strawberries, or hop on the mushroom swings. “You don’t have to worry about teenagers mowing down your kids and there’s never much of a line,” Hartlaub says.
The park also made getting on the rides easier for families with strollers by eliminating turnstiles. It opened a water area where kids might get sprayed by a flower or misted by a pop-up geyser. Check the park’s calendar before you go—in the fall, it’s generally open only on weekends. gilroygardens.org
The Polar Express Train Ride
Multiple Locations
Age Sweet Spot: 4 to 9 years old
Inspired by the classic holiday book, railroads in more than 30 cities nationwide (including Durango, Colorado; Newport, Rhode Island; Williams, Arizona; and Miami) typically offer hour-long rides that feature a reading from the book and a visit with Santa. Many of the railroads also supply a cup of hot chocolate and cookies as well as a gift from Santa—a sleigh bell (just like in the story). raileventsinc.com
Walt Disney World and Disneyland
Orlando, Florida and Anaheim, California
Age Sweet Spot: 4 to 8 years old
Your kids might never outgrow wanting to hang out at Disney’s parks, but there is a short window when their reaction to meeting their favorite characters is so joyful and endearing that it’ll make it worth all the time and money you spent to get there. Economics are on your side now too: If you go when the kids are 10 or older, you’ll have to pay adult prices for their tickets and meals.
For Disney World, use the free My Disney Experience app to find updated character locations.
“You can reserve FastPass+ in advance of your trip: It’s essential to see Anna, Elsa, Cinderella, and Rapunzel in Princess Fairytale Hall—otherwise the wait could be three to five hours,” says Len Testa, founder of TouringPlans.com, a website and app that provides itineraries for seeing the parks. disneyparks.disney.go.com
Disney World vs. Disneyland: Which Park Is Right for You?
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Monterey, California
Age Sweet Spot: 1 to 8 years old
While this famous aquarium about two hours south of San Francisco appeals to all ages, its incredible Splash Zone section—with crawl-through tunnels, textured walls, and low exhibit windows—caters to young kids. Among the 45 interactive exhibits, kids will find pull-out plush eels to play with next to living moray eels; touch pools with sea urchins, abalones, and other creatures; a dress-up area where they can put on a sea-horse costume next to a tank with actual sea horses, as well as games, knobs, buttons, and levers galore relating to sea life. The exhibit also offers Coral Reef Kingdom, a cornered-off padded section for kids under 34 inches. (Combine with a trip to Gilroy Gardens and make it a long weekend!) montereybayaquarium.org
