May 10, 2012

Enhance Kids Travel with Books

1 Comment · Posted by jennifer in General Travel With Kids, Travel Tips & Advice

Add a little education and generate excitement about your upcoming vacation by using books to spark interest in the destination.

Guidebooks: Traditional guidebooks have little to offer kids – some of them are dry for adults as well! But there are now many guidebooks on the market written just for kids. The Planet Explorers guidebooks by Laura Schaefer are among our favorite. She manages to mix the right balance of trivia, facts and destination tips to allow kids to play a meaningful role in the trip planning. Unfortunately the titles are limited right now but she is always adding new destinations so it is worth a check to see if your vacation spot is on the list.

Puzzle Books: Usborne Publishers makes some great puzzle books that feature the USA or World atlas spread over a series of pages. Kids learn a bit of geography and have fun working puzzles. On our travels we have found many puzzle books not found in the US – our kids still play with them today. In fact, these have been by far the best souvenirs from several of our European adventures.

Trivia Games: Not exactly a book but trivia games like University Games’ Brain Box – USA and Brain Box – The World are a fun way for the entire family to learn more about new destinations.

Magic Tree House books: Far and away my favorite way to spark interest in both the history and geography of a vacation is with this series. Jack and Annie have traveled almost everywhere in the world, visiting historically significant time periods in their journeys. Both the fictional tales and the related research guides offer a rich insight into the culture of a country and/or time period. The short chapters and detailed illustrations make wonderful read-aloud books for young readers. Emerging readers will appreciate the appropriate vocabulary (challenging yet not frustrating) and even older readers can enjoy the quick read filled with interesting details – especially in the research guides.

What are your favorite resources for sparking interest in a new destination?