Holidays abroad - or lack of them, impact on child

notanewuser

Voyager2002 wrote: »

Has your child ever been to Scotland or Wales, since technically these are foreign countries?

I don't think they are, technically or otherwise!

ciderwithrosie_2

notanewuser wrote: »

DD is 4 and has been to Barcelona! (It has a beach - she was far more interested in museums and flamenco to be bothered with it).

Yes, but you don't consider yourselves to be the average family do you? and that's what I was talking about. Your daughter is clearly a child genius if she is more interested in Gaudi's Basilica than sandcastles and ice cream at age 4.

notanewuser

ciderwithrosie wrote: »

Yes, but you don't consider yourselves to be the average family do you? and that's what I was talking about. Your daughter is clearly a child genius if she is more interested in Gaudi's Basilica than sandcastles and ice cream at age 4.

It was the Picasso museum.

We're pretty average. We have the advantage of living near the sea anyway (my parents live right on the seafront) so she gets a very healthy dose of beach and icecream very regularly. And the best icecream is often in cities - look at Italy!

Andypandyboy

warehouse wrote: »

Going overseas does widen the children's outlook, but is it better for their general education than those that don't travel? No.

I disagree wholly with what the teacher said but I think your statement is also incorrect.

Does two weeks on a beach in Benidorm help wth education? No, but not all families take beach holidays.

We started to take our children abroad after family circumstances changed (Grandma who wouldn't fly no longer holidayed with us) and their education was certainly impacted. We took holidays to places with historical connections, wildlife, and UNESCO sites. We have never done a beach holiday per se, we have had a couple of days in beach resorts but only as part of a wider travel experience.

My opinion is that if children travel to places that are educational then it does/can impact their education if they are the sort of children who take an interest.

DollyDabbler

My son said earlier that he didn't care if they have been on holidays abroad, but said that he would like to go abroad soon - He fancies Italy apparently lol - because he liked doing about the Romans at school :A Time to get saving, I suppose....! [/QUOTE]

Have just been catching up on this thread. There are some fabulous Roman sites in this country and the Dewa in Chester is well worth a visit for someone interested in the Romans.

Jagraf

ciderwithrosie wrote: »

Sorry, but that's just not the sort of holiday you'd take a junior school aged child on, unless it was just in case this topic ever came up in homework!! The majority of kids that age would much rather go somewhere with a beach to play on or some other sort of outdoor activity, not looking at museums and architecture in 2 days in a foreign city, it would be wasted money.

The holiday I most remember as a kid was in Blackpool ina BB overlooking a graveyard where the lights didn't work and we told ghost stories all night. Mum wasn't happy but we has a fab time :eek:

ciderwithrosie_2

notanewuser wrote: »

We have the advantage of living near the sea anyway (my parents live right on the seafront) so she gets a very healthy dose of beach and icecream very regularly.

Not everyone is this lucky though and only know the inner city they live in, so a holiday to the seaside would be exciting. Besides, a beach holiday doesn't just mean lying by a pool all day drinking sangria - information about geology, geography, marine biology, flora and fauna, conservation, sports can all be discovered whilst at the seaside.


Slight digression, but when my son was at Uni in London, one of his year group had never seen a cow in real life and when he was football coaching in Leyton, the kids were bemused by his accent and had never heard of Somerset (and no clue where it was)

Andypandyboy

ciderwithrosie wrote: »

Not everyone is this lucky though and only know the inner city they live in, so a holiday to the seaside would be exciting. Besides, a beach holiday doesn't just mean lying by a pool all day drinking sangria - information about geology, geography, marine biology, flora and fauna, conservation, sports can all be discovered whilst at the seaside.


Slight digression, but when my son was at Uni in London, one of his year group had never seen a cow in real life and when he was football coaching in Leyton, the kids were bemused by his accent and had never heard of Somerset (and no clue where it was)

You are right they can, but realistically how often are they?;)

Mojisola

ciderwithrosie wrote: »

Besides, a beach holiday doesn't just mean lying by a pool all day drinking sangria - information about geology, geography, marine biology, flora and fauna, conservation, sports can all be discovered whilst at the seaside.

Andypandyboy wrote: »

You are right they can, but realistically how often are they?;)

During every holiday we've taken at the seaside.:)

Our kids are some of those deprived beings who have never been abroad on a family holiday but there are so many amazing places to visit in Britain, they haven't been disadvantaged in their education or their understanding of the world.

FBaby

Sorry, but that's just not the sort of holiday you'd take a junior school aged child on, unless it was just in case this topic ever came up in homework!! The majority of kids that age would much rather go somewhere with a beach to play on or some other sort of outdoor activity, not looking at museums and architecture in 2 days in a foreign city, it would be wasted money.

I also totally disagree with this. Most junior school age children would probably say that BEFORE going, but would probably come back saying they had a great time. Most educational tourist attractions now cater for children and do so very well. It give them the chance to learn and have fun.

I have taken my kids to many places where they dragged their feet when I suggested it (both in the UK and abroad), for them to say how much they loved it when coming back. Even when they had to follow because we adults wanted to do a certain activity, I've always made sure that there was something in for them, usually food related!! The places we visit are always full of kids.

They are now young teenagers and are starting to talk about visiting places that are not common beachy holiday places. DS who is 12 has said that he would love to visit Croatia. He has done some research and decided that it was a great place.

So yes, some kids will never see anything more than a beach or disney characters when abroad, but many will get great satisfaction from learning about different cultures.