Anytime is sharing time, with your child alongside: sharing ideas, information, emotions and opinions. But, given the pace of life today, the urge to share knowledge and fun with the young ones often remains partially accomplished dream. Love – unconditional and abundant – is the driving force that could make this distant dream a reality. Come, let us turn travelling time in to discovering time.
‘Traveling time in to discovering time?’ Puzzled you may be. Hold on and look at the list of possiblilities that this occasion has to offer:
The Planning
If you are going on a vacation or on a visit, start the process with your child alongside. Let him watch you scan through the dates in the calendar, the appropriate and the inappropriate days to visit (and the reasons – ‘The zoo remains closed on Tuesdays.’, ‘The laser show is available only on weekends.’)
While you book the tickets for the travel and for the accommodation, explain the way you do it to your child. Next, pick up the route map and show him the path that you would be following. Let him keep the route map with him, he would want to check out his position en route frequently!
Discuss with him the things that need to be carried. You may teach him to travel light with minimum baggage, but with all essential items like emergency medicines, mosquito repellents, rain coats, hand sanitizers according to specific requirements, other than the clothing. You may involve him in making your home bugler-safe during your absence.
Roadway Happiness
Are you taking the road? Well, it is time to talk to your little one about the road signs (and you will play the ‘guess-the-road-sign game’ with him for the next couple of days on his magic slate and yield a lot of winning points to him – he will learn them all in a jiffy!)
Have you thought about the game of ‘Descending Order’? Look out for the milestones at regular intervals and call out the number of kilometers/miles yet to be covered. Take turns with your little one to guess and write in the air the distance covered so far. That is fun – and the teacher in the school calls it arithmetic.
If the child is old enough, go ahead, have exciting time comparing the vehicle’s speedometer, your watch and the milestones. You are revising physics – speed, distance and the time taken.
You may ask the child to guess the difference between lanes, streets, roads, highways and express highways. Help him find out what kind of vehicles pass through each of them. You could be telling him why the power of engines are still calculated in ‘horsepower’.
Railway Joys
Traveling on rails need not be a claustrophobic and restricted experience anymore. Other than the indoor games ( playing cards, chess, ludo..), you may guide the child to explore the train.
Depending on his age,
you may quote a brief history of the steam engine up to the modern railway system.
you may tell him where the power comes from to make the bulbs and fans/air-conditioning work.
you may take him to the Pantry car and excite him by letting him watch how food is being prepared on board.
you may show him the emergency exit and talk about its use.
Waterway Thrills
Taking a boat/cruise/yacht?
That could be most exciting for the child! You may guide him to watch the direction of the wind, explain about the timings of the tide for the boat service on a sea coast. If the child is old enough, talk to him about
the changing pattern of the tides along with the changing phases of the moon
the water currents
the flora and fauna of that region
fishing/poaching
pollution menace
waste water disposal system in your vehicle.
Airway Ecstasy
If it is your child’s maiden flight, educate him about the basics of aerodynamics before leaving home. Help him watch the security arrangements (ask him why we need them all?) and the baggage scanning and disposal.
On board, again considering your child’s age,
you may go on about airtight interiors
help him watch the demo of the emergency exits and contingency plans by the in-flight attendants
you may explain about the run way, taxiing, take-off, altitude, difference in the air pressure, air pockets, landscape below (recall of the physical maps of his Atlas), the texture of passing clouds, conveyor belt, duty free shops…
Your child, surely would have a memorable journey through childhood: you are not just his parent/caretaker, you are a guide, nonpareil.
Happy Parenting….!!
