Leona Fishback
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Mar 25, 2012
Hi
I know "growth experiences" sounds like some terrible way to turn vacation fun into a forced-fun educational To Do list, but what I'm really after are little ways kids can stretch their comfort zones, show a little "kid courage."
I'm thinking I'd create a game for the whole family where you can earn points by doing certain things. Maybe the only prize is the pride of getting lots of points, or maybe points turn into souvenir money: if you earn more points, you have a few more bucks to spend on Mickey swag.
The game could be an excuse that lets my kid do something they might otherwise think they're too old or cool for, or a little extra encouragement to try something they might really like.
For example:
-- introduce themselves to the student ambassadors at the Epcot passport stations and ask them a question about their country
-- try a food they've never tried before
-- get up and dance at the biergarten or similar dance/show opportunities
(sometimes my oldest kid is too busy trying to act like the teen he can't wait to be, to let himself be a kid sometimes)
-- some are purely fun/no stretch required, like ride the new Test Track, or get the highest score in the family on TSM
-- a kid thinks of and does something to sprinkle some pixie dust on another park visitor (maybe they get a little budget for this)
And the kids can choose a few activities for us -- maybe wimpy mom finally braves a roller coaster or Dad poses with his soul mate Baloo the Bear.
Any other ideas (for the kids or the adults)? Any opinions about the prize money idea? It's more incentive to be adventurous at Boma instead of looking for chicken fingers, but I also don't want to turn stuff that should be fun into a chore you do to get paid.
thanks
I know "growth experiences" sounds like some terrible way to turn vacation fun into a forced-fun educational To Do list, but what I'm really after are little ways kids can stretch their comfort zones, show a little "kid courage."
I'm thinking I'd create a game for the whole family where you can earn points by doing certain things. Maybe the only prize is the pride of getting lots of points, or maybe points turn into souvenir money: if you earn more points, you have a few more bucks to spend on Mickey swag.
The game could be an excuse that lets my kid do something they might otherwise think they're too old or cool for, or a little extra encouragement to try something they might really like.
For example:
-- introduce themselves to the student ambassadors at the Epcot passport stations and ask them a question about their country
-- try a food they've never tried before
-- get up and dance at the biergarten or similar dance/show opportunities
(sometimes my oldest kid is too busy trying to act like the teen he can't wait to be, to let himself be a kid sometimes)
-- some are purely fun/no stretch required, like ride the new Test Track, or get the highest score in the family on TSM
-- a kid thinks of and does something to sprinkle some pixie dust on another park visitor (maybe they get a little budget for this)
And the kids can choose a few activities for us -- maybe wimpy mom finally braves a roller coaster or Dad poses with his soul mate Baloo the Bear.
Any other ideas (for the kids or the adults)? Any opinions about the prize money idea? It's more incentive to be adventurous at Boma instead of looking for chicken fingers, but I also don't want to turn stuff that should be fun into a chore you do to get paid.
thanks
