Acquiring souvenirs can be a high point of the trip. Just decide on some criteria for spending money on them. Discuss beforehand what kids can and cannot buy. Establish limits and stick to them. Allocate travel money for their items but encourage them to enhance their buying power with some of their own money.
Many families decide on one item of interest that will serve as an addition to their collection of Christmas tree ornaments so trip memories are reestablished each December. Others must commemorate each place with the appropriate ad T-shirt. Many like to collect ONE nice item unique to the region.
If you’ve gone to the beach you’ll be bringing back shells. Favored rocks can-and will- be found everywhere! (Be prepared by bringing collection containers.)
Do remember to plan space in returning luggage for those vital memory-makers which are sometimes larger than planned.
Postcards are good for kids who don’t have cameras. They can also be collected in self-stick photo albums or in a heavy duty self-closing plastic bag. A few large manila envelopes can also hold a collection.
One mom I know had each of her three girls collect something else. One collected the brochure from the places visited, another collected imprinted napkins and the 3rd collected postcards.
Souvenirs keep kids entertained en route. They can be discussed, cataloged, admired, arranged and played with while traveling. And their value for show-and-tell, sharing with friends and family once home often outweighs their actual cost.
Vicki Lansky’s practical, common sense approach to parenting is familiar to millions throughout the world. Vicki’s first book, Feed Me, I’m Yours, published in 1974, and still one of the most popular baby/toddler food cookbooks in the country, was followed by The Taming of the C.A.N.D.Y. Monster, a #1 New York Times bestseller. Her other titles include: Toilet Training, Birthday Parties Best Party Tips & Ideas For Ages 1-8, Dear Babysitter Handbook, Welcoming Your Second Baby, Getting Your Child to Sleep … and Back to Sleep, Trouble-free Travel with Children, Baby Proofing Basics and Games Babies Play From Birth to Twelve Months, Koko Bear’s New Potty, A New Baby at Koko Bear’s House, Koko Bear and the New Babysitter, and Koko Bear’s Big Earache. Vicki Lansky’s Divorce Book for Parents: Helping Children Cope with Divorce and Its Aftermath
