One of our travel companions on our trip to Italy will be a six-year old (in addition to mom, dad, an 18-yo and a 22-yo). Our lodging destinations will be Venice, Cinque Terre, Siena, and Rome. We will have a car while in Tuscany, but using trains otherwise.
What are some good sites that will hold the interest of the little one? Any advice on how to break up the day? Are there some fun activities that I should work into the itinerary?
Thanks!
We don’t travel with kids but some years ago I came across this blog Ciao Bambino and thought they had some good ideas. Worth a look and do search a bit for each of your destinations.
Hopefully others who travel with kids will answer. I admit I am another one who travels without kids, but I recently helped a friend who was traveling with kids plan a trip. If you google "[Destination] with kids" or "[Destination] kid friendly," you will find tons of blogs/sites where people offer excellent ideas for things to do with kids at any given destination.
I just spent two weeks in Italy with my almost six year old and no iPad. Hardly required. We always had a work book or some coloring available to pass the time while waiting at restaurants or on the train, etc.
We relaxed our usual rules about food and drink, so things felt special. We never allow soda at home - Fanta in Italy was a big treat. We also had gelato almost every day. The biggest thing we’ve found to help traveling with our little one is to find time for gross motor play. Find a playground or just an open space where kiddo can run around for a bit. That helps burn off some energy and let the kid feel that there is something “fun” just for them. Don’t make them feel that they are just being carted around on a trip for the adults.
We were in Italy for almost three weeks last summer with our 8 & 10 year old kids. They loved it! Prep them ahead of time with kid books about the places you’re going so they have a better appreciation of what they’re seeing. Gelato every day helps. In Rome, get the book Mission: Rome (name not exact but you’ll find it on Amazon). They’re great travel books for kids and focus on sites that might be less interesting to kids, making those sites more fun for them. They have a gladiator training school in Rome that our 8 yo won LOVED! They loved watching street performers in the piazzas and we practiced some very basic Italian before going. They liked trying to order in Italian and talking to waiters. Italy is wonderful for kids.
Hk hit the nail on the head--make time to let the little one run around a blow off some steam at a park or playground (if you can get lucky enough to find one). I have a 3 year old, three teens 16,18 and 19 and my wife and I (yeah, quite the age gap lol I know!). The best thing that we did was to set aside one hour per day to allow the little guy to play on his terms and with other kids. We even met other people from our home back in Las Vegas while at a playground in the Borghese gardens in Rome! The small amount of time that you take for "kid time" will pay immeasurable dividends!! As for my teens, wi-fi and WhatsApp have been virtual necessities for them to communicate with their friends back home...and share some pictures of our travels with them. I hope that your vacation is as wonderful as ours has been!! Cheers!
I just got back from 2 weeks in Italy with my 5 and 9 year old. Rome, Ischia and Amalfi Coast. We brought iPads but it was for the plane ride and one day where we just stayed at our AirBNB in Praiano. Things we did that were kid-friendly:
Borghese Park-you can rent go-carts and the bicycle car thingies
Food Tour-Kid friendly tour with Amandio through “With Locals”
Gladiator training-9 year old is obsessed with gladiators. Kind of corny but had some great history lessons. We only signed him up but they asked for parent participation so my husband played along.
Private tours of Colosseum and Vatican-Presto tours with Jason. Amazing company and guide. He earned his PhD in Venice and is originally from California. He’s been living in Rome for the last 20 years.
Golf cart tour-My Best Tours with Sylvia. We hit all the major sites without all the walking.
Keep in mind, dinners tend to run late. Kiddos were pretty tired at the end of the meal. Take plenty of breaks and try to find a place they can run around for a bit without bothering other people. My kids absolutely loved the trip. Most people thought we were crazy to take them but I have no regrets. I also broke my foot 9 days before leaving so I was on a knee scooter the whole time!
The best thing you can do for your travelers is to give then an iPad loaded with games and movies.
That is what I would classify as the worst idea. Many, if not most kids, already spend too much time staring at a screen. They can do that home.
Have them 'look up' and see what is there. After all, you probably had to fly 6k miles or more to get there. Might as well 'see' it
We are going for three weeks in September with kids 4, 7, 10, 13, and 16. The kids have no devices other than cameras, except the 16 year old's phone. They helped plan both what cities we are visiting as well as what well be doing in each. A boat rental in Ischia, a street of music shops in Naples, the zoo in Rome.... They are as mentally and emotionally invested in this trip as my wife and I.
I've found a couple of kids travel guides and scavenger hunts for them if they want (found on Amazon). Also have a list of artwork where we are going by the teenage mutant ninja turtle namesakes. And "worst" case... We'll simply experience what Italy has to offer between gelaterias.
For Venice, you might try this.
https://rowvenice.org/
We haven't taken our kids to Venice, Cinque Terre or Siena but they have been to Rome several times. When our children were younger they enjoyed the Borghese Gardens, particularly the golf carts you can hire. They both really enjoyed the Capuchin Crypt but only you know if your six year old will enjoy it or be freaked out. And we all (Me especially!) enjoyed the Explora IL Museo Dei Bambini, lots of hands on stuff for kids (and big kids) to enjoy, dad's particularly enjoy the dam building equipment!
At restaurants we took some colouring books with us (now it's reading books) because kids (or teenagers) aren't great at sitting around for leisurely lunches or dinners and young teens in particular aren't typically up for much conversation around the table. I also agree with treats, soda is very rarely drunk at home so our youngest does enjoy Fanta when abroad however our eldest (14) cannot stand carbonated drinks so all he'll ever drink is water or milk, his treats are cheese and charcuterie.
If it is in your budget, try to find a private tour geared for families. We did one for the Louvre last year and it turned a sometimes overwhelming art museum into a wonderful memory for both our two daughters (ages 11 and 10). Playgrounds, water fountains that allow children to splash around in, walks in parks, and cooking classes have also been hits with our kids. If you have time, going to a pool just once during the trip can also be a good break from non stop touring. We leave our iPad at home when we travel, and instead bring Uno cards (very handy at restaurants that take long to bring out food), blank paper with fun gel pens, travel activity books, and a frisbee (the LL Bean cloth kind is great since it easily can be carried in a small purse).
