Educational Benefits
Improved Physical and Mental Health
Grit
Connection with Family
Social Consciousness
In a previous post, I shared our family's goals for our year abroad. Today, goals weren't enough. It all stemmed from a perfect Spring Day in KC.
It was a typical Saturday filled with kids' activities, but the weather was absolutely beautiful. One activity brought us to our old neighborhood. It is still hard for us to drive through; we have so many amazing memories. Today was particularly hard.
Our old house was amazing in Spring. Daffodils and forsythia are everywhere and our pink dogwood blooms. The front porch that wrapped around our house had a swing that was ideal for cuddling, reading, and napping. Ollie's close friend had a birthday party and he lives only a few blocks from our old house- perfect for easy playdates.
Henri called me on the way home from dropping Ollie off and shared how sad he felt. I encouraged him to think of all the great places we would be in the next year. Venice! Paris! Edinburgh!
Then during pick-up, the roles were reversed. I was the one calling him for reassurance. I had this overwhelming fear that we denying our kids a childhood of stability.
Maybe it's better to just live in the same house for years and years and attend the same school with the same classmates? Maybe it's easier? Maybe we should scrap this whole plan and buy another house in our old neighborhood?
It probably would be easier to do that. But hard things are often beneficial; we can do hard things.
I decided to do some research on the proven benefits of travel for kids. Here are the top 5 that I found.
Educational Benefits
Improved Physical and Mental Health
Grit
Connection with Family
Social Consciousness
1. Educational Benefits
Most of my early education consisted of sitting at my desk listening to my teacher lecture or reading from a textbook. The school lessons and sections I remember most were those that were experiential and hands-on. My kids have had such a different experience with STEM and now STEAM. Their education has been much more interactive than mine. I think our year abroad will take this to a whole new level.
Experiential learning has many benefits including: memory retention, problem-solving skills, and a sense of accomplishment. What could be more experiential than field trips to major world sites including museums, monuments, and heritage sites? I look forward to these opportunities, and to taking my kids out in the world to learn though experience.
2. Improved Physical and Mental Health
We will rarely have a car when we are abroad and will rely on walking and public transportation. I am amazed how much time we spend in the car each week. It has improved a lot since moving downtown, but I expect that we will walk significantly more in Europe. We also have several amazing hikes planned and look forward to the physical benefits.
Traveling reduces stress (usually!) and rejuvenates us. When I am less stressed and more energetic, I notice it in the twins as well. When they are having a bad day and seem agitated, I often feel like I am looking in the mirror. While I know there will be stress from unexpected travel hiccups- and I'm hoping that is where grit comes in-I am confident we will all be a lot more present.
3. Grit
Grit requires:
Perseverance
Courage
Resiliency
Thoughtfulness
Henri and I have tried to model this for the twins, especially through the process of planning and executing this trip. We are scared and there were many hurdles, but we were determined to make it happen. Now we will provide Ollie and Elsie the chance to show and develop their grit during the inevitable/unexpected situations ahead- closely watched by Mom and Dad, of course ;)
4. Connection with Family
I would describe the four of us as very close; we love doing things all together. Henri and I learned that from our own families and are very much on the same page. Unfortunately, our jobs have gotten in the way of quality time together. We should be careful what we wish for! There is going to be A LOT of together time in the next year and plenty of time for connection (annoyance, fighting, and eye-rolling).
We are fortunate to have many family and friends that we will be visiting along the way. Most haven't met Ollie and Elsie. What an amazing opportunity to initiate and maintain those connections!
5. Social Consciousness
Travel broadens our minds and exposes us to different cultures and languages. Interacting with children from other parts of the world will teach our kids connection across differences. We need so much more of that in our society.
Exposure to different approaches to the environment and its preservation is something I hope we can all learn from as well.
Bonus: All of these benefits apply to Henri and I too, and our kids are better off when their parents are healthy and happy.
Best,
Steph