How to plan a day out with the kids

Guest blog written by ET Speaks from Home

My children and I always look forward to the weekend especially if we are going away for a short city break or to a theme park.

Going out with young children can seem like a military operation, so planning ahead, however understanding your child’s needs and preferences, will ensure that everyone has a good time.

Plan ahead

We plan our weekend breaks by working backwards, for example, if we want to get to a place for opening time, we will check out the route, and allow enough time to drive there with a toilet break in between. Researching the place and surrounding area would allow you to keep in mind an always important ‘plan B’.

Next week, we are heading to Blackpool to celebrate my son’s birthday. In order to not waste a day, we have decided we will drive there as soon as both children finish school as it will take a couple of hours to get there. Knowing my children, they will definitely fall asleep on the way there so we won’t need to break up our journey.

Our plan of action in Blackpool

Once we arrive in Blackpool, we will check into our hotel. We’ll let the children run loose a bit, to tire them back out as they’ll be full of beans after their sleep. Then we’ll look for a nearby family friendly restaurant to fill them up and try to have an early night after a children’s movie in the hotel. We always take along our iPad to let them watch children’s shows and read eBooks, saving a lot of luggage space.

The next morning, weather dependent, we will head down to Blackpool Zoo for opening time to discover more than 1,000 mammals, birds, reptiles and other species in large, natural enclosures set in stunning parkland with plenty of space for children to run wild.

We’ll leave around 2pm to head to the Blackpool Tower Eye to look at the breath taking panoramic scenery which stretches as far as Manchester, Cumbria and the Isle of Man on a clear day. We’ll step out onto the SkyWalk and also make sure we experience their 4D cinema.

We will end the night with fish and chips by the seaside (you’ve got to haven’t you?) and go for a walk along the promenade.

Contingency: What do we do with grey skies?

It’s also good to have a contingency or a backup plan as bad weather or moody children can spoil the fun. For example, I wouldn’t suggest taking a moody child to a museum when they are having a meltdown.

We’ve given some thought to a plan B already should the weather play havoc with our plans. So what shall we do in Blackpool? Do we want to jump in muddy puddles? Blackpool Sea Life Centre is a great place for children to explore. It houses over 2,000 spectacularly weird marine creatures you can also walk through a glass tunnel tank and be surrounded by sharks, turtles and others marine creatures.

We could also head to Blackpool’s Madame Tussauds to discover the biggest celebs. My children won’t know most of the older stars, but they will be delighted to meet Spiderman and Shrek in the world’s first Madame Tussauds Children’s Zone.

Before we leave Blackpool, we will enjoy a brisk walk around the seaside, feeding some seagulls. We hope to enjoy the seaside breeze before heading for home to get ready for school and work the next day.

I’m really looking forward to our weekend away and I hope the weather doesn’t interfere with my plans too much. If you know Blackpool and any tips and advice for a family trip, please get in touch.

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