Your preschooler never seems to want to hang out at the hotel’s kids’ club, no matter how exciting its activities are.
Don’t book your child into the club on the day you arrive, even though the signs for the spa in the hotel seem to be calling out to you. Give him time to get comfortable with the new surroundings.
One of the appealing feature of many family hotels and holiday resorts is that they offer kids’ clubs, where relaxationminded parents can leave their children behind for some me- or couple-time.
That way, everyone in the family can have fun – except that your three-year-old refuses to be left in that environment without you, no matter how exciting it appears to be.
You desperately want to go for an adult-only spa treatment or join a snorkelling trip, but that becomes increasingly unlikely as your child clings tighter and tighter to you on the threshold of the kids’ club.
Prep him well This form of holiday shyness is hardly surprising when you look at it from your little one’s perspective. After all, the kids’ club is an unfamiliar setting (even if he is used to attending childcare back home), the children and staff are strangers, and it is probably a loud place.
That’s why good preparation is one way to avoid this disappointment.
Before your trip begins, show him pictures of the kids’ club and talk about the activities there. Make sure you have a photo of the specific club at your hotel so he knows exactly what to expect. That reduces the unfamiliarity.
Likewise, find out exactly what toys, games and activities are provided so that you can whet his appetite before you have even left home.
When you arrive at the holiday destination, don’t book Junior into the club on the first day, even though the signs for the spa in the hotel seem to be calling out to you. Give him time to get comfortable with the new surroundings.
Once you have settled into your room, wandered round the hotel and had something to eat, suggest that you visit the kids’ club, but explain that he won’t stay there today.
During that visit, go inside and let your child meet the staff and check out the toys available. Then arrange his first session for the next day, if possible.
Ease him into it When the time comes, take him to the kids’ club and tell him that you will stay with him this visit. He’ll happily join in when he knows you are in sight all the time. When he joins in play with the other children, tell him that you are leaving for a few minutes but will be back very quickly.
If he resists your departure, remind him you’ll only be away for a couple of moments, and then leave anyway. Make sure he sees you return.
Chances are, by the third or fourth day of your holiday, your child will be con dent enough to be left in the kids’ club on his own – you may even find he starts to moan when you collect him at the end of each session.
And that’s when you can start to think about some me-time and book yourself into the activity you’ve been waiting patiently for. Each play session, tell the club staff how they can contact you if there is a problem.
Postponing your own holiday fun for a few days like this until he is fully settled in the kids’ club might be frustrating for you – because all the other mums and dads seem to be having such a child-free time – but it’ll be worth the effort.
