It never ceases to amaze, how quickly babies can learn. In just 18 months, they metamorphose from helpless creatures into toddlers who can walk, talk, and explore the world. And the good news is: “As a parent, you can really help your children in this process, for example by engaging with their interests, and lovingly encouraging them in their development.” Especially during holidays, there is plenty of room to do just that.
“What young children enjoy most is being with their parents or carers for a long continuous period of time, and discovering new things together,” says Hunnius. Think of tasting ice cream for the first time, walking barefoot on the beach, or hearing words and sounds in a new language. For babies, it is therefore especially important that their parents feel comfortable, Hunnius stresses. “When parents feel comfortable somewhere, and they devote attention to their child, the child also feels good.”
Remember that time in Thailand?
From the age of four, children have to be in school and they are bound to school holidays. Some young families therefore try to go on a faraway trip before this time. While everyone is of course free to holiday wherever they want, Hunnius stresses that, as far as their child is concerned, the parents needn’t travel far. “The world of young children is still so small that they experience new things wherever they are, whether it is around the corner or on the other side of the world.”
You are not likely to hear your child say later: “Remember that time we went to Thailand when I was two?” Hunnius: “It is only around the age of three or four that we start to have autobiographical memories. Prior to that, we don’t usually remember any events.”
It is a different story if you move abroad with young children for an extended period of time. “Babies are little learning machines. If they live abroad in their earliest years, they pick up all sorts of things,” Hunnius explains. “For example, they get the chance to learn a second language.” Babies may learn fast, but they are also fast to forget any knowledge they no longer use. “A toddler who learnt Italian during a year spent living in Italy will unfortunately not retain it easily if the language is not maintained. As a family, this may be a good reason to keep going to Italy on holiday.”
This story is part of the Recharge summer series, in which readers are given the opportunity to ask scientists a question. The Recharge editors then go and talk with Radboud University scientists to find the answers. This time, the question was: What is an ideal holiday for your child’s development? What is most fun for your child? And does a child benefit from going on a faraway trip at a young age?
Photo: Süheyl Burak via Unsplash