01% What’s the difference between any kind of outing?
The reason I call it “going out” instead of “traveling” is that I’ve found many people have misconceptions about this concept:
Back when I was single, I posted on social media: “Anyone want to hit the beach with me?” One friend replied, “I’d love to go — are you planning to go during the National Day holiday?” I was quite surprised because it was only June at the time. When I invited people to go see the sea, I obviously meant going this weekend!
Obviously, in the eyes of many, going out must mean a long trip, something that’s only possible during “major holidays” like Labor Day or National Day.
As for all the regular weekends, since the weekdays are already exhausting, many choose to just stay home, eat, sleep, and rest.
Under this misconception, some parents think: “Taking the kids out isn’t it just asking for trouble and making a fuss? And for families like ours who have neither money nor time, we might as well stay home with the kids on the weekend!”
If you’re a parent who thinks like this, wake up quickly!
For children, going out isn’t about visiting Europe or America, or how many fancy meals they’ve eaten, or how many luxury five-star hotels they've stayed in — it’s more about the heartfelt connection made while walking hand in hand and exploring the world together.
Moreover, there are so many ways to take your child out — it just depends on what's most convenient for you: Your family can choose a short road trip during a mini holiday, just hop in the car and go wherever the road takes you; or you could go to the zoo, amusement park, or even a free public park in the city — these can equally bring smiles to your child’s face.
02% What are the benefits of taking your child out?
Children who grow up in rich environments become smarter.
American biologist Mark Rosenzweig once conducted a famous “rat experiment.”
In the experiment, he divided the rats into a “poor environment group” and a “rich environment group.”
In the poor environment group, several rats were kept in dimly lit cages with three opaque sides.
While in the rich environment group, the rats were placed in a spacious cage that was well-lit and fully equipped with entertainment devices.
Months later, the experimental results showed: the rats in the rich environment were lively and active, while those in the poor environment were dull and docile.
Additionally, upon dissecting the rats’ brains, it was found that the cerebral cortex of the rats in the rich environment had advantages over those in the poor environment in terms of thickness, protein content, and cell size.
So this experiment offers many parents and education experts a revelation: children with the same aptitude will develop very differently in different environments. The richer the living environment, the better their overall abilities, spatial skills, immunity, balance, language skills, motor skills, image recognition, and drawing abilities will be.
In other words, children in rich environments are smarter!
And taking your child out is precisely a positive and highly meaningful educational method that provides them with a rich environment.
03% Even if you know it’s good, have you ever encountered such obstacles?
Although I’m enthusiastic about taking my child out, I’ve also faced resistance from family members:
“Why change places every week? Isn’t it enough to just walk around the neighborhood and the nearby park?”
“Kids don’t have good memories anyway, they won’t remember anything they see...”
“Playing all day and eating out will cause internal heat — it’s bad for the child’s health!”
“Taking care of the child on a daily basis is tiring enough, and you still want to drag them out and run around on the weekend — aren’t you tired yourself?”
So I often joke with my girlfriends that getting family members to agree to take the kids out is harder than Xiao Li winning an Oscar.
Honestly, traveling with kids is definitely not an easy task:
For younger children, you have to carry around formula, diaper bags, and all kinds of bulky luggage;
And older kids tend to be mischievous, making the unpredictability much higher than on adult trips — the number of things you need to worry about almost doubles.
BUT as parents, we shouldn’t let that stop us from embarking on adventures with our children.
If you shy away from the challenge of traveling with your kids today, will they grow up afraid to explore and try new things just because of the risks and inconveniences?
04% What changes does bringing your child bring?
Even though I don’t particularly like using “traveling makes kids smarter” as a measure of its value.
But being smart means being able to understand the world more easily and face life with greater ease in the future — isn’t that the best life gift you can give your child?
Long-distance trips can offer many valuable experiences for children:
When she says “endless mountains” or “colorful flowers,” that’s the broadened perspective gained from travel;
Having to get up on time to catch connecting flights, waiting in line at amusement parks, and keeping quiet during meals — these are all about learning to follow rules;
Letting them carry their own suitcase or backpack, encouraging them to pack, and checking the item list before departure — that’s about fostering a sense of participation...
And what about short weekend local trips? Don’t they also bring plenty of rewards?
Take her to a children’s park to play in the sand, and she’ll discover how fine and soft sand is, and how it can squish between her toes;
Take her to a farmhouse restaurant to try orange peel ribs or beggar’s chicken, and you might be surprised to find that a toddler can gnaw meat off a bone all by herself;
Take her swimming, and she’ll realize that places other than the bathtub can be so much fun for playing in water;
Take her to see every bridge and every tower, and I’ll tell her the name of each one...
It doesn’t matter how far we go — every sight is a new discovery for a child.
In these sights, they look, think, ask, answer, constantly reflecting, observing, acting, and experiencing, gradually building up their own mental map of the world.
Don’t assume kids won’t understand. What they see and hear on the trip will turn into unique experiences and feelings, becoming little markers on their cognitive map. That light will shine unexpectedly in the future.
05% What kind of mutual growth does this bring to parents and children?
Traveling with your child not only brings them life-enriching experiences, but also allows both parent and child to grow together — children bring us many new experiences we’ve never had before.
If we didn’t travel with our kids, we wouldn’t know that a simple forest path could be so delightful, or that collecting a pile of leaves could be a joyful reward; nor would we know that running and jumping is one of the most joyful states of being, or that every flower and tree has such unique names...
They say travel brightens a child’s eyes, enriches their spirit, lets them experience life, and changes their future — but for us, just seeing our child’s smile is more than enough.
We plant a seed of love for life in our child’s heart, and in time, it will surely grow straight and strong, with a canopy as wide as a sheltering tree.