Visiting an Amusement Park With Kids? Here’s What You Need to Know
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Visiting an amusement park sure is fun, but it can be overwhelming to actually plan for. As if that’s not enough, trying to keep everyone safe while there can also bring an entirely new set of stressors into the picture. There’s hope, however, and as a mom of 8, I’m going to share my best tips with you when it comes to going to an amusement park with kids in tow.
With a little preplanning, the entire process can be so much smoother. In fact, you might also be able to have a little fun!
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Here’s how you can visit an amusement park with your family and keep your sanity!
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Don’t tell your kids too far in advance
I find this is so important with a variety of exciting things. This is especially beneficial if you’ve got young kids. I find it is almost always best to get the entire family on board a couple of hours before a day trip like this. Anything sooner and all the questions about when we are leaving far outweigh the benefits of telling them earlier.
Visit the park’s website
Generally, these places have great tips on their sites such as the best days to visit, information about visiting with a family, summaries of their rides and attractions, information about food, and information about the various policies as well. Sometimes there is even a strategy or two about which events and attractions are busy and slow. The insider scoop is always a good thing.
Another valuable tool can be a park map so you have an overall idea of the layout and perhaps a plan of how to navigate through the park.
Make sure you know where their first aid station is
Hopefully, you won’t actually need to know, but if you do, it will most likely be a time of panic. So, make sure you know where this place is ahead of time.
Buy your tickets ahead of time
This is so time-efficient. The line to buy tickets on arrival is usually incredibly long, and you can often save money by purchasing ahead of time.
Plan for meals and snacks
Know what you will be doing for meals and snacks, and then plan accordingly. Since I am packing food and drinks for 10, I find it most beneficial to pack for each meal in a separate bag while also having a separate bag for snacks.
For me, bringing one giant bag of all the food and trying to sort it out while there is a huge headache.
Bring more than you need
This goes for food, but it also goes for everything else. Bring some extra sunscreen, extra clothing, and things you need for young ones. If something can go wrong, it generally will…especially when you’re not properly prepared.
Bring basic first aid supplies
This is generally a must when you’re going just about anywhere with kids. But, excited and tired kids are often a recipe for some sort of injury. Make sure you’ve got these things on hand.
Bring something for motion sickness
No one in my family ever had an issue with this. Until someone did. And then, we were paying top dollar for some medication there in the park.
Bring whatever you like for headaches or other injury-related swelling
Again, if this ends up being something you need, you will have to locate it while there and also pay a nice amount for it. It’s easy just to bring some with you, so do it.
Dress your family alike
This is essential for us with 10 people. We always put everyone in the same color, or sometimes the boys will be in one color while the girls will be in another. This makes it so much easier to pick your family out in a crowd.
Bring a stroller or wagon
Even if you think your kids have outgrown these things, it is amazing how tired little legs get when trying to keep up with the big people all day. If you have the room, it is always a good idea to take these things even if you don’t end up using them and just leave them in the car.
Pack smart
This can apply to a lot of different things, but let me explain what I mean. The amusement park we go to has both rides and a water park. I pack for these different things separately. There are bags that are just for the water park and there are bags of supplies for the regular park, Do not mix these together.
Be smart in the things you’re packing. Gather all of your things together and then think about how you can make these items easier to find.
Pack small
Breaking the things you’re bringing down into smaller groups makes it so much easier to find what you need. For instance, my girls suits for the water park are packed separately from the boys. My husband and I pack our things in yet another bag, and there is also a bag for water shoes, towels, sunscreen/first aid, and things for the baby.
When trying to find what you’re looking for, it can be impossible to find it when digging through huge bags.
Look at the things you’re bringing and determine logical ways to group things together in smaller ways.
Be clear in your expectations
Clearly tell your kids what you expect of them while there, and clearly, state what isn’t acceptable. Remind them of these things throughout the day, but being painfully clear from the beginning can be the difference between having a great day and a terrible one.
Have a safety plan
With any of your kids who are old enough, come up with a clear plan of what they are to do if they are somehow separated from you. This is where being aware of the various services and the park layout can really come in handy ahead of time.
Get enough rest
The night before, make sure that you and everyone else gets enough rest. Everyone will be using a ton of energy, and it will most likely be a late night as well.
Be ready and willing to go with the flow
Things will not all go as planned. Be ready for it, and be ready to accept it. Then when you feel your blood pressure rise in response to something while there, chances are you can just remind yourself to let it go and move on.
We love visiting amusement parks, but I have learned that having a game plan ahead of time is well worth the time and effort I put forth into creating it.
This is the best plan I’ve found, and it has allowed me to have some fun while there, too. The memories are priceless!
