Why Farm Holidays are great for Toddlers
Choosing where to take your toddler on holiday can be difficult. There really are so many excellent choices from beaches to Disneyland, staycations to exotic destinations. But for an animal mad toddler a toddlers farm holiday may just tick all the boxes.
Toddlers Farm Holiday
A Farm Stay can be the perfect holiday for families with toddlers. There are so many new adventures just waiting at the farm gate. New smells to experience, animals to touch and new skills to learn each day. Imagine coming face to snout with a fully grown sow, collecting different coloured still warm eggs for breakfast and having your Peppa Pig wellies licked clean by piglets.
Outdoors
What can be better for a child than to spend time outdoors having fun and learning from their environment? The benefits are obvious hence the trend for Forest schools and Farm nurseries popping up around the UK. Rather than let your child experience these adventures for the first time at school and miss out on seeing their reactions, why not take your family on a farm holiday and join in the experience?
The clean fresh air of the countryside, the green fields and tranquil relaxed environment are good for the well being of all the family and many farms let you take your dog with you so all the family can enjoy the experience together.
Farm Sensory Experience
For toddlers and pre school children farms can offer a new sensory realm. New smells to experience like farm animals, mud and the countryside. New sounds of streams running, tractors and real animal noises things not always to hand in a city centre. Pigs don’t just oink, they snore and bark and who knew piglets love to nibble your wellies and snuggle in the crook of your arm? Donkeys really do eyore and goats like to nibble your clothes. There are new textures to feel. Have you ever touched a pig’s snout or curly tail or felt the course hair on a pig compared to the soft fluffy fleece of a lamb?
Wildlife
The opportunities are limitless. There are ponds to dip for newts, fish and floating insects and dragonflies and butterflies to marvel. Stones and logs hide a plethora of big black beatles, worms, spiders and other creepy crawlies for little hands to capture and study. Farms attract different wild birds from city centres. The swallows and house martins return to their nests each year. Here the house martins nest outside the cottage windows giving a close up view of the growing babies. Then of the fledglings swooping over the courtyard as they practice their flying skills. There are wild flowers to pick and thick grasses to make a whistles. Hills to roll down and animals to visit.
Weather
So often the UK and especially Wales can be criticised for it’s weather but we shouldn’t always see this as a negative. Perhaps sometimes we should see things through a young child’s eyes. Rain gives them the opportunity to jump in puddles, feel the rain falling, get muddy and spot a rainbow. Plus the farm animals need feeding whatever the weather so you can still join in on rainy days!
Animal Feeding
Staying on a farm and helping farmers feed their animals teaches children about where their food comes from cornflakes to sausages. First of all they may even have the chance to experience new life being born or to touch a baby lamb, piglet or chick. Helping with feeding rounds teaches dexterity and measuring skills as they scoop the food or bottle feed a lamb. While getting involved they learn different animals eat different food and need water to drink.
Making Friends
A holiday on a farm with several self catering cottages means other families are probably staying. During UK term time this probably includes toddlers and preschool children. An ideal opportunity to interact and play with other children and for parents to chat. Feeding rounds encourage children to work together and make friends. With on site play areas this continues during the day.
Have we convinced you yet that toddlers and preschool children don’t need exotic holidays? They are just as happy toddling around a new environment, picking up stones, stroking a goat, sitting on a toy tractor or even in a real one!
Spring Holidays 2018
Check out our website for the dates for our special toddlers & preschool farm holidays this Spring as term time breaks make a fantastic cost effective holiday with young children. Baby and Toddler friendly holiday cottages with equipment to save you filling the car.
Bottle Feeding the Lambs: NOW – 21st May
Toddlers & PreSchool Fun NOW – 29th June
Toddlers and young children are welcome ALL year but in the school holidays we often have school aged children who move faster than toddlers and so activities may not be quite as toddler centric.