Taking your children on foreign holidays is BAD for their mental health, psychologist claims
Kids aged five to ten can become very attached to one place, where they are sure of what they will like and what they won’t
WHILE parents may think they are broadening their children's horizons by taking them on a foreign holiday, new research suggests they may be wrong.
Despite popular belief that kids need a constant stream of new experiences and adventure, experts say the opposite is better when it comes to holiday breaks.
According to child psychologist Oliver James, consistency and repetition are key for young people's healthy mental development.
He told the : "Consistency is all when they’re small.
“In holidays as in every other respect - home-based holidays are what most children really want."
As a result, Oliver believes that children respond best to a holiday that involves familiar and unadventurous scenes, like returning to the same beach side location year after year.
The cognitive health expert explained that children are easily pleased by simple things right up until they hit their teens, meaning the allure and novelty of a foreign destination is lost on our younger offspring.
He said: "Between the ages of five and they they can become very attached to one place, where they can be sure of what they will like and what they won’t.
“Sitting on the same donkey, eating the same ice cream at the same café... these familiar places and activities are the ones that forge their happiest memories.”
Oliver claimed children are exposed to more than enough new stimuli on a daily basis, so visiting new holiday destinations regularly could actually put their mental health under stress.
These familiar holiday destinations can sometimes be one of the most stable events in fast-moving modern life.