How To Tell Your Kids They Are Going to Disney...and get the reaction you want
Let's be honest with ourselves, sometimes the big reveal of going to Disney is more for us than for them. We see the videos of the teary-eyed kids, kids jumping up and down, pure joy and excitement, and we want our kids to respond that way too! After all this planning and money, we feel that they should be excited! But think about your kids outside of Disney shows and movies. Do they honestly know what exactly Disney World is? Have they seen videos? Do they understand the magnitude of this trip? Unless you are a Disney parent, probably not. So before we do the big reveal, let's lay some Disney groundwork.
If you are not a Disney adult, you probably do not talk about the parks, play sounds tracks to movies, or watch fireworks at home? I did not know this was not normal :) So let's start. Have family movies nights and show the movies. Let your kids watch the Happily Ever After and Wishes fireworks show on Youtube. Figure out what their favorite characters are in the Disney Universe. You can do all this without telling them you are going to Disney!
Plan a surprise that fits your child. If your child just started reading or does not do crosswords or know how to spell, do not do any word puzzles. What you think is easy may not be easy for your child. Pick a way to tell them that is age-appropriate and extremely obvious for the entire group. Do not tell them too early. If possible, tell them 30 days or less, so you can continue activities to keep the excitement up. Even a day of surprise is exciting! Focus the surprise around the characters and movies they love.
It's okay to keep it simple. My kids are Disney kids, and after the shutdown, they were REALLY missing Disney. So we decided to take an RV trip to see our family and surprise them with a trip to Disney. We have Disney backpacks we use for travel when going to Disney, and when we loaded up the RV, and they saw them, they asked, "why do we need these." "We go, oh yeah, we are going to Disney!" Instant freak out! It was wonderful!
Set realistic expectations. If your kid is not the jumping up and down type, do not expect that. If your kids do not usually cry tears of joy, do not expect that. If your kid gives you the biggest grin ever, and that is their personality, your work is done. You know your kids, so expect their typical reaction. Don't worry when they get to the parks; you cannot help but be blown away. Believe me, with your well-thought-out trip. This will be a memory of a lifetime! Now go to Pinterest and start planning your age appreciate, character appropriate, surprise!
