At what age do kids remember vacations?

[chelseylynn]

@nicolestevens84 It depends. I don't remember much before age 8 or so, but my wife remembers being 2 very clearly. With that said, it doesn't really matter if they have conscious memories of it or not. My parents took me on multiple international trips between age 2-6 and while I don't remember them at all except for a couple of "flashbulb" memories I'm not even sure are real, I love some of the photos from those trips and feel like the experiences were a significant part of the groundwork being laid for me becoming me.

You still play with your 1-2 year old kids even though they won't remember that, right? Because it's an important bonding experience. You don't necessarily do it for the future value to them, you do it for the present value to both of you.

 

[shaebaybee]

@nicolestevens84 Yesterday I was telling my fam about my first eclipse and how vividly I’d remember it. They were surprised I remembered it since I was so young. I thought I would have been like 7. But no, we looked up when the last eclipse was at the location I remembered, and I would have been like 2.5. So some core memories persist.

 

[777life]

@nicolestevens84 Wildly dependent on the kid. I remember a lot from when I was 2.5 on. My wife barely remembers elementary school.

 

[beginagain]

@nicolestevens84 I went to Disneyland when I was 3 or 4. I don’t remember a whole lot of it, but I definitely have some vivid core memories from that trip.

 

[brandonhi]

@nicolestevens84 I remember snippets of a trip to Maggie Valley when I was 4.

 

[andreper]

@nicolestevens84 We took my current 7yo on a one night trip when he was 5, right before we had #2. He still talks about that trip lol. It was just overnight to Nashville, walk around the city, get a hotel, a few museums and drive back. But he loved it.

 

[bryantkm]

@nicolestevens84 My kids 10/6/6 remember some trips from when they were 3, but have already forgotten parts of last summer. However, "vacationing" with 3 year olds (at least for us) was just everyday parenting in a different place where they don't sleep so well. I'd say the whole vacation thing actually gets fun after 5, if appropriately planned. (Maybe pass on the 7+ mile hikes unless you enjoy carrying a 50 lb kiddo for the last chunk.)

Honestly, we had the most fun with the short trips (

 

[nicolestevens84]

@bryantkm Camping is what I love doing. Still stressed out taking the kids. LoL. They’re about three so, a bit better to deal with. We have a few large family camping trips coming up, so I think it’ll be fun with other kids.

 

[normanwel]

@nicolestevens84 I have brief and dream-like memories of vacations from age 2 to 6, then brief, (kinda) clear episodic memories from age 7 to 8. Then, from 9 onward, the memories get much more clear.

 

[saintjk]

@nicolestevens84 It’s very subjective, but generall snapshots and images from 2-6, fuzzy/hazy events from 6-12, clear memories 12 and up. At least from my experience.

 

[thinkbig2010]

@nicolestevens84 my 12 year old will mention random things from trips we took when she was four, few and far between but still they made an impression.

 

[whiteglider]

@nicolestevens84 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Childhood_amnesia?wprov=sfti1

 

[allenkenya]

@nicolestevens84 I've been amazed at how good my three old son's memory is. Even if he doesn't remember some trips when he's an adult, he still has midterm memory of trips 6 months ago. There's value in that.

 

[ramuzaj]

@nicolestevens84 I don't remember any earlier than 16 years other than snatches of memory or little still images. My Mrs remembers hers vividly from 6 onwards. She can recant all the events from them and how they made her feel. We are both 40ish

 

[thatkidmisty]

@nicolestevens84 About 2yrs after whatever good one you have planned haha

 

[hbg_2006]

@nicolestevens84 This is different for different trips/experiences and for different ages

But I've learned that you're thinking about it wrong, from my experience traveling with two kids over the last 25 years

That adult kid might not remember their vacation from when they were 4. But that 4 y/o vacation will invfluence them for several years. Experiences are super valuable even if they aren't remembered for the rest of their lives. What you do today impacts and changes your child significantly. And THOSE changes, collectively, will be LASTING their entire life.

Go. Explore. Experience. Together

 

[atthetable]

@nicolestevens84 Our philosophy is that they'll remember the love and the fun they had, even if they don't remember specifics. We all forget the specifics in the end, doesn't mean the experience itself wasn't worth it.

 

[christianfatale]

@nicolestevens84 I have memories of fun family trips stretching all the way back to 3 years old. I’m not sure if I really remembered or if they were “incepted” into me via photos but either way I think of them fondly. But I guess my takeaway is have photos that they can look at often

 

[alexrcraig]

@nicolestevens84 I think there’s 3 lenses to look at this through:
1. What age and trips they will remember as an adult
2. What age and trips they will get immense joy at the time, even if they don’t remember it
3. What age and trips will shape them in their core

I think Disney falls in bucket 2. Even if they don’t remember, a 3-4 YO is likely to be so happy that you will get a ton of great memories from it

I think change of pace travel falls into bucket 3 - camping, international travel, plane rides as a baby, etc. Even if a child doesn’t remember these early, they help them adjust to change, break routines, and shape their future identity.

 

[grahamvanhellsing]

@nicolestevens84 I went to this awesome dinosaur park when I was 5, apparently. I have exactly one memory of fleeing in terror from an animatronic dinosaur. Fear was the only thing that saved on the hard drive.