How do you convince a 9 y/o to ride rides??

[HaleyB]

You said a 9 year old boy, yes? Here is my advice... This may have as much to do with the developmental stage a 9 year old boy is in than anything else. Many children have a fear of the unknown at this age. Even if he rode something 2 years ago, it may still be 'the unknown' to him. I would give him as much info as possible. Read about the rides, look at pictures, read trip reports, and so on. I have a 6 year old who is the same way and we never push her. We coax, but don't push. She is not a thrill seeker and likes a lot of control. I have found she is willing to try a lot more the second or third day, after she has watched the ride operate. I have also had her 'chicken' out at the last minute after a long wait. It took me a while to come to terms with this, I have always been a thrill seeker and before my DD Disney was all about running from one ride to the next. Thanks to her I have learned that it is so much more than rides.
Remember that no one ever goes to WDW only one time There will always be next time.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

My now 10yo was last at WDW when he was 8yo. He didn't want to go on RnR and I wasn't going to force him to go, but I was trying to encourage him. I got him to go through the preshow and then allowed him to go though the chicken exit if he still didn't want to ride. He did use the chicken exit, where my husband was waiting with my youngest son. My son will be 11yo when he goes next time and it is with the understanding that he will ride RnR once. I still won't force him, but he doesn't know if he likes it since he hasn't tried it. I might pay him $5 to go. lol

I did that with my oldest son for Alien Encounter when he was about 7yo knowing that he would love it. He went and loved the ride. I did the same with his younger brother the next trip and he was so unimpressed that there wasn't more to the supposedly scary ride.

T&B

 

[seashoreCM]

How do you convince a ... to ride rides?

You don't.

Don't force your child. Don't make your child cry.

When you take children to WDW, for the most part they are the bosses. When and where they want to go you go. Otherwise you should go solo.

Let your child watch the ride and watch other children go on it. Maybe s/he will then think and ask, "Can I do what they [the other children] are doing?

If you do catch your child saying "I wish I had tried this sooner" you can make stronger suggestions about other rides "would you like to try that". Just suggestions.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

As an adult I ...

Took at least 5 years after seeing it to ride Space Mountain, then been on it at least once per WDW visit.

Passed up Test Track for at least a year after seeing it, then cautiously rode once and then have ridden it regularly.

Passed up Tower of Terror about when it opened, haven't ridden it yet.

Passed up Rock & Roll Coaster about when it opened, haven't ridden it yet.

Spent at least half an hour milling around Mission Space asking questions of others and trying to make up my mind whether to go on it. Went on it (once) and for now have decide 'never again'.

Why do children become "afraid of things"? Because some painful or traumatic event happened to them in connection with "that thing", not necessarily on or near "that thing".

 

[linda_pizzuro]

The first time we took my boyfriends son to WDW (1997) he was 9. He did not want to ride any of the "mountains" or roller coasters. Two years earlier his older boy cousin had taken him on a roller coaster at Hershey Park and he had no idea what to expect and refused to go any other rides like that. We did not force him in 1997.

We went to WDW for New Year's Eve in 1998. We left for Florida the day after Christmas. Christmas morning he watched the Christmas Parade from WDW on TV. At the Parade, there was a boy about his own age that was on one of his favorite Friday night shows (I don't remember which one). Well, this boy was supposed to be doing some sort of tour or hunt or something of all the parks - and he went on all the "mountain" rides at WDW. He was also supposed to be doing some sort of safari of all the parks (the AK park had just recently opened). My boyfriends son watched all this and as soon as we got to the MK - the first thing he wanted to do was BTMRR.

He had also started to collect pressed pennies. We told him he could get a pressed penny from any ride he went on. If he wanted a pressed penny from any of the roller coaster type rides he had to go on the ride.

We do this with pins also - we have all gotten into pin collecting. To us, we do more pin collecting then pin trading. Most of our pins have a special meaning to us. They are from a ride we love, a place to eat we really enjoy, a hotel we have stayed in or a special day to remember, ie - Easter, Christmas, New Year's Eve.

Linda

 

[Mskanga]

I'm a bad mom, I force them to ride it the first time. Why? Because I know they will like it, like they do 99% of the time.
My 7 year old begged , pleaded and cried not to go on Mission Space last month, I told her she was going to try it just once at least, the first thing after she got off was mommy , can we go again? . We went on MS everyday we were there ever since. The same thing with Space Mountain, RNR, Test Track , BTMRR, and other rides, the only one they do not like riding because of the drop is Splash Mountain, but they have ridden it.

 

[Antonia]

Some of you would not approve of my strategy - when DS was 6 he did not want to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Well, we wanted to ride it. He is an only child so DH and I each held a hand and dragged him up the entrance slightly crying and saying "I don't wanna ride it". Two hefty women in front of us were saying "what's wrong little boy - it's fun - come on" so us two adults - his father and I - dragged this kid by the arms and put him on the ride - after all, we had come all this way and spent all this money and by God we were riding as a family!
Turns out he loved it and we rode it again and again. So it may sound barbaric, but it worked and I would do it again. He is 19 now and does not seem to have psychological problems from his traumatic childhood. LOL

 

[marcyinPA]

Thanks for all of your advice on this! Just this morning, ds and I struck a deal. I told him for every new "thrill" ride he went on, I'd buy him a pin for his lanyard. (this does not include the carrousel, which he also refuses to ride ) I won't force him to go on the ride, but if he chooses not to, the deal is off. He can still get the pin if he wants it, but with his OWN money, not mine.

Now my 4 y/o ds wants the same deal...Cha Ching! I guess I have to do for both! (although we just measured him and he's only 38"....he may not get to ride some the rides he wanted to!)

Thanks again...and I believe "nothing ventured nothing gained"...