I just finished making all the reservations for our first WDW trip as a family (I've been a few times, but my kids have never gone). My DD (11) and DS (6) are so excited they can hardly stand it, but don't have a real concept of how far away our vacation is. I want to make the waiting as much fun as possible
This weekend they helped me make a long paper chain with 116 links - the number of days until we leave. We strung it up in the family room, and plan to tear off one link every day. That way, they can see exactly how far away our trip is. I did a few links with special colors for days along the way (orange for Thanksgiving, red for Christmas, etc...). We also made up a list of age-appropriate chores for each of them "worth" $1 each. I presented each with a cardboard box decorated with Disney stickers and a slot in the top. Finally, I made up a bunch of chore tickets. As they do a chore, they get a ticket to put in their box. At the end of the waiting time, they can trade in their tickets for Disney Dollars. They quickly figured out that one chore per day will get them over $100 each in spending money!!
This weekend they helped me make a long paper chain with 116 links - the number of days until we leave. We strung it up in the family room, and plan to tear off one link every day. That way, they can see exactly how far away our trip is. I did a few links with special colors for days along the way (orange for Thanksgiving, red for Christmas, etc...). We also made up a list of age-appropriate chores for each of them "worth" $1 each. I presented each with a cardboard box decorated with Disney stickers and a slot in the top. Finally, I made up a bunch of chore tickets. As they do a chore, they get a ticket to put in their box. At the end of the waiting time, they can trade in their tickets for Disney Dollars. They quickly figured out that one chore per day will get them over $100 each in spending money!!
Thanks for sharing.
