What to do with a child who doesn't like rides too much?

[Bete]

This is my great grandson, who is almost 6. He's a twin. His twin brother goes on everything possible for his height. To date they have been to Disney World once in 2018 with their parents and Dollywood in 2019 with us and their parents. The one who is shy about rides will go on some rides but not very many and did better at Disney then Dollywood. I have observed he's okay on rides that go round and round. I don't think his parents have checked this out too well yet. I think they feel he will grow out of it. I'm not sure he will. I'm starting to feel there may be a medical issue like dizziness, vertigo, or nausea. I was thinking there may be medicine to help him if they did go to a doctor to find out if it is a medical issue. No one pushes the boy to do any rides; so, he shouldn't be frightened by it.

We are planning a big group trip in 2021 in Disney World; my ride shy great grandson will be 8. I so want us all to enjoy rides together. I was hoping the whole group would at least do two rides all together each day at a minimum.

What have you done with your child to overcome ride aversion?

 

[mom2rtk]

Please don't take him to a doctor because he doesn't want to do a theme park ride at age 6. My head hurts just thinking about that.

One of my sons didn't outgrow it until adolescence. And now he rides almost anything. Try to encourage him, but don't force him. He might be a twin, but it doesn't mean he has to do everything his twin does.

You don't need to overcome it. You need to accept it. This isn't something like overcoming an aversion to seeing the doctor. It shouldn't matter if he does them or not.

 

[ErinsMommy]

Some kids just dont like rides - and if he's ok with a ride that goes "round and round", I would think he wouldn't have vertigo, dizziness or nausea as those rides exacerbate the dizzy feeling.

 

[Bete]

Please don't take him to a doctor because he doesn't want to do a theme park ride at age 6. My head hurts just thinking about that.

One of my sons didn't outgrow it until adolescence. And now he rides almost anything. Try to encourage him, but don't force him. He might be a twin, but it doesn't mean he has to do everything his twin does.

You don't need to overcome it. You need to accept it. This isn't something like overcoming an aversion to seeing the doctor. It shouldn't matter if he does them or not.

I'm afraid this could be a sign that he may develop other aversions like not wanting to ride a bike, or do a running sport activity, and so forth if it is a medical issue.

 

[ErinsMommy]

As for what to do with him when your at Disney, there are areas of Epcot where there's a water feature that the kids play in as well as simple boat rides such as Living with the Land and the 3 Cablerros (probably spelled that wrong). At MK there's Tom Sawyers Island, and a play area by Splash Mountain. In AK there's another "bug" play area and lots of shows he can see. In DHS I'm sure there's something I'm just not thinking of it at the moment. At the resort there's a pool and at some an arcade as well. Plenty to do for the non-rider.

 

[ErinsMommy]

I'm afraid this could be a sign that he may develop other aversions like not wanting to ride a bike, or do a running sport activity, and so forth if it is a medical issue.

At 6, maybe sign him up for a town sport. I dont think an aversion to rides has anything to do with riding a bike or doing a sporting activity.

 

[mom2rtk]

I'm afraid this could be a sign that he may develop other aversions like not wanting to ride a bike, or do a running sport activity, and so forth if it is a medical issue.

As I said, my son had a ride aversion for years longer than you are talking about. He ran cross country and track in high school, he went away to college and became an engineer. Oh, and he rides all the big rides now.

Please don't suggest to him (or his parents!) that there's something wrong with not wanting to do a theme park ride. Even if it is more convenient for the group.

 

[SG131]

My little cousin's first time on a roller coaster was at age 15. He lived within an hr or two of a major cedar point park and we had done other parks in my area numerous times, but he really just didn't enjoy most rides. I took him on a trip to Universal to see Harry Potter (only IOA side was open at that time) and he said to me hes going on a roller coaster that trip and I have to keep him from talking himself out of it. Of all things, the kid picked the Hulk to ride on first. The kid who hadn't even been on a wooden roller coaster. After that he was hooked and we proceeded to ride rip ride rocket enough times to listen to all of the songs except the country songs. Give him time. He was never forced on rides either but was still scared of them.

 

[DWillowBay]

Your projecting catastrophe where there is none. Many people like the shows or the characters or the food...and not the rides. let him enjoy it for who he is, not who what you think, maybe, someday, might happen.

I'm afraid this could be a sign that he may develop other aversions like not wanting to ride a bike, or do a running sport activity, and so forth if it is a medical issue.

 

[CapnJacksGirl]

Some of my best memories at Disney are of me and either my youngest son or my nephew when everyone else rode something and we found an alternative. My nephew had the sweetest meet and greet with Jessie EVER while everyone else was on BTMRR. Over the years we did character meets, got our faces painted, took a leisurely walk through a shop, got a special treat, played in the water features, met and played with others who weren't riding, rode the People Mover or RR at MK, talked to CMs about their jobs and cool things they could tell us about the parks, did pin trading, rode less intense attractions with short waits, and just plain people-watched. Many of those memories are the ones that truly stand out in my mind when I think of past trips. Were we the only ones not on the ride with the rest of the family? Sure. But we also had experiences they didn't get. You'll do a million things as a whole family on your trip....and you could get a few special memories if you're the one hanging out with your grandson!

 

[ErinsMommy]

Some of my best memories at Disney are of me and either my youngest son or my nephew when everyone else rode something and we found an alternative. My nephew had the sweetest meet and greet with Jessie EVER while everyone else was on BTMRR. Over the years we did character meets, got our faces painted, took a leisurely walk through a shop, got a special treat, played in the water features, met and played with others who weren't riding, rode the People Mover or RR at MK, talked to CMs about their jobs and cool things they could tell us about the parks, did pin trading, rode less intense attractions with short waits, and just plain people-watched. Many of those memories are the ones that truly stand out in my mind when I think of past trips. Were we the only ones not on the ride with the rest of the family? Sure. But we also had experiences they didn't get. You'll do a million things as a whole family on your trip....and you could get a few special memories if you're the one hanging out with your grandson!

I love everything about this post. perfectly said.

 

[Christine]

Most people who do not like rides (adults and children alike) do it because they don't care for the sensation of being jostled about and being out of control. The ride aspect of it that some find fun, is perceived as unsafe or scary. It's a personality issue. Please don't be one of those people who is unaccepting of how a person feels. I didn't ride big rides until I was about 16 years old . On my first trip to Disney, I was 12, and refused to ride Space Mountain. I was scared to death. But I would ride things like tea cups or, at local parks, the Scrambler or a "whip" ride. Oh, but I learned to ride a 2 wheeler at age 4.

Just let him be, always invite him to ride, but don't ever pressure or push. There's nothing worse than being that person who doesn't ride getting shamed by their own family for not doing so (even if they think they are doing it in a nice way).

 

[Bete]

Okay, I'll relax my feelings about it. And I won't associate a ride aversion with any other activities. I'm sincerely trying to make my great grandson feel better. I'm a worry wart.

 

[sponica]

I think the key part is to not make him feel left out. And in my experience there's usually someone willing to not ride the ride....I think my grandfather hated rides and would usually hang out with my cousin who didn't really like rides.

 

[Alesia]

His parents are handling it properly. Leave it alone

 

[DisneyMim]

My nephew didn't care for rides that much when he was little, especially the roller coasters, etc. I have never really cared for those kind of rides either (and just for info we go multiple times a year, have owned DVC since 1991, are AP holders) so I spent time with him when other members of our family, including my husband, daughter and son rode them. Some of my best memories are being with my nephew. We would go on something we both liked ( we watched Goofy about health more times than I can count!) and ended up talking about school, and different things in his life. He now lives in California about an hour away from Disneyland and goes there often!! I am on the opposite coast but I still get teary eyed when I think of the time I spent with him. I hope he has fond memories of time spent with me too.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with not liking certain rides. Disney is so much more than rides. I still don't ride a lot of things but Disney has always, and will always be my happy place.

Enjoy The Magic!!

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

I think you are overreacting in a big way here. Not everyone likes rides. It doesn’t mean they have a major medics problem that is going to impact their quality of life. Let him be him and enjoy the experiences he does have. Different doesn’t mean less.

 

[gtpoohbear]

It just takes time for some kids, and some may never be big thrill-riders, which is totally okay too. My son was terrified of ALL rides (literally cried about getting onto Small World and Peter Pan) until he was at least 4. And wouldn't do anything wild until around 6-7. Now, suddenly at 8 (almost 9) he is a crazy adrenaline junkie and we literally can't find a roller coaster scary enough to satisfy him. So don't worry - it could still happen for you

I did spend a good amount of time when he was younger encouraging him to try the rides, I guess some might say I was "pushing". But I think the most important thing to remember is that even if you spend a lot of time "talking it up" and getting them excited to try, when it comes time to ride and they change their mind - don't make them feel guilty or ashamed. DS always knew that backing out was an option, and that if he did I would happily take him to do something else, no hard feelings. Having that security actually makes it easier for them to decide to try in the first place.

I really wouldn't set an specific expectation about a certain number of rides together - just focus on enjoying whatever opportunities present themselves. It's actually easier to spend quality time together just wandering around than when you are all strapped in to individual seats in a ride, and not even able to see or talk to each other. Most (maybe all?) rides will let you go through the queue together and then non-riders can step out at the last minute before boarding, so you wouldn't necessarily have to be split up for the whole time.

 

[J'aime Paris]

From almost 6 to 8 years old is a huge amount of time in a young child's life.
Your great grandson will grow and change immensely in 2+ years.

It's even possible that he will enjoy rides by then....wait and see...

 

[richmo]

Please don't take him to a doctor because he doesn't want to do a theme park ride at age 6. My head hurts just thinking about that.

One of my sons didn't outgrow it until adolescence. And now he rides almost anything. Try to encourage him, but don't force him. He might be a twin, but it doesn't mean he has to do everything his twin does.

You don't need to overcome it. You need to accept it. This isn't something like overcoming an aversion to seeing the doctor. It shouldn't matter if he does them or not.

Totally agree with this. Take "son" out and replace with "daughter" and you described mine perfectly. And there was loads for her to do when she was at Disney and not a huge fan of rides.