When to start countdown with kids?

[Princess SarahK]

My kiddos are 4 and almost 3. How soon would you start the countdown? We’re at 50 days now and I’m so ready to start getting them pumped!! Any recommendations or ideas?? Thanks in advance!

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

we start our countdown when we check out lol. 346 days to go!

 

[planningjollyholiday]

When my kids were young we told them the day we left now that they are way older and understand the concept of time we have found that the "sweet spot" is two weeks. This gives them enough time to do a countdown, finalize school stuff, help with packing etc. It's short enough though that the wait isn't long and agonizing.

 

[Klayfish]

At 4 and 3, they're really too young for a countdown to have a ton of meaning anyway, so I'd probably do it no more than 10 days. My kids are now 13, 10, 10. They're all aware of when the next trip is, and when we hit "milestones", we'll say "2 months from today" or something like that. But the true daily countdown doesn't start until about 15 days out.

 

[Princess SarahK]

Thanks guys!! I'll bide my time for theirs, and I guess I'll just have to do one for me, too!

 

[Anabelletoronto]

I feel you. My trip is just under 50 days and I want to talk about it every day all day.
My daughters birthday is 10 days before the trip so I have told her that we are leaving a couple weeks after her birthday
Because last time we booked, we had to reschedule due to illness- I'm not telling her until we are leaving for the airport. Not jinxing it.

 

[TIS Grandma]

Just had this conversation with my daughter yesterday! We're telling the kids (6,6, 4) Christmas Eve. My plan was to make a paper chain that they could take off one link every night to count down (used to do it with my kids leading up to Christmas) Now I'm wondering if this will get them too hyped up -- especially the night before we go (Jan 6).

 

[TulipMom]

I agree that 10 days is probably good for those ages!

 

[laughinplace199]

We always made a paper chain at 30 days out. We started doing this when our oldest was 3 or 4. She's 18 now and still loves the paper chain, although she and her siblings make it on their own now. We hang it up in the family room where it's very visible and the kids take turns ripping off a link of the chain each day. It's really fun for them to see it getting smaller and smaller!

 

[jpeterson]

We've done everything from no warning at all (we told them in the Orlando airport), to a countdown at 15-ish days and currently have a countdown calendar that we started at 75 days (down to 52 days!). It depends on the kids, the younger they are the shorter I would make the countdown (since time is more ephemeral for little ones).

I made this countdown calendar and the kids love it: https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...our-own-walt-disney-world-vacation-countdown/