Forever see your travels through the eyes of a child

Crowded airports, long line at exhibits, and limited sleep can make kids difficult travel companions. The family vacation that was eagerly anticipated for months quickly becomes a week of meltdowns and exhaustion. Looking back through your digital camera, you realize the juggling of maps and kids left little room for photography.

There is a single solution to both of these dilemmas. Do you remember your first camera? Mine was a black, clunky rectangle the size of a brick. It had a latch on the back that slid and exposed the film – a devastating lesson I learned after ruining an entire role of film. This is where my mom’s duck tape solution came in that prevented my curious fingers from hitting the wrong buttons. It was a massive, black, silver tape striped camera. I loved it.

If you give a kid a camera…

What does this have to do with travel? Everything. Before your next family vacation, give your kids their own camera. Grant them the task of being in charge of the family’s photography. Relax as this new, exciting responsibility distracts them through the airport, car rides, and long lines.

Another way to keep your tiny photographers occupied is to craft a scavenger hunt. Before leaving home, make a list of items they can find through their camera lens. Have them keep their eyes open for a purple suitcase, an orange sign, and a fallen penny in the airport. Tell them to search for a striped flower, a scurrying chipmunk, and an anthill outdoors. You can include anything that they may encounter along their new treasure map journey.

Once home, prepare to have these images surprise everyone with their beauty. An off center flower, a blurry street sign, and a fallen ice cream cone compose the art that only the eyes of a child can capture. The photo albums from your vacations transform into anything but the traditional, touristy, perfectly centered smiles.

Vacation sanity is the immediate gratification and down the road your albums live on as forever reminders of family travels through the eyes of a child. Delight in your unique adventurers, underestimated photographers, and creative wanderers. Give them a camera and watch them shine.

Jen Collins is an intern at Mom Central.

Mom Central