First multiday cruise with young family

[trswem]

Hello all,

We're preparing for our second season of sailing in our 27' trailer sailer. We've had a lot of fun weekends, and we're planning a five day cruise for the summer. I want to make this as enjoyable as possible for my eight and eleven year old, anyone have any good tips for keeping the kids engaged and entertained? We had a handful of overnight trips last summer where swimming and fishing kept them pretty well entertained. They may hold out for five straight days, I dunno. I'd love to hear what you all have done for your young family on first voyages!

Thanks, Tuck

[psk125]

They are going to need to burn some energy even after swimming so going places where you can get ashore for hikes, carousel rides, and perhaps have a hamburger and fries (so the cook can rest too) might help.

[Benz]

Have lots of games to play, and lots of books to read. My kids never got tired of having books read to them. Lived aboard for five years with 3 small ones.

[Don C L]

Do you have a kayak or dinghy they can take out? Or could they each have their own little inflatable kayak? Or stand up paddle boards? My daughter has one and she loves to go out on her own and same with my son on his kayak. They started going on their own when they were a little younger than your kids. You can get an underwater viewer, my kids love that. Also a an underwater light that attracts fish at night is a big hit. Bring a net and a magnifying glass because you may pull up some strange small creatures too.

check here too:
https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...with+kids.html

Bring a ukulele and a harmonica too!

[dlj]

Great suggestions all! Wow!

I was sitting here thinking I have no idea - but super ideas!

dj

[trswem]

Originally Posted by psk125

They are going to need to burn some energy even after swimming so going places where you can get ashore for hikes, carousel rides, and perhaps have a hamburger and fries (so the cook can rest too) might help.

Good call, this well help with the food planning too. Our lake is a little light on area's to go ashore and shop, but there are at least two area's I know of with guest slips and restaurants.

Originally Posted by Benz

Have lots of games to play, and lots of books to read. My kids never got tired of having books read to them. Lived aboard for five years with 3 small ones.

Great idea. I think we'll hit our book shop on the way through town and let the kids pick out a couple books each.

Originally Posted by Don C L

Do you have a kayak or dinghy they can take out? Or could they each have their own little inflatable kayak? Or stand up paddle boards? My daughter has one and she loves to go out on her own and same with my son on his kayak. They started going on their own when they were a little younger than your kids. You can get an underwater viewer, my kids love that. Also a an underwater light that attracts fish at night is a big hit. Bring a net and a magnifying glass because you may pull up some strange small creatures too.

check here too:
https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...with+kids.html

Bring a ukulele and a harmonica too!

We do have some tandem kayaks, one would probably be perfect to two behind! I think your recommendation for a harmonica sounds like subterfuge though, it's a very small boat, guaranteed mutiny.

[Fore and Aft]

Trswem the daughter and I have a tradition for cooking a cake from a box mix and a loaf of bread or two. Probably hard on a trailer sailer but you could do pancakes.
We have had marathon sessions of Cluedo with our two kids and countless games of pop and move. That's a good game since the dice and counters are captive. The wife also has a box full of craft stuff and glue sticks to do some cut and paste. Then there's jigsaw puzzles that fit on the table.
We also have a range of books from the thrift shop. When our boy was young we also had a big fishing lure with no hooks (lol he never knew)that he could use for fishing while we were sailing. He spent hours watching it skip behind us.
Cheers

[JoeRobertJr]

I like to engage the kids in the processes, so they are crew, not guests.
- Age-appropriate time at the helm while underway (under the watchful eye of the Captain)
- Port/starboard lookouts
- sail trimming
- Handling the anchor
- Log keeping
- Helping with meals, prep and cleanup.
That is all done in small enough chunks that they don't feel like tedious chores, but the kids still learn some things and gain the sense of accomplishment and responsibility from participating.

[JBP]

When we were kids living on a boat we mostly entertained ourselves but we always had some compact games/toys for rainy days. A desktop croquet set with a square of green carpet was always good for an hour.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1240248...A_wRgxgPb_7gDW

Pack of cards is standard equipment or other card games.

You can get mini puzzles at the dollar store.