Build Excitement for a Disneyland Vacation
If your family is anything like mine I don’t think that you will need much help to get your kids excited about a Disney vacation. We are making our first ever trip to Disneyland this summer (and I am excited)!! I decided to use the theme park maps to help include the kids in our pre-trip planning. Keep reading to take a look at some ideas to help build excitement for a Disneyland vacation.
Obtaining the Maps
We were lucky that my mom had just visited Disneyland and came back with maps to the parks. If you don’t have access to maps you can print them yourself by visiting the Disneyland website.
For a printable Disneyland park map click here.
For a printable Disney California Adventure Map click here.
Research
- After you print out the maps you can use them to discuss all of the different things you would like do while on vacation.
- We made a list of the top 10 attractions we wanted to ride at both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure
- We spent a lot of time at the Disneyland website reading attraction descriptions and height requirements (it’s nice that we are finally getting to the point where the kids can ride pretty much everything)
- I compiled a list of the character dining experiences offered. Since we have had kids I try to include one character dining experience on each of our trips as it is a great way to relax, eat, and meet characters without waiting in a long line.
- I compiled a list of the character greetings by park for review. Our kids enjoy meeting the characters so we try to see as many as we can (I personally can’t wait to meet OLAF!!).
- The final list I made includes all of the parades, nighttime shows and fireworks.
Display
I decided to make this a fun project for the kids we would create a tri-fold display board with all of the information we collected. We printed out all of the lists we made and also some Disney graphics. We also used a Disneyland Resort brochure for park pictures.
It is currently setup in our dining room and I randomly will come into the room and see one of them sitting on the floor studying the maps.
We are so excited for our trip and will continue to review the maps and attractions in the months leading up to our vacation. I have also downloaded the Disneyland Mobile App which is great to review the park maps on the go and will be handy while we are on vacation.
Have you ever created a visual vacation plan for your kids? I think it is a great way to get them involved and excited!
Take a look at some other great links below in our Free Maps Unit Study:
Build Excitement for a Disneyland Vacation from Crafty Mama in ME
How Maps Change Case study: Boston’s Boundaries over time from Boston Kid Friendly
How Kids Can Create Sketch Maps for the Outdoors from FrogMom
Map Books for Young Explorers from Brain Power Boy
Map Skills for Kids from Schooling a Monkey
Map Books for Children: Intro to Maps from The Jenny Evolution
Continents and Countries Olympic Sort from Planet Smarty Pants
Maps Unit for Preschoolers from Bambini Travel
3 Free Puzzles to Make Learning the Continents Fun from Books and Giggles
Geocaching for Kids from Parenting Chaos
Map Activities for Kids: France, England, Ireland {Printables} from The Natural Homeschool
Travel Maps for Kids from CraftCreateCalm
Types of Maps from Something 2 Offer
Around the World Fun for Kids: Exploring Architecture from Artsy Momma
Using Maps as an Idea for Art Projects from Our Daily Craft
Making a Salt Dough Map from Tales of Education at Home
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