Planning a trip to China with kids

04.03.2024 - 08:00 / traveldailynews.com / Stavros Andriopoulos

A China trip with kids is guaranteed to be memorable! Having an action camera like GoPro or smartphone handy allows you to easily capture cute moments throughout your travels to look back on.

China is an amazing country to visit with children. There are so many unique sights, sounds, food, and experiences that make for a really fun family vacation. As parents, my spouse and I found a few things that helped make our China trip with our 8 and 10-year olds go smoothly. Here is my personal guide for visiting China with kids based on what worked well for us during our 2 week tour of Beijing, Xi’an, and Shanghai.

Booking flights and hotels
We looked for direct flights to minimize the stress of worrying about missing connections with young kids. Non-stop flights tend to be a bit more expensive but worth it in my opinion. We flew into Beijing and out of Shanghai, which allowed us to see the country from north to south.

In terms of lodging, we opted for western-style hotels for comfort and familiarity. Language barriers can be tough with children, so choosing hotels geared towards English speakers made the transitions between places less overwhelming. We made sure they had pools and other amenities like games and kids clubs to keep them entertained.

Learning some Chinese for kids
A little bit of Chinese can go a long way. We taught our kids some basic phrases in Mandarin before the trip like “hello”, “thank you”, numbers 1-10, etc. During meal times, we played games trying to count dishes in Chinese and learned the words for common foods. Even just being able to say simple things like asking for the check or telling the age of your child is helpful.

The best part was seeing their faces light up when they were able to successfully communicate with a shopkeeper or server. Kids pick up foreign languages extremely quickly, so even just spending 15-20 minutes a few times a week learning Chinese before your trip can make their experience more fun and engaging.

Experiencing Chinese culture
There are so many amazing cultural experiences to be had in China that will really excite and educate kids. We made sure to see the Great Wall, as riding a toboggan there and seeing the sheer magnitude of the ancient structure is something they will never forget. We also visited Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City to learn about Chinese dynasties and imperial history.

Making Chinese crafts like lanterns and fans, learning Tai Chi moves, and sampling unique fruits are great hands-on activities for kids abroad. Taking high speed trains between cities is also a cool way for children to experience China’s modern advances. No matter your itinerary, soaking up centuries of rich Chinese culture will be impactful for kids of all ages.