24 May 2019 by Jessica Boston

10 things to do before you’re 10 – the France edition!

Everyone has such strong memories from childhood holidays – the change of scene, new experiences and spending lots of time together make family holidays real milestones in your life. If you’re off on a family break to France this summer we’ve got ten suggestions for your holiday with children under 10 to help you make memories that will last a lifetime!

1. Take a child-led tour.

Pick a town or city and let your kids take turns to be your tour guide picking your route and choosing which turnings to take for a fun and unusual way to explore. With the power in their hands you might find hidden treasures and exciting places to see that you didn’t even know were there!

2. Try out some French.

Set your child a challenge to use the local language! Little ones can learn to say hello and thank you while primary age kids will often already have had some French lessons at school; get them to use it ordering ice-creams or buying bread and croissants at the bakery.

3. Eat something with a shell!

Seaside holidays leave you spoilt for choice when it comes to shellfish, let the kids share your platter of Fruits de Mer or teach them to eat mussels using an empty shell as a pincer to pick the meat from the remaining moules. The truly adventurous could even try some traditional French snails!

4. Try a new mode of transport.

With cable cars, velorails, horse riding, canoe or kayaking, boat trips, trams and mountain trains you are sure to be able to find a new way to travel in your region. The journey is the destination when you’re trying something new!

5. Feel the history at a French castle.

There are castles, chateaux and ruins to visit wherever you are in France. Some are basic structures where you can explore unfettered and let imaginations run wild, others offer a full interactive tourist experience with costumes, crafts and weapons to try out for the ultimate role play session.

6. Take to the trees.

France has so many aerial adventure courses in forests all over the country with different versions suitable for different age groups – tackle an assault course as a family and you’re sure to have a great laugh.

7. Go for an evening stroll… with dessert!

If you’re self catering with younger children eating at home can be the easiest (and cheapest) option, but any night can be a special occasion with an after dinner stroll along the quay or around the town stopping off for a tasty dessert of crepes or ice-creams – for kids that’s the best bit of a meal out anyway!

8. Discover nature.

There are lots of exciting creatures to discover in France from interesting insects and birds to wonderful wildlife in the countryside and fascinating rock pools to poke about in. Go on a walk near your property and see what you can spot.

9. Do a ‘back to school’ shop in a big French hypermarket.

Stock up with French stationery, lunch boxes and satchels for the new school year so the kids can take some stylish and magical holiday memories back to school.

10. Start a photo book tradition.

Let the children take photos to create a diary of their favourite bits of the holiday, or take plenty of pictures of them yourself if they are too little to get behind the camera. When you get home choose the best ones and have a photobook printed – bedtime stories can be holiday memories and you could build a whole library over the years.

Self-catering holidays are perfect for travel with under-10s with plenty of space for everyone, flexible bedtimes and meal times to suit your family and all you need in a comfortable home-from-home to make it relaxing and fun for everyone! Browse our family-friendly properties and book with us for 20% off your Brittany Ferries travel.