Fun Toddler Day Trip to Boston

Are you wracking your brain trying to find the perfect day trip to Boston with your preschooler? Don't feel like you have to create a day's itinerary to keep your child interested. The simplest of trips are usually the best. Consider taking a ride on the Amtrak commuter rail into South Station. Most children are fascinated and excited about riding on the train.

Once you have arrived at South Station, let your preschooler choose from one of the many eating places inside South Station itself. Boston's South Station features McDonalds, Pizzeria Regina, Au Bon Pain, or Auntie Anne's. After a casual lunch with your child, walk around the station and observe the different trains arriving, explain how the big overhead train schedules work, and the different tracks the trains depart and arrive on. Then just look out the windows at the city of Boston. Your child will be wide eyed by the bustling streets and diverse people. Little ones will be happy to be observers of such a busy city and enjoy it much more than trying to stumble through the people and cross the streets through loud traffic. You will be surprised how a train ride and a busy city station will exhaust a preschooler.

Hop back on the train for a leisurely ride home and ask your child what their favorite part of the trip was. As you are returning home, point out the different towns along the route and explain a little bit about each one to your child. The trip to Boston teaches your child how close the city is and its geographic location. It gives the child a sense of where he or she lives with regard to the city and what towns are close by.

Many times a tour of the city is too overwhelming for a young child. How many times have you observed crying children, pulling away from their parents while walking through Faneuil Hall Marketplace or taking a tour of Fenway Park? They are exhausted and stressed by the crowds and an educational trip to the city turns into a disaster. Keep it simple to keep it fun!

Resource: Personal Experience