Missing School for a Trip

Is it Ok to Take Off School for a Family Holiday?

Should you take your children out of school to travel? Is missing school for a trip ok?

Parents' views differ considerably, but the majority of parents say "yes".

It is the age old dilemma of doing what your heart wants or your head; going with what would be exciting and fun or safe and responsible.

We've all faced decisions like that but in this case parents will be deciding for their kids.

Things to Consider

It depends what kind of student your kids are, are they good students who can catch up on school work easily or do they have learning difficulties where the slightest back log in work will really be a setback for them and a struggle when they return to school.

Are your kids at an age where school could be easily missed or are they perhaps just before the final school exams which they can't miss material for. It may sound sacrilegious but some grades are easier to miss than others.

Will the kids be missing a full week or two or will it be a matter of one or two days (for example if you go away from Thursday to Monday they are only missing 3 days of school).

What time of year is it, will kids be actually learning in class or preparing for the Thanksgiving play or decorating the class room for Christmas, also the last few days before term ends not a lot of time is spent actually studying in class.

What is the educational value of the trip? Lying on a beach is not going to teach them much but a trip to a European capital will.

What do your kids feel about the idea, are they willing to miss school or are they going to get anxious about making up the missed school work.

Consult with your kid's teachers; get their input on the idea.

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The Pros of Taking Kids out of School to Travel

Travel experience is an education in itself kids learn about new cultures, countries and acceptance of the fact that people all over the world are different but equal.

A family trip really helps bring family members together and give everyone some much needed quality time which is hard to get when everyone is at home getting on with their regular daily routines.

The price of travel from air tickets to attraction admission is usually lower in the off season. There are always better travel deals in the off season or shoulder season.

You can also avoid the crowds if you travel out of season.

Believe it or not there will soon come a time when your kids don't want to travel with you, they will prefer to be with their friends, so take them along while it is still up to you!

The Cons of Taking Kids out of School to Travel

Taking your kids out of school to travel regularly could send the wrong message to your kids that school attendance is not important.

You will be burdening the teacher who will have to work with your child to make up the work.

When your kids are grown they will have plenty of time to travel, after they have an education which is the number one priority.

If your school has an attendance policy your kids might go over the amount of days they are legally allowed to miss school, resulting in reprimands.

The school and teachers may consider you irresponsible, you may get a few snide comments or side-ways glances.

Depending what grade your child is in and what kind of student they are, missing a week of school may cause him to lose confidence in his scholastic abilities when he finds he is far behind everyone else in class. Also he may find it hard to catch up.

To sum it all up you'll remember a trip to another country for the rest of your life but that time missed from school will not really be life changing. So, missing school for a trip? Go for it!

Why not download our Fly It Quiet Travel Guide for Kids-record all the things you've learnt about on your trip! Filed with airline games for kids and country facts and games. Over 40 countries available!

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