So, at the end of the summer holidays we took the kids to Disneyland Paris. I have to be honest that I thought I would hate it; the idea of walking round this ‘fake’ place being sold stuff constantly and then queueing for hours in the heat did not appeal to me. I was already resigned to my main focus being: don’t get grumpy enough to ruin it for everyone! In fact I loved it, it turns out Disneyland Paris is amazing. Yes it’s expensive (five euros for a bag of crisps) and yes there is a stand selling you Disney tat every three metres but basically it’s amazing.
However it’s not my job to sell you a holiday, the reason I bring all this up is because Disney clearly have thought deeply about children and how to engage them, and I couldn’t help but notice what they were doing that we could learn from.
1. Story is king
Disney use story brilliantly, every ride is a story that takes it to the next level. You never just go on a rollercoaster for the sake of being on a rollercoaster, you are always being told you are joining Crush the Turtle in an ocean current or helping Buzz Lightyear defeat the evil Emperor Zurg. The Hollywood Tower Hotel (or the Tower of Terror to its friends) is really just a ride where you are lifted up high and then dropped, but they dress this up with the story of a hotel that was struck by lightning and has never been the same since. The ride operators are all in character and costumes as slightly odd hotel staff. By the time you reach the actual ride your critical faculties have been switched off and you’re starting think this might all be real!
2. The way you welcome children counts
I guess they must take staff training very seriously, as it seems as if every single person who works in the park is able to interact with children in a way that makes them smile and feel at ease. It makes such a difference. If your child is ‘playing’ with a toy in a gift shop the team member is far more likely to join in the game than ask your child to put it down. My son was forever chatting to ride operators and shop workers and the always talked to him for as long as he wanted, nobody ever tried to make a quick break even if the shop was busy. This stuff really counts for children. Most of this required no extra budget, you just need to intentionally find the time to do it.
It’s worth mentioning here how easily children with additional needs were welcomed too. Clearly a great deal of thought had gone into it; no one was thrown into a panic, it was all very normal and simple. It showed how important planning your welcome is for children with additional needs is beforehand so you’re ready and not reacting to the situation.
3. Sometimes simple things are better
Another regular feature of the theme park was children rebelling against the system and doing their own thing. I wish I could have taken a photo of the child I saw stood on a bridge on the walk from the hotels to the park: he was refusing the move until he’d seen a duck swim under him. It was a glorious moment of parenting as the dad pleaded for his son to get going so they could go on the rides before the queues built up and the child point-blank refused. To add to my amusement, I could see that, this being Disney, the bridge wasn’t real and the water abruptly stopped just before it, severely reducing the chances of a duck swimming anywhere!
We don’t need to compete with kids’ TV or the latest big event. Children in our modern world are in desperate need to slow down and just be. Sometimes just sitting and waiting for a duck is the best thing a child can do.