Taking your children on foreign holidays is bad for their mental health, psychologist claims

YOU may think exposing your child to new countries and cultures is a great idea, but you’re actually doing more harm than good, a psychologist warns.

WHILE parents may think they are broadening their children’s horizons by taking them on a foreign holiday, new research suggests they may be wrong.

Despite popular belief that kids need a constant stream of new experiences and adventure, experts say the opposite is better when it comes to holiday breaks, The Sun reports.

According to child psychologist Oliver James, consistency and repetition are key for young people’s healthy mental development.

“Consistency is all when they’re small,” he told the UK Daily Telegraph.

“In holidays as in every other respect — home-based holidays are what most children really want.”

As a result, Dr James believes children respond best to a holiday that involves familiar and unadventurous scenes, like returning to the same beach location year after year.

Repeated visits to familiar places are better for young children, rather than trips overseas.

The cognitive health expert explained that children are easily pleased by simple things right up until they hit their teens, meaning the allure and novelty of a foreign destination is lost on our younger offspring.

“Between the ages of five and 10 they can become very attached to one place, where they can be sure of what they will like and what they won’t,” Dr James said.

“Sitting on the same donkey, eating the same ice cream at the same cafe … these familiar places and activities are the ones that forge their happiest memories.”

Mr James claimed children were exposed to more than enough new stimuli on a daily basis, so visiting new holiday destinations regularly could actually put their mental health under stress.

These familiar holiday destinations can sometimes be one of the most stable events in fast-moving modern life.

This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission.