It is pretty safe to say the sight of Cinderella’s castle will take away everyone’s breath when they first see it. The sight of the castle, paired with the magic of the entire vacation, goes to show you it is impossible to be too old to appreciate Disney World.
On the other side of things, there are those who might be considered too young to fully appreciate a trip to Disney World — kids too young to remember the trip in earnest or appreciate their surroundings are the ones at the center of this debate.
On any given trip, you will see mothers with babies too young to walk and talk. While it seems obvious these kids will not remember their time at the happiest place on earth, when will kids begin to appreciate the trip?
First things first, lets clear out the kids who will certainly not remember. These are children too young to walk on their own, talk on their own or hold any significance for what they are seeing on their own. If the child doesn’t recognize Mickey Mouse without parents prodding, they might be just a tad too young to appreciate the magic.
Once the kids can recognize, and affirm, their love for certain characters, parents can be assured the children will not be blasé throughout the trip. But how old does a child need to be to remember the trip?
According to research on the topic, kids as young as 3 years old are beginning to develop the cognitive ability to store memories for the long term. Unsurprisingly, it is easier for these memories to stick when the kids are active participants in something, as opposed to just observing it.
Other research says children should not tag along on long-haul trips until they are at least 5. According to this research, adults frequently can only remember vacations from the age of 5 onward. If they traveled before that age, many were unable to recall specifics of the vacation.
Of course, in a world populated by camera-enabled phones, it is easier than ever to document a vacation. The only ones who can make the call on how early a child should go to Walt Disney World are the parents.
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