What to do with kids 5 and younger

[MikeM]

Will be going at the end of June with 2 children under the age of 5. Any suggestions on what we can do with them during the day time?

[Andrea J.]

it will be hard to tear the young'uns away from the beach/pool
but here are some other thoughts
donkey sanctuary
depalm island water park
ostrich farm
butterfly farm
kids' club at your resort
maybe arranging with one of the horseriding places a "pony ride of sorts" (saddling up one of their smaller horses and taking the kids on a walk with the horse on a lead line) i know laponderosa and gold mine will oblige!!
movies

again, it might be hard to tear them away from the beach or pool.
andrea

Originally Posted by MikeM

Will be going at the end of June with 2 children under the age of 5. Any suggestions on what we can do with them during the day time?

[Cple]

Andrea,,, Thnx for the tips on what to do with the little ones. We're bringing the grandchildren in May. Thank goodness their parents are also making the trip..

[MikeM]

Originally Posted by Andrea J.

it will be hard to tear the young'uns away from the beach/pool
but here are some other thoughts
donkey sanctuary
depalm island water park
ostrich farm
butterfly farm
kids' club at your resort
maybe arranging with one of the horseriding places a "pony ride of sorts" (saddling up one of their smaller horses and taking the kids on a walk with the horse on a lead line) i know laponderosa and gold mine will oblige!!
movies

again, it might be hard to tear them away from the beach or pool.
andrea

Hi Andrea, Thanks for the suggestions. I agree it will be hard to tear them away from the pool.

[Graham Flanagan]

The Beach and pool are probably all you will need to keep your children amused. Indeed, there will probably be a number of other kids for them to play with on the beach/by the pool.

Aother suggestion would be to bring your kids to the Radisson hotel around 11 AM in the morning and watch the bird keeper clean their cages. The bird keeper takes out a number of exotic birds (e.g. parrots) from their cages at this time and allows people to feed them/pat them/hold them/take pictures with them etc. Kids really seem to get a kick out of the experience. Additionally, the butterfly farm is located nearby the Radisson, therefore, you would be able to visit both attractions one after another.

Another thing that I should point out is that your kids may not be able to partake in all of the kids club activities (my daughter is two and was unable to participate in the kids club activities at the Holiday Inn because they were mainly for older children). Hence, I would not count on the kids club to provide amusement for your children.

[MikeM]

Originally Posted by Graham Flanagan

The Beach and pool are probably all you will need to keep your children amused. Indeed, there will probably be a number of other kids for them to play with on the beach/by the pool.

Aother suggestion would be to bring your kids to the Radisson hotel around 11 AM in the morning and watch the bird keeper clean their cages. The bird keeper takes out a number of exotic birds (e.g. parrots) from their cages at this time and allows people to feed them/pat them/hold them/take pictures with them etc. Kids really seem to get a kick out of the experience. Additionally, the butterfly farm is located nearby the Radisson, therefore, you would be able to visit both attractions one after another.

Another thing that I should point out is that your kids may not be able to partake in all of the kids club activities (my daughter is two and was unable to participate in the kids club activities at the Holiday Inn because they were mainly for older children). Hence, I would not count on the kids club to provide amusement for your children.

Thanks Graham for the suggestion about the birds at the Radisson. They would love that.

[doznadup]

I just came back from Aruba with my nephew 2.5 and neice 5.5.

I recommend bringing a childs mask and snorkel. The 5 year old was absolutely fascinated with the fish at baby beach.

We also went to Hooters. If you go during a slower time the waitresses teach the kids how to hoola hoop.

The Chef at Benihanna let the 5 year old help with cooking the meal.

Casibari Rocks has a lot of neat paths & gardens you can explore. I wasn't comfortable bringing the kids up on the big rock.

The suggestions made by other posters are excellent.

Enjoy!!! Aruba is very different with kids on board

[Graham Flanagan]

PS - Don’t forget to pick up a few stuffed iguanas for your kids when you are in downtown Orangestad (they are about $5 each and cheaper in the downtown area than in the hotel zone). Indeed, on my way back from my vacation in Aruba, it seemed that every kid at the airport (i.e. when we were lined up to check in) was enviously staring at the one I bought for my daughter.