Parents are people too! Make it easy on you!
I recommend one adult per age group, especially when visiting an amusement centre. Otherwise, older siblings get bored to tears in the kiddie rides and games, and young ones have to wait while their older siblings enjoy rides they’re too small to jump on or play with. Not my idea of fun and not the best way to get the most out of the admission fees. Going with another family can help achieve this ratio. Everyone gets a buddy (and it is usually way more fun for the moms)!
Allow your school-age kids to bring a friend. It will double their fun during the outing and you might learn a thing or two about your child along the way! Last time I dragged by mistake my 12-years old and her friend to an attraction way too young for them, I realized that they didn’t care. They were together in the outside world, commenting on everything, an attraction in itself. I’ve also noticed that kids tend to forget adults are there when they’re chatting with their friends. You get to see different aspects of their personality not otherwise revealed at home. Which in my books is quite a bonus! (Here's a good article with tips about taking along your kids' friends on a vacation.) Better yet, trade kids! Take your friends’ oldest, and leave them your youngest. Next time, do it the other way around. This way, all the kids can play with partners closer to their age group, which makes it much easier for the adults in charge.
Get a membership to one of the big ticket attractions. For two reasons: 1) Kids love to return to the same place. I think it has to do with the feeling they “own” the place the second time around. 2) This takes away the temptation to rush our children to see everything between lunch and nap time “to get our money’s worth”. Most family memberships cost only a little more than the price of two visits. If your younger child is only good for a short outing, no problems! You can avoid a tantrum and return another day without feeling you’re waisting your money.
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