When we were little, we spent the summers at home with our grandparents in the village or in the summer house. Today, few children have this privilege, but the Historical Villages of Portugal can and must be the solution to recover this healthy, recommendable tradition.
Whether the grandparents still work or live in the city, today there are fewer children who are lucky enough to spend their holidays in the fields with their grandparents, like the majority of the people who today are 30 or 40 years old once did. The rural exodus brought some of the last generations of Portuguese born in the countryside to the city, and many choose to pass along their reforms near their children and grandchildren, becoming a fundamental support in their day-to-day life, instead of returning to the tranquility of their villages.
Therefore, fewer children enjoy the benefits of time spent in the fields, breathing in fresh air, far from technology addiction. This has resulted in sedentary children with bad eating habits and a propensity for obesity, in addition to becoming more vulnerable to the dangers of social networks, such as constantly comparing their lives, appearance, and popularity with their colleagues.
On the other hand, in the villages, children acquire a taste for physical activity while they run across the fields, thus having more chances to become healthy, active adults. In the field, children discover animals, rivers, and trees in person, much more authentic experience than through the artificiality of television. The holiday experience in the fields is rich, rather than spending time at home, surrounded by computer games and TV programs, which add little to nothing to children’s education.
In the field, children also learn the importance of preserving nature and ecology when they realize that none of what they observe now will exist if they do not take care of the trees and plants. The benefits of taking the little ones to spend the holidays in the fields are numerous.
In terms of family, it is also easier to create ties in nature than in a chaotic, noisy city. Promoting walks and bicycle adventures through the silence of the fields are invitations to dialogue and share with the family and is easier than in a confusing city, where the main priority is making sure that no family member gets lost or run over.
In consideration of your family, the Historical Villages of Portugal has an invitation for you: Spend a season in this destination that is in fact 12 (one of the villages or several, since few kilometers separate them) and discover the benefits of a tranquil family holiday in the fields – for one’s self and for the little ones. You will see how you will return happy and reinvigorated, more so than on holidays running through the streets of a vibrant but chaotic city.
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