21 Life Lessons Taught Without Saying a Word

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What is the best was to teach kids life lessons?  As a mom, my number one job is teaching and training my children to be well-adjusted, contributing adults.  I do this in a variety of ways.  One of my favorites is taking them on trips and vacations with us.  Without ever saying a word, I show them the world and teach them valuable lessons, carried with them the rest of their life.  Our family memories and bonds from our trips are priceless, but teaching these lessons is even easier on a trip.

All of these lessons came from our 5 day trip to Hong Kong we took over their spring break.

Find out how we traveled for 5 days in Hong Kong for under $500.

1. How to handle “I’m Bored”

A 17-hour flight will push any person’s boredom to the limits.  But especially for a 9,7 and 5-year-old!  My kids only slept 3-4 hours of the 17-hour flight which meant plenty of play time, screen time, sibling time and talks with mom and dad.  They learned to respect others space.  Noises had to be kept down, which can be hard for my kids.  Allowing kids to get bored is one of the best life lessons you can teach them. Nothing better than 17 hours trapped in a tiny tin can.

2. Respect for Religious Freedom for Everyone

We are Christians, but strongly defend the right for anyone to believe and worship as they please.  Taking my kids to temples and monasteries in China gave them the opportunity to show respect and reverence for others beliefs.  After my girls watched some residents pray to this statue, they asked if they could pray.  The world could always use more prayers. So they followed the example of those dedicated Chinese women and kneeled down to worship and plead with The Higher Power. 

3. A Healthy Sense of Caution around Wild Animals

Our kids were wanting to feed this animal like it was a puppy.  We had to teach them about wild animals.  All it took was one monkey aggressively running and hissing at our daughter to teach this life lesson!

4. Enjoy the Variety of Vegetation and Plants around the World

5. Curiosity about other Languages and Ways of Writing

Hong Kong was so tourist friendly.  Everything was writing in Engish.  But that didn’t stop my kids from asking questions about how to read, pronounce and speak in Cantonese.  Love of languages will lead to multi-lingual adults who can bridge barriers.

6. A Sense of Awe

A sense of wonder about the world around us has been proven to contribute to a person full of loving kindness. The power of awe promotes a small self and prosocial behavior.  Every day our kids were in awe and wonder about the vast, busy, full world around them.  This life lesson can’t be taught in words, only in views and experiences.

7. New Flavors and Textures are Exciting!

As we walked to our hotel one night, we saw a fruit market.  While there were plenty of fruits our kids recognized we forced them to pick one they didn’t know.  We bought dragon fruit, passion fruit, and Asian Pears.  After feeling, smelling and peeling, we asked the kids to at least try it.  They ended up loving the Dragon fruit and it was so unique in coloring, texture, and flavor.  The white flesh with 1000s of black seeds was so opposite of what they thought they would like, but they liked it!

“I’m so glad I tried it” Music to this momma’s ears!

8. Appreciation for Art in all its forms

Every culture has the art it values highly.  I loved exposing my kids to the sculptures, paintings, murals and beautiful spaces around the city.

9. Love and Curiosity for Animals and Creatures in a Variety of Habitats

From the walk-through aviary to the Grand Aquarium, my children loved observing all kids of animals.  Learning about their habitats and interesting facts will definitely help them as they learn in school and beyond.

10. Thinking Outside the Box

Even though taking our kids to eat at McDonald’s may seem like we weren’t exposing them to all the foods Hong Kong had to offer, we did it.  Don’t judge.  We wanted our kids to eat and be satisfied so we could keep sight-seeing.

That being said, we were sure to order everything on the menu that was different than the McDonalds at home.  Fries that you shake different seasoning packets on, cups of corn and fish sandwiches were among the favorites.  Being somewhere familiar can make experiencing something new easier.

11. The Value of Money in Different Systems

The Hong Kong Money system was difficult for me to navigate.  The US Dollar was 1/8 of the Hong Kong Dollar so converting was tricky.  We gave our kids 100 Hong Kong Dollars ($12 each) to get souvenirs.  they had to be wise about spending it so they could get what they wanted.  The loved seeing the difference in color, weight, and pictures on the Hong Kong Dollars and coins.

12. You Get What You Pay For

When my daughter found her most favorite toy (LOL Surprise Dolls)at a Hong Kong Market for 1/4 the cost, she bought as many as she could.  We warned her that they were probably knock-offs.  She was convinced they weren’t.  Sure enough, they were “Made in China”.  Fortunately, she still loved them.  But she’ll never forget the life lesson that price matters!

13. How to Conquer your Fears

My daughter was deathly afraid of riding a cable car over the Ocean.  She kept talking about falling out of the cable car or having the car fall off the cable.  We continued to reassure her and talk about the safety measures in place.  Continuing with our plan, she was forced to jump on the car ride.  About 10 minutes in she relaxed and enjoyed the ride.  Later that evening on another ride, she didn’t bat an eye. Riding high across the sky was exciting, not scary.  Fears are overcome by doing it anyway.

14. The Value of Different Modes of Transportation

In America, we pretty much only use cars to get around.  In Hong Kong, we moved by plane, ferry, bus (double decker), the subway, tram, cable car, taxi, and escalator.  Plus, lots and lots of walking.  Our 9-year-old son completely memorized the subway system in our area and was able to navigate stops and platforms for us! Our daughters loved the views the tall buses offered.  All around the city my children were exposed to diverse ways to get around.

15.  All Children Around the World are More Alike than they are Different

Playing at Hong Kong park included interacting with and communicating with kids from different cultures and languages.  However, they were all playing the same and interacted just like they would at home.  The lesson that every child is a child of God cannot be taught more powerfully than seeing that other kids who love playing just like you do.

16. Comfort and function is More Valuable than Fashion

I realize that not everyone wants to teach their kids this life lesson, but I do! On our last day in Hong Kong, the weather turned chilly with the wind.  We were unable to find warmth for under $50 per person.  Not willing to spend that much for 1 day of comfort, my husband went to the cheap markets and found a stall of women’s clothing for $7-10 each.  All of my kids wore women’s size sweaters and were totally grateful for the warmth.  Truth be told, they all fell in love with their large article of clothing!

17. How to Get Along with your Siblings

Somethings about not knowing another soul in the whole country brings families together with fierce loyalty.  Our kids got along so well and watched and cared for each other on this trip.  While we pull our hair out at home trying to help them get along, our trips show us that they do love each other.

18. How to Use Chopsticks

Having lived for a year in Japan, I think using chopsticks is a life lesson everyone needs. They are so convenient and much more effective!  Lesson taught! At least my oldest mastered it!

19.You can buy anything!

Seeing the bird, fish and flower markets in Hong Kong opened my kid’s eyes to the possibility of buying fresh or even living things.  It was a new experience to see so many options for purchase.

20. Foreign food is amazing!

Just walking down the street my kids experienced Chinese food, smells, and tastes.  We tried Dim sum, noodles, and bakeries.  While we mostly ate food they would be comfortable with at eat lots of, we made sure to expose them too new foods and flavors as well. I’m not sure we have any Chinese lovers in our family yet, but at least they have tried and tasted.

21. Empathy For People Struggling with Language Barriers

We accidentally went to a bird show that was completely in Chinese.  We didn’t get the jokes and didn’t know what birds we saw.  But we sat and tried to infer what was happening.  My kids learned what it felt like to not be able to understand.  Now, they will be more empathetic to people traveling to America. Hopefully, they will be helpful in opening the lines of communication, even if languages differ.

Teaching Life Lessons is simple, right? If only it only took one time!

Without saying a word, our family trip to Hong Kong taught my kid’s so many valuable life lessons! Family travels open our eyes and our hearts to the world around us.

Following our trips, my son wrote his memoir at school, if you want to see his perspective on his learning.

Which of these life lessons are you trying to teach your children? What others life lessons have your kids learned on your family vacations?  Share in the comments!

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