Visiting with a toddler · Occasion
Visiting with a toddler for a group visit in Cornelius
Here is how the day tends to run and what is worth arranging in advance.
Bring the things that end visits early if they are missing: a drink, a snack for afterwards and a spare layer.
Parents from Cornelius tend to ask the same first question: how long will this hold their attention. Long enough to be worth the drive, and short enough to leave while they still want more.
Why it fits the occasion
With a toddler the plan is short and simple. One thing, done properly, beats three things rushed.
Agree the leaving time before you walk in, out loud, to the child. Announcing it later sounds like a punishment; agreeing it first sounds like a plan.
How the day runs
Toddlers rarely want the machine. They want the balls, the colours and the noise, and that is a complete visit at that age.
Go at the quietest hour you can manage. A toddler reads a busy room as a loud room and gets tired twice as fast.
What to arrange first
Bring the things that end visits early if they are missing: a drink, a snack for afterwards and a spare layer.
Let the child choose what to do first even when it is the thing you would have chosen last. The order matters less than the choosing.
Small things that help
With a toddler the plan is short and simple. One thing, done properly, beats three things rushed.
Toddlers rarely want the machine. They want the balls, the colours and the noise, and that is a complete visit at that age.
Questions parents ask
Is there anything for very young children?
The ball pit holds their attention on its own, and on the ice side the cars need no skating.
How long will a toddler last?
Plan for less than you think and leave while they still want more.
Where is New Life Entertainment?
Two centres: 433 Opry Mills Drive, Nashville TN 37214, and 8111 Concord Mills Blvd, Concord NC 28027.
How do I get in touch?
By phone on +1 (424) 387-6232 or +1 (615) 968-4925, or by e-mail at info@newlife-entertainment.com.
Planning your visit in Cornelius
From Cornelius the practical question is timing rather than distance. Arriving in the first hour after opening is worth more than shaving minutes off the drive.
Take the phone out of your pocket before they start rather than after. The moment worth filming is usually the first one.
Let the child lead the order of things. Adults optimise; children choose the thing that looks best, and they are right more often than they are wrong.
The nearest of the two centres to Cornelius is the one to aim at - Concord Mills in Concord - and the drive is the ordinary sort rather than an expedition.
The practical details
- XCAV ZONE — 433 Opry Mills Drive, Nashville TN 37214: four child-operated machines over a ball pit.
- ICE PARK — 8111 Concord Mills Blvd, Concord NC 28027: a real rink with bumper cars on the ice.
- Opening hours — 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM Monday to Saturday, 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Sunday.
- Phone — +1 (424) 387-6232 · +1 (615) 968-4925
- E-mail — info@newlife-entertainment.com
The two centres are at 433 Opry Mills Drive in Nashville and 8111 Concord Mills Blvd in Concord, open 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM most days and 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Sunday.