How to Add Lessons to Your Family Vacation in the Maldives

Ocean Educational

Who needs a biology classroom – or a playground – when your family can explore the incredible marine life that surrounds Maldives? Mini Marine Biologists programme at Amilla Maldives is the fun interactive course teaches kids about the amazing marine ecosystem and wildlife in the Maldives, from Manta rays and Whale sharks to seabirds.

Combined with worksheets, games, and drawing, a new world of marine biology is opened up to the children. Each interactive course consists of short videos, talks, Q&As, and even a visit to Amilla’s coral nursery en route to a snorkelling session. Snorkelling the crystal clear lagoon and colourful coral reefs is an easy way for whole family to discover an underwater life including sea turtle.

Home to the largest underwater restaurant in the Maldives, OBLU XPERIENCE Ailafushi resort launches an underwater adventure for young explorers. A thrilling marine tour at Only BLU under ocean restaurant for kids at 6.8 meters below sea level includes a 15-minute animated video where the lagoon ecosystem is vividly explained. The resident marine biologist will even teach them how to identify different types of reef fish. And they’ll leave with a booklet filled with fascinating facts about marine life.

Recently Conrad Maldives Rangali Island added the Undersea Academy, a new three-day educational journey for children aged 5-12 to the resort's family experiences. The programme is an exciting blend of learning and fun designed to spark a love for the ocean among young travellers.

Amilla is a home to a some nesting turtles, which are protected by one of the resort's many ongoing conservation projects. In 2022 the island joined forces with the turtle conservation organisation, the Olive Ridley Project, to monitor and conserve local turtles.

The Marine Discovery Centre at CROSSROADS Maldives is designed to provide in-depth information about the Maldives’ culture, people, history, unique environment and climate struggles. The facility is fully equipped with interactive displays and staffed by knowledgeable, experienced guides. The Centre is a pioneering conservation hub that aims to highlight environmental issues and showcase the destination’s phenomenal beauty. It features a marine biology laboratory and coral nursery, and regular initiatives include fish identification, coral propagation and more.

Discover secrets of the coral reefs with Kandima’s unique coral adoption programme gives you the chance to replant reefs in the ocean. It’s a great way to educate your children about the importance of conserving the reefs and protecting endangered species.

Soneva, the luxurious resort operator, boasts ‘Soneva Academy’ at Soneva Fushi and Soneva Jani in the Maldives, offering educational courses for children 12-year-olds and up based on sustainability initiatives. Soneva Academy currently offers five courses: The Marine Life of the Maldives, The Night Sky in the Maldives, Adventure of The Corbin, Zero Waste and Mosquito-borne Diseases. After completing a course, participants receive a certificate in an awards ceremony.

One of the best family resorts in the Maldives Six Senses Laamu proudly announces the opening of the Sea Hub for Environmental Learning on March 1, 2023. The SHELL is a multi-use space designed for guest education and for offering curated and immersive marine conservation experiences. The Kids’ Zone is designed for young (or young at heart) and aspiring marine biologists to discover the secrets of Laamu and the underwater world. Highlights include an augmented reality sandbox which allows the users to change and redesign habitats and topography using projection mapping technology, and the ‘Draw Alive’, where children will be able to color-in their favorite marine creatures and watch them come alive on a large screen with the help of advanced animation technology to watch them swim and move throughout a virtual world.

If you’re heading to the Maldives with kids, and are worried there may not be enough for them to do, look no further than the PADI Bubblemaker Experience. Bubbles are always a hit with children and if they are aged 8+ they can enjoy an adventure education they will never forget as they will dive in the lagoon amongst fish, corals and maybe even turtles.

Staying fit and focused

Key to true health: A healthy mind and a healthy body always go hand in hand, so learning a new skill that strengthens physical and mental muscles is good for the whole family.

At Hard Rock Hotel Maldives, kids can learn the traditional art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from a professional boxer. Practising this sport that promotes flexibility, strength and coordination, The Red Mat is open for everyone (beginners and intermediate, kids, ladies).

Surf camps offer group surf classes where you get to train with experienced surfers and have fun while learning with your friends and family. Lessons vary based on surf level, so you can also move on to higher level lessons as you learn to surf. In addition to learning to swim and control body, your kids will learn also things about the ocean, like tides, swells, and types of surf breaks.

On the flip side, sometimes it’s important to concentrate on quiet minds and calm spirits. At Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Kuda Huraa, kids age 6 and older can develop both. Board a dhoni boat together and sail over to the Island Spa, where children can relax with treatments all their own, including oil blending, nourishing seaweeds, or yoga on land or sea. “Kids are never too young to learn the importance of self-care or the role of nature in our well-being,” says Spa Assistant Manager Angelica De Leon. “Our children’s treatments all include an educational aspect.”

And it’s easy to turn a sport your child already loves into a teachable moment. Stay active and play for fun on all-weather floodlit tennis courts or a padel tennis in the Maldives. Requiring alertness and tactical thinking this fun sport is ideal for those looking for an easy, fun and sociable way, as well as a serious workout or bonding exercise. By improving physical strength, flexibility, balance, and fine motor-skills, tennis will lend to helping your child master other activities off the court

Arts, Crafts and Culture

From a young age, thanks to fairy tales and legends many kids are interested to mythology and culture. In Malé, a visit to National Museum will show them how important historical artifacts are to the archaeological record and our modern understanding of the era. Want to learn more about Maldivian culture? Visit the local market!

With picture perfect beaches, turquoise waters, gorgeous food and luxurious villas, the Maldives is an amazing location to take fantastic photos. As a part a family holiday is to be able to capture those special moments on camera and have them as little keepsakes of your tropical getaway. Share your passion for photography with kids, helping up-and-coming young cameramans to develop their own photography skills.

Finding the perfect family getaway in the Maldives? With daily art classes, STEM based kids activities and a petting zoo Oaga Art Resort checks all the boxes for a fab family vacation – this is the place where kids can learn and have fun too!

The first and only art immersive resort in the archipelago Joali Maldives offers a range of exciting activities, especially crafted for children between 4-12 years. Young guests are invited to explore positive new experiences in the areas of culture, oceanography, cookery, and the creative arts, nourishing their creative side.

Inspire any budding chefs in your family with a hands-on Maldives culinary experience ­– starting from a true local experience with a home cooked meal in a Maldivian family home to a resort's garden — with the hotel’s Chef. Take a lesson for whole family in Maldivian cuisine at Anantara Kihavah to prepare local delicacies in 'Spice Spoons' children’s culinary class with the guidance of master chef. The skills kids learn here from an expert chefs, such as: how to make pizza, decorating cupcakes to rolling rice paper, can add spice to mealtimes back home.

Best tips before you go:

These simple strategies below are designed to help add lessons to your family holiday:

• Let your child participate in planning: Nothing drives passion for education more than personal interest, and that’s definitely true for children.
• Learn in advance: Drum up anticipation and excitement for a trip by providing information and experiences about the Maldives. In this way, their mind will be primed for what to look out for.
• Map the way: Map navigation is not just a fun way to pass the time, it also offers several ways to learn about travel distances, routes, and geography.
• Create a memory album: Before your travel, give each kid in your family a small journal or scrapbook, as well as a disposable camera. Acting as a photojournalist, your child can record the places, people, plants, and animals they encounter on the trip.