Some kids love hiking while others want to stay inside and avoid the outdoors, claiming that it’s boring or tiring. What causes this difference? Of course, children are people with individual personalities and preferences. However, in my experience, even reluctant hikers often learn to enjoy the sport with the right motivation and exposure. All of my 8 children enjoy hiking, partly because it was approached as a treat and an enjoyable family activity. If you aren’t sure how to help your kids enjoy hiking, consider trying these methods that can help your children enjoy hiking. These are all things that we regularly do with our kids when hiking, and they have proven to be very effective.
Choose Child-Friendly Hikes
Choosing child-friendly hikes is one of the best ways you can prepare to have a fun hike. Children don’t always enjoy the same kinds of hikes that adults pick. For example, some kids love hiking for miles to enjoy a viewpoint, but most probably don’t. Kids enjoy hikes with rewards, places to explore, new things to imagine, and stuff to do. Hikes with water to play in, wildlife to watch, or challenges to conquer are usually favorites of kids. I wrote a post about my kids’ favorite kinds of hikes.
Slow Down and Pay Attention
Kids love to wander, explore, and immerse themselves in nature. One of the best ways to allow your kids to have fun is to let them use their natural sense of wonder and curiosity. Slow down and think of your hike as a time to explore nature rather than a path to a destination. We’ve all heard it before: It’s about the journey, not the destination. When you take kids hiking, that adage should be your motto. Sure, sometimes you need to encourage them to move on down the trail, but overall parents and kids would enjoy hiking more if they hurried less.
Bring Along a Scavenger Hunt
Kids love taking scavenger hunts or similar games along on hikes. Older kids might enjoy more challenging hunts such as looking for specific species of plants or animals. Younger children will find broad categories easier to manage, such as finding things of certain colors or textures. No matter what items are on your actual scavenger hunt list, having something to search for will not only help them to pass the time and have fun, but it is also a great tool to help them become better observers and learn how to see everything around them.
Watch for Wildlife
Everyone loves spotting wildlife. From bison to tiny birds, it’s fun to spot and watch wild animals. When hiking with kids, it’s likely that you will be too noisy and rambunctious to see many shy animals. Braver critters like jays, squirrels, and deer are usually easier to spot. In places that receive thousands or millions of visitors, the animals are often more acclimated to the presence of people and vehicles, making them less skittish. In these parks, such as Yellowstone, Everglades, and Great Smoky Mountains National Parks, you are much more likely to see shy animals like bears and elk.
Take Snacks
Snacks are the best way to help both kids and adults stay fueled and energetic while hiking. Not only do snacks help keep away the grumpies, but they also help cure boredom. This is especially true for young children who often start dragging and complain that they are tired while hiking. I have found that when my own children complain of being tired, they are usually bored or restless. Stopping for a snack is a great way to reset and regroup for the rest of the hike. Here is a list of my favorite nutritious, energy-fueling hiking snacks for kids.
Be Adventurous
Kids love to be adventurous and explore. When you choose hikes, try to find areas where kids can feel like they are being challenged or where they feel like they are on an adventure. While paved trails and popular areas might be enjoyable for other reasons, they don’t really impart a feeling of daring or adventure. Trails with large boulders to scramble, creeks to hop, log bridges to cross, and ledges to navigate can make children feel challenged, trusted, and capable. Success breeds success.
Of course, you should always consider the safety and abilities of your children when handling these situations. However, I have seen that oftentimes as parents we are overly concerned in situations that aren’t dangerous but we may be inconvenienced, such as navigating a shallow creek on rocks or scrambling over boulders in the trail. Children might get wet or skin their knees but will rarely be injured in these situations, and by allowing them the space to tackle challenges we let them learn their own capabilities.
Have a Sing-Along
Singing while walking is fun and helps keep up spirits. Sing-along songs like “Down By the Bay” are cheerful and help kids keep their minds off of boring stretches of trail. However, there are a few cautions: You aren’t likely to see any wildlife while singing (this may be good or bad depending on whether or not you are in bear country). Also, the adults and teens in the group might want to jump off the nearest ledge with too many repetitions of “The Ants Go Marching”.
Take Time to Play
Take time out of your hike to allow your children a chance to play. Children, especially young children, often begin exploring and playing whenever they stop to rest. Even while hiking many children enjoy playing. My kids often end up being explorers, “army guys” or Indians both during hiking and while resting. Freedom to use their imaginations is one of the great parts about taking kids into nature. Remember that not all areas allow you to venture off the trail. While you should always follow the park rules, there are many areas where people aren’t required to stay on the trail, such as most national forest and BLM areas, as well as some national and state parks.
Start With Short Hikes
If you and your children aren’t used to hiking, start with short, easy trails that will keep kids interested and reward them for their efforts. Children usually adapt to exercise faster than adults, but start with short hikes so they can feel successful and powerful. Once they have decided that hiking is fun and they are eager for more, you can gradually start trying longer trails.
Play Hiking Games
Kids love playing hiking games while they are walking together. Sometimes these games are spontaneous and invented. Other times, they take a little guidance and direction. Games such as I Spy and 20 Questions are perennial car trip favorites and are great for hiking. Other road trip games can be adapted to make them more versatile for hiking, when you won’t have signs or license plates to use for your game.
Do a Craft
While crafting doesn’t seem like a natural hiking activity, there are many easy, short crafts that can be done on the trail to help kids enjoy the experience and learn more. One of the best fast and easy crafty things you can do on the trail is leaf and bark rubbing. This only requires bringing a few sheets of paper and pencils or crayons and will allow kids to create a memento of their trip while also learning to identify different leaves. My children enjoy bringing their nature journals on outdoor excursions, and sketching helps them to learn better observation skills.
Try a Reward (or a Bribe)
Several years ago we instituted a fun reward on hiking trips. I was given a bag of fat suckers by a neighboring camper who said they take them on hikes for a fun, sugary pick-me-up. Now our children normally only get candy on special occasions. However, I started a policy of handing out suckers on hikes that are over a mile long. We usually save this treat for the return trip of out-and-back hikes, or when we are about halfway along loop trails. The kids came to love and look forward to this tradition and it is always a special treat for everyone!
Go Off-Trail
Allow your children to go off trail in areas where it is allowed (and safe). Children love to explore new areas and find interesting, fun, or new things to see. From climbing trees to exploring hidden forts, going off-trail, and exploring areas that feel wild and unknown is exciting and inspiring for kids. If you choose to travel without trails, make sure that you know how to navigate, have an understanding of the area you are in, and know where public land ends.
