While many people are concerned about how far their 4-year-old can hike, we have found this to be one of the best ages to get kids started with the hobby.
Most 4-year-old children can hike for four miles. Beginners will need to start with shorter distances and build up to longer hikes. By this age, most children will have the stamina to walk the whole hike without needing to be carried, and they are naturally motivated to do things for themselves.
Over time, we’ve found several things we can do to help our 4-year-old children get adjusted to hiking and make it a success.
Hiking With Your 4-Year-Old
While most 4-year-olds can learn to hike about 4 miles, it’s not a good idea to start a beginning hiker with that long of a trail. When you are starting with new hikers, focus on having fun, encouraging success, and picking the best hikes. Repeated successful, enjoyable hikes will help your new hikers stretch their skills and encourage them to keep trying.
For beginning 4-year-old hikers, focus on making the experience enjoyable so they will want to go again next time. Rather than trying to hike to a specific destination or trying to put in a certain number of steps, go at your child’s pace. Children like to walk slowly and enjoy the journey more than the destination. Let your child stop to look at pinecones and climb on rocks.
Your child will also benefit from a lot of encouragement and praise. Tell them they’re strong for carrying their own snack and encourage them to keep going a bit longer before taking a break. Let them know how much farther you will go before resting with visual clues. “We will stop at those big rocks and eat our snack. Can you go that far?”
It’s also helpful if your children see that you get tired, too. If you are navigating an uphill section of the trail, mention that your legs are feeling tired or that you’ll be glad when you get to the top. Statements like, “How are you so fast? My legs are tired and you’re still going strong!” can help your preschooler want to keep going.
Things to Bring on a Hike With a 4-Year-Old
When you are getting ready to hike with a preschooler, it’s important to bring the right things. You don’t want to carry too much weight, but you also want to make sure you’re prepared. For shorter hikes of 1-4 miles, you don’t need as many supplies but there are some things you will want to bring.
First, you should never leave on a hike of any length without water. The warmer it is, the more water you will need to bring. Children can carry their own water bottles in their packs, but you will want to bring extra to refill them if you are planning to be gone for more than an hour or so.
The other main thing you will need to bring on a hike is snacks. Children of all ages will have a better experience if they have snacks available, but for young children, it’s even more important. Bring healthy snacks that provide energy and replenish lost electrolytes and avoid excess sugar. Salty snacks like cheese sticks, trail mix, and crackers work well and are light in your pack.
One of the advantages of short hikes is how little you need to bring. You can apply bug spray and sunscreen before leaving, and larger safety supplies can be left at the trailhead. It’s a good idea to put together a small first-aid kit that contains a few items like bandages and antibiotic cream to bring in your pack, but larger first-aid kits can stay in your vehicle.
If you have more questions about what to bring when hiking with your preschooler, visit my page about nine things you don’t want to forget when hiking with kids.
How to Load a 4-Year-Old’s Backpack
Most preschoolers are eager to do things for themselves and will relish the idea of bringing their own pack. Make sure that you don’t overload their packs, though.
A 4-year-old shouldn’t carry more than 10%-15% of their weight, and if they are beginners, it should be even less. The average child of this age weighs about 40 lbs. and should carry about 4 lbs. of weight.
Four pounds isn’t very much, especially considering that most packs weigh a couple of pounds when empty. I found that letting children carry a few of their own snacks, a water bottle, and perhaps one small toy is sufficient and won’t wear them out. When you are starting your hike they will have more weight, but after drinking and eating their snacks, their pack will be lighter. That makes the trip back to the car, the point when they are the most tired, easier.
My favorite pack for a small child is a hip pack or fanny pack. These packs are lighter and smaller, and they don’t cause shoulder strain as backpacks can. It’s hard to fit a backpack to a preschooler well, so hip packs are also easier to work with.
How to Make Hiking Fun for Your 4-Year-Old
While you are hiking with a 4-year-old, focus on keeping things lighthearted and fun. You want your child to learn that hiking is fun and interesting, not difficult or boring. The best way for a small child to have fun is to be allowed to play frequently. In my experience, most of the time when children say they are tired, they are actually bored and need something more interesting to keep their minds off the work.
There are some fun things to do while walking that will help your child if they’re starting to get grumpy or tired. Playing I-Spy or other games can help them stay interested. Singing together is always a tried-and-true favorite.
Take frequent breaks to rest and explore. You will find that your preschooler is likely to sit and rest for a minute, but most of their “break” will be spent exploring, climbing, playing, and looking at interesting rocks or sticks. While small children seem to both get tired and recover faster than adults,
Tips on Choosing Hikes Your 4-Year-Old Will Love
When you are introducing your child to hiking, consider that the hike itself can make a difference in the success you have. If you choose a boring, hot, or difficult hike it can be a bad experience for your child and discourage them from trying again.
Instead, focus on finding a hike that will have a lot of interest for a child. You may want a nice view, but that might not be too interesting to your 4-year-old. Try looking for a hike that has something child-friendly to see or do.
Children love water, so a hike with a water feature of some kind is a good option. Water also attracts wildlife, increasing your chances of spotting interesting animals. Consider walking to a waterfall, beach area, or creek where children can play in the water. Children of all ages love to wade and play in the water, but this is especially appealing for preschoolers.
We’ve also had success with hikes that have interesting terrain, such as areas where you have to climb over rocks, wade streams, and scramble over small boulders. A 4-year-old might need some help navigating these obstacles, but they get a huge sense of accomplishment from it.
Finally, consider hikes that feature boardwalks. Whether it’s the ability to look into the water and spot fish, the novelty of walking over water, or just the fun of it, all our kids have enjoyed walking on boardwalk trails.