Keep in mind that hiking with children isn't about getting from the beginning to the end. If you are flexible and focus on enjoying the walk and the time spent on the trail, everyone will have fun whether or not you make it from point A to B.
Make it an Adventure From Beginning to End
Let your child help plan the hike. Let them help pick their gear (even if they want the hot pink Dora backpack). Trace the route on a map with them.
I take my kids to our local grocery and let them pick our their trail mix. Our grocery has bulk bins- and the kids love picking out their dried fruit, nuts, and even a little candy (Reese’s Pieces are the current favorite). They can’t wait to hike so they can eat their special “trial mix.” The trail mix is only eaten on hikes, so it’s a real treat. I keep it stored in a plastic cereal container in the refrigerator, and as it gets low we buy new treats to refill it.
Go over the route afterwards, and discuss with your child what he or she saw at different points on the map.
Show them how far he or she covered on a map. They will have an incredible appreciation for the time and distance they covered.
Let your child keep a copy of the map or hike guide.
Make a scrapbook with pictures and mementos from each hike.
Take it Easy
Leave plenty of time for your hike. Be prepared to stop often. Kids love to touch everything they see. Be sure to honor their limits, slow down the pace, and rest when they need to. Turn back before you planned if necessary. Pushing a child beyond his or her physical limit will not be fun for anyone.
Take a snack break. Bring a big snack or lunch for your halfway point, and bring smaller snacks for along the way. I call these smaller snacks “energy food” and have my younger kids convinced that this “energy food” will revitalize their flagging energy sources.
Planned and unplanned snack breaks. Bring a big snack or lunch for about the midway point, but bring a few smaller snacks for random stops along the way. If they see a fallen tree they want to climb on, stop for 10 minutes and let them play while you snack.
Remember a child’s sense of time. Have patience when they stop to ask questions. They may be seeing their first trillium or woodpecker.
Call for rest stops before they ask for them and praise them for how well they are doing.
Have an Energy Stop. As in “when we get to the big tree ahead we’ll need to have an energy stop.” Snacks provide great motivation to keep kids moving on trail.
Take a break and talk about what they have seen
Bring a friend along
For a reluctant kid, consider bringing a friend along, or hooking up with another family that has kids too.
As kids get older they would rather spend time with friends than with their family. Allow your child to invite a friend along. They can share a fun experience and entertain each other.
Rotate leaders
When hikingwith more than one child make sure that everyone gets to be a “leader” and set the pace.
Scavenger hunt
Make a list, and be sure each child has a copy of it and a pen to mark their finds. You can include plants, animals, tracks, etc. You can also make different lists for each child, so you can keep the lists age appropriate. Plus this has the added advantage of giving the children a chance to work together to help each other find their items.
Challenge kids to find things that are fuzzy, small, rough, bumpy, smooth, big, soft, small, sticky, squishy, lumpy, wet, living, growing, round, triangular, moving, make noise, hard, smelly, etc.
I spy
You can play the old-fashioned way with the visible traits (I spy something green, I spy something fuzzy, I spy something blue), or you can keep things interesting by naming facts (I spy something that itches (nettles), I spy something that flies (bird), I spy something that builds nests in trees (squirrel or bird)). as you walk along challenge them to spy something that begins with the letter _____. For example, if you see a huge rock, it would be something that begins with the letter "r."
Have a class
Don’t lecture, but teach them something. Our family recently purchased a plant and flower book, and my oldest two girls decided we were going to learn about ferns. We’ve had a blast identifying all the different ferns in the PNW, and now they can recognize at least seven ferns by sight.
Options could include tracks, flowers, berries, edible plants, birds, animals, rocks and minerals, etc.
Simply Listen
Ask questions and don't offer your own answers. Simply listen to theirs. In "real life" it's easy to get too busy to really listen to your kids. With all of their senses engaged in the wilderness, it’s the perfect opportunity to have a creative discussion with your child.
Engage the Senses
Stop and listen...how many birds do you hear in 60 seconds? Encourage kids to use their hands to explore the textures of nature... Rub your hand on the bark of a Western Red Cedar and compare it to the feel of Douglas fir bark. Let children get their hands dirty on a soft and squishy nurse log or feelthe hard and bumpiness of barnacles and clam shells. Smell crushed pine needles. In the summer, encourage kids to taste red huckleberries and wild blueberries as nature offers a tasty treat along the trail. (Be sure to only taste test berries you can clearly identify).
Ask your child what does he or she see, hear, taste, feel, and smell? All at the same time, and have them really think about their answers.
Explore Nature
Before you go, show your kids pictures of plants and animals they might see along the way. Help them scout out mushrooms, acorns, leaves, flowers, and animal prints. Some kids might enjoy bringing a small pad of paper and pencils so they can draw what they see.
Be sure to teach your children to explore and touch, not to destroy and collect.
Take time to identify things along the way. Look for wildlife. Teach your children to explore and touch... not to destroy or collect. Don't forget to take lots of pictures for their scrapbook.
Look for discoveries along the way. Bring a magnifying glass and kid-friendly field guide.
Teach kids to be good observers by looking for signs of wildlife (feathers on the ground, claw scratches on tree trunks, animal tracks, bird holes in dead trees, fur along the trail, slugs. Water striders on lakes, sand dollars along the beach, frogs in pond).
Picture time!
Take a group picture or pictures the kids find interesting (or better yet, have them bring a camera along).
You can always scrapbook them later, and my kids at least love looking at their hiking scrapbooks.
Make a Destination
Many children will be motivated by a special something at the end of the hike; a waterfall, an unusual rock formation, or a pretty picnic spot.
Nothing Works, Now What?
Try carrying your child’s pack for him or her, but use this as a last resort. You can carry your pack plus your child's, readjusting the straps so your pack is on your back, and you child's is on your chest. In an absolute worst-case scenario, you may have to carry your child for a while. Distance, heat, and boredom can take their toll on young hikers. The most important thing is to not let it get to this point - which due to variables like the weather and injury, can make things very difficult.
If your child is miserable on your outdoor adventures, you might want to seriously think about leaving him or her with a sitter when you go on your hikes. The worst thing you can do is force them to participate, because you can ruin their outlook on the outdoors forever at an earlier age.
Support the Arts:
Have your child bring along a small notebook and some markers or colored pencils. Let them take a few minutes to sit and draw what they observe. Kids have a very different perspective than adults, and often notice many things that adults simply pass by while hiking. These would be great additions to a hiking scrapbook.
Get up Close:
A small magnifying lens is lightweight and very handy for kids to take a closer look at bugs, flowers, leaves, stones, etc. This is a great option when kids are showing signs of tiredness and may need to take a rest stop before continuing down the trail. The distraction of the examination often helps them forget about how tired they are!
Colors of the Rainbow:
Try to identify things along the trail by the colors of the rainbow. Once you start looking closely for each color, you and your child will be amazed at how many colors there are in nature.
National Programs:
“The United States National Park System has a program for children ages four to fourteen they call the Junior Ranger Program. Almost every National Park, and some National Monuments participate. Visit any ranger station and ask to sign up your child(ren). Your child(ren) will be given specific activities to perform through the day on their own geared towards their specific age group. Most programs require sitting through at least one ranger led program, which at most parks are of excellent quality. Believe it or not, picking up trash, which is typically one of the requirements, is one of the most popular activities for children who will eagerly compete over who can find the most trash, and they provide a valuable service at the same time. The Junior Ranger Program is free and includes a certificate of completion, although some parks do require a minimal fee of one too two dollars to get a patch when the program is completed.”
“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is sponsoring something really cool that you and your family can be a part of this summer. As part of it's "Let's Go Outside" promotion, you can share your photos and become part of a huge mosaic with thousands of others.”
