One of the questions I am asked most often is "How do you get your kids to hike?"
Hiking with kids can be a delightful experience, but keeping them motivated is a major struggle unless you're willing to get creative. I've been hiking with children for the better part of 16 years and have created some tricks for getting them out on the trail for either a backcountry backpacking trip or a short day hike.
Tip 1: I always have them help pick out what features they want to see along the way (hint: it's usually something with water...) they love waterfalls or any hike where there are loads of water crossings. We enlist AllTrails for help here because we can select the features they're interested in and determine how far from the house we will have to travel to get there in an easy-to-use platform. I will however bring along a paper map because their navigation system is not so reliable!
Tip 2: Have them pick out their trail snacks. Of course we want our kids to eat healthy, but a hike is my favorite place to let them indulge in the goodies we don't normally get. For my kids, it's typically M&Ms and some kind of Haribo gummy. We bring healthy options as well, but this treat is for them and it is strictly reserved for the trail.
(Photos: Carrying kids across a water crossing; Walking up a trail washout with the kids; Photo of Mt Rainier taken by 3 year old; 3 year old with a cell phone taking photos)
Tip 3: Create a story. This one is great with younger kids. It transforms the hike from "work" to an adventure. The trail is no longer something they're forced to go down, it's now a path to the dragon's lair or through the Mushroom Kingdom or to find fairies. Use your children's interests and build off of that. Give them challenges to perform along the way. Assign roles or characters to each of the people on your hike. For the young knights, they need to find a sword (a nice hiking stick perhaps?); a wizard needs a wand; ninja's have to have "ninja tricks" (pine cones/ a handful of pine needles/ a fancy rock- use what you see on the trail!) - just please remember to not pick anything and follow Leave No Trace principles.
Tip 4: This is great one for older kids, let them take photos! I've done this with my three year old even and have been amazed by the photos he's taken. It gives your child a chance to notice more around them and capture it with the click of a button (so much better than picking a wild flower that will wilt immediately; a photo of the flower will last forever!). You'll be able to see the world through their eyes and let them have some creative freedom on the trail.
Tip 5: Make it a scavenger hunt. You can do this with your story OR for your budding photographer. Have them find stuff along the way and point it out or snap a photo of it. For older kids, it's a great chance to learn to identify plants (check out the app Seek).
Tip 6: Let them set the pace. They're legs are small and they're taking twice as many steps (if not more) than the adults in the group, so make them trail leader and set your expectations of moving slower than you would on a kid-free hike. Trust me, it's the best way to get your kids to enjoy it with less whining!
Tip 7: Employ "power ups" I ALWAYS keep a colorful candy stashed in my pack. When kids start looking bored or losing motivation I start bringing out the energy boost and will assign a special power up to each color candy (again, creativity helps a lot here)! This is typically the candy they picked out prior to the hike.
For example:
Green = Speed boost
Blue = Silly walk
Red = lava mode, find a stone or log to stand on
Yellow = bunny hop
Tip 8: Don't force it. The goal is to get them to ENJOY nature, making it a forced march through the woods isn't fun for them. Set your level of expectation at an appropriate level and be okay with just getting them out. And remember, getting them to whatever destination is only HALF the battle... you have to get back to the car too - older kids can learn to embrace the challenge of a trudge back to the car after a long hike, but with younger ones be prepared to carry them when their legs tire out.
By letting your kids help plan for the adventure and use their imaginations along the trail, you'll be setting them up for a lifelong relationship with experiencing the outdoors and maintaining a sense of curiosity every time they're on the trail. They'll hike for miles when they're distracted by a good adventure quest narrative and you'll find them talking about their adventures for days after.
If you have any other tips and tricks or just want to share some of your trail experiences, I'd love to hear them! Leave a comment or email your adventures to kindermtn@gmail.com