Make it Fun
Kids like fun. Hiking can be very much like that dreaded road trip where you hear “are we there yet?” every 5 minutes for the next three hours. There are ways to make hiking more enjoyable, for those just starting out. Before long your kids will come to love and appreciate it for what at great experience it actually is and your effort will no longer be needed. Sometimes however they need that little bit of extra motivation to find the joy.
Play Games
Games like Eye Spy, or spot the wild life are great. If you are playing Eye Spy with little ones you could use colors instead of letter. On our last hike we played count how many kangaroos you can see. The thrill of that is wearing off now that we live with them in our back yard. Now they play count the dead kangaroos on the way to the store. It’s kind of morbid.
If you are super organised your kids will love a scavenger hunt to do a long the way. There are fantastic pre-made ones on Pinterest that you just have to print off. I love it when someone else does all the work for me and I can take the credit for being super mom. Scavenger hunts will keep them interested for a prolonged period of time as it is something that requires constant observation. I have found that a really great extension on the hiking scavenger hunt to to arm the kids with a camera to capture each item. A simple point and shoot camera is all you need or if you are feeling brave enough offer them your phone. I really like this camera here, it produces a quality photo, easy for kids to manage but not being too pricy that you are going to cry if they accidentally drop it. I have looked into purpose made children’s cameras but they are just not up to the job. They are to bulky, and produce a mediocre image at best. Invest in a cheap but quality point and shoot camera and you will get much more for your money.
A camera is also a brilliant way for kids to stay interested and motivated as they hike and capture images at the same time. I love that it encourages them to look around themselves and find the things they they find interesting and beautiful as opposed to staring at their feet complaining. It really does grow their love of the outdoors and nature.
Bingo is also a long the lines of a scavenger hunt. Make it a challenge to see who can get BINGO first in the family. Bring a long a small candy bar or treat for the winner.
Pack Snacks
No one and I mean no one wants to be around hungry children on a hike. Pack snacks and then double what you packed. You can never have enough snacks.
Some of our favourite snacks include:
- Granola, we particularly love the kind that has M & M’s in it. Person preference but chocolate is going to make everyone happy.
- Nuts: I try to get the ones that are unsalted because I don’t want everyone becoming more thirsty that necessary. Did you know that’s why they have salted peanuts at bars? so you drink more. Almonds, cashews, macadamias, and hazelnuts are all delicious.
- Granola bars: Any kind you and they kids enjoy. These are easy to eat while walking.
- Dried Fruit: Dried fruit are deliciously sweet and can give you that energy boost you need towards the end.
- Sandwiches: Try not to pack lunch meats or fillings that need refrigeration. A plain old pb and j is just fine.
- Frozen yoghurt pouches: I pack these to eat about half way through our hikes. Once we have walked for an hour or so they have defrosted somewhat and are the perfect cool down snack. Plus even if they aren’t completely thawed out, kids like frozen yoghurt.
On longer hikes we have taken thermos’s filled with a warm and filling meal. Once we reach the summit of a big climb, especially on a chilly day there is nothing more divine than chowing down on some piping hot chilli or in my kids case hot dogs. We use these super cute thermos for our kids, you can also get them in just plain colours (husband is not so keen on taking a My Little Pony Thermos to work…who would have guessed? )They also keep food cold forever, so you can put it cold meats, chicken, fruit salad, and other things you may want to take that need to be cold or just taste better cold.
Some ideas to put in a thermos :
- Hot dogs: My kids personal favorite. Simply take up the hot dog rolls and little containers of mustard, ketchup and cheese and you will be winning.
- Chicken Nuggets or chicken strips: The key to keeping them crunchy is to put a piece of paper towel in the bottom of the thermos.
- Chilli: Hot chilli, on the top of the mountain on a cold day is the best.
- Left over dinner: A lot of times I will just throw whatever we had for dinner the night before in the thermos.
- Grilled Chicken: I really love a good salad but I also want meat on it. A thermos will keep it either hot or cold me me. You can also add it to a burrito bowl or wrap.
I tend to pack my kids lunches and snacks in a lunchbox for each of them to carry in their packs. Other parents like to just carry all the food themselves. It is totally up to you. If you are more inclined to have them carry their own lunches I really love these bento lunch boxes. The winning feature is that they are air tight and leakproof. That means that you can pack liquids and it’s not going to spill every where. The different compartments makes it not nice not to have to carry up lots of extra plastic bags or trash and the food doesn’t get all mixed together. A true gem for my kid that doesn’t like his food to mix…. They are just great lunch boxes for every day use too.
Comfortable Clothing
Comfortable clothing is imperative when it comes to hiking with kids. Dress them in layers that are light and easy to remove. A tee shirt and shorts are usually perfectly fine in warmer temperatures with a light long sleeved tee or sweater to put on if it gets chilly.
My daughter finds shorts annoying to hike in and much prefers to hike in tights or activewear. I can understand her frustrations as it annoys me also.
Zip off pants are a really great idea, like these ones. They are light weight, breathable and quick drying too. Which makes them the ideal Summer hiking pant.
If you are hiking in the cooler months you will want to wear longer pants, if it is very cold, fleece lined, water proof pants are a must. These ones here will keep the kids nice and warm. Pants like these can be entirely unisex so they will last a few kids if they are looked after well.
If you are hiking for long periods or on a regular basis invest in some hiking boots for your kids. They are really worth it if you are going to hike more than once or twice a year. Head over to this resource to help you better understand what kind of hiking shoe to purchase and why it is really quite important.
Choose Your Trail Wisely
The trail you choose will greatly influence the type of experience you and your children have.
When you have particularly young children you are going to want to look for a well used trail that is relatively flat. It is going to be so much harder for them to hike up hill on those little legs.
Once your children are a little older you can venture out to something with more of and incline and trickier terrain.
The best trails have something “special” at the end point. Children are going to really enjoy hiking a lot more if they are hiking to something rather than just walking around a track and back again, no matter how pretty it might be.
If it is a warm day, hikes that end at a waterfall or swimming hole are the best. Or even better if you get to hike through water at some point. My mind goes to The Narrows at Zion National Park here.
Carry a First Aid Kit
A first aid kit is somewhat vital when you have kids and even more so on a hiking trail. It doesn’t need to be a large comprehensive kit at all though. Something like this one on Amazon is perfect. It is small enough to fit easily into your back pack and contains all the essentials you may need. When you aren’t hiking it can double as your car first aid kit.
Pray you never need it, but you probably will.
Pick the Right Weather
The weather is sometimes a make or break when it comes to hiking. Too hot and you are going to feel like you are melting. It can also be dangerous for young children to hike on hot days. This is because they are more prone to heat stroke. My eight year old is particularly prone to heatstroke and it is something that I need to be very vigilant about.
The colder weather while not as dangerous to your health can be somewhat miserable at times if you are not properly clothed. If you are hiking in winter be sure to wear warm under layers. Winter hiking also brings with it the increased danger of falls from, ice and wet surfaces. Hiking boots can prevent this in part but it is still a concern.
The idea time to hike would be in Spring and Autumn. These are months where the weather extremes are not as present. However that is not to say don’t hike at other times of the year, just be a bit more aware of the dangers and take appropriate precautions.
Wind is also a nasty culprit that can really ruin your hiking experience. Just don’t go if it’s blow gale force winds.
Start Small
Little legs need little starts. Choose a hike that will be easy and manageable for your children. Let them gain confidence and build up stamina slowly. When they have had a few hikes to get used to the pace and what to expect then start to increase the difficulty and the distance.
We took our then 2, 4, 5 year olds to hike Delicate Arch in Arches National Park. It is not the hike for the faint hearted or for young children due to its steep incline and length. There were definitely a lot of children on the hike but I am pretty sure ours were the youngest that day.
The preparation for that hike took months as we built them up to be able to hike that far and to strengthen their legs. They loved it! They hiked the entire way themselves, carrying their own water and backpacks. The adults along the way cheered them on giving them high fives as they passed. They loved the achievement and still talk about it to this day. We took them to Disneyland, Universal Studios and on a cruise in the same week but this was the best part of the whole vacation.
Stop Often
This is a given. It is going to take you twice as long if not more to get anywhere with kids. It is just like life in general.
You will need to make lots of stops and breaks along the way. Try not to make them feel bad about needing to stop. If you use phrases like “Wow, you are right this is really exhausting a break is a good idea” Or “I can see how hard you are you are working to keep going” this will usually result in a lot less breaks as it assures them that this is hard work and it is okay to be tired but we can push on. It works a lot better than “really? we just stopped 5 minutes ago” Which is sometimes what you are actually thinking.
Don’t forget the most important stop of all! The toilet stop. Go right before you start the trail. Kids have small bladders and they are not the best at holding it.
Hiking Carriers
If you are wanting to take your little ones hiking with you, you definitely want to invest carrier to suit their age. This post here will walk you through the in’s and out’s of hiking with little ones who need to be in carriers and which ones are best for each age.
A hiking carrier will let you go longer and further that what you would accomplish with the very young crowd. They will love being immersed in nature and being close to mom or dad as they explore all from the comfort and safety of a carrier.
