Hiking can be a year-round activity, but if you are heading out with young children you may want to avoid the height of summer unless you are heading to a shaded area with lots of trees to hide under.
There are so many trails to discover that it is easy to find one that will meet your family’s hiking level and needs, and of course, you can set your own pace and make a day of it, meet up with friends and you and the children won’t get bored.
This is certainly something I plan on doing more during the summer holidays, the kids loved it last year when we met up with Jaime and the boys to have a wonderful stroll around the lake – well until the heavens opened and it turned into a mini trot to the café and indoor play area instead.
Benefits of hiking as a family
It helps you to bond as a family. Children’s lives seem to be as scheduled as their parents these days with sports, playdates, and after school activities, whilst my kids have now stopped their swimming lessons they have replaced this after school activity with Beavers and Brownies.
Time as a family becomes limited in many cases and hiking brings you together for an adventure that everyone can enjoy and remember, and an added bonus is IT’S FREE.
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Exercise benefits
As with any activity that gets you moving and the kids outside and away from the television or computer, hiking on a regular basis is an opportunity to improve everyone’s overall fitness levels. It can be a healthy hobby for life.
If you want to get the kids moving even more, give them a pedometer or a fitness watch depending on their age and set them head to head to out step each other – Emmy and Harry have been known to run up and down the stairs and star jump to get more steps in than the other.
They will sleep well too which is a bonus for everyone.
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Nature appreciation
Trails offer a lot of opportunities for learning about nature with so much to see and watch that we don’t normally witness in our own gardens. Many trails will have nature boards up to tell you about that local area, the plants which are growing there and the wildlife you will see along the way.
This is a great way of teaching children about your local area and caring for plants and animals.
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Non- Competitive
Children play so many team-oriented sports that hiking is a refreshing activity to do just because it is done for fun and not to win. (forget what I said about the fitness trackers if this is your goal)
Take a Family Hike
What you will need
Family hiking doesn’t require a lot of fancy equipment or special skills. At minimum, you will need the following for a short hike.
- a good pair of trainers or hiking shoes
- weather appropriate clothing
- bug repellent spray
- water and snacks
- first aid kit (in case of a scrape or a bug bite)
- mobile phone in case of an emergency
You may also want to ensure there are toilet facilities on route as well if you are hiking with younger children
What to look for with the children
You can discover bugs, plants, birds, and wildlife. Different parts of a trail can have different environments such as lakes, meadows, and forests. Each environment will give you the opportunity to view the different plant, animal and insect life. Why not take a note book with you and write down all the different animals, plants you see or get the kids to sit down for a rest and sketch what they see, or take some photographs to print off for their homework journals so they can write about their adventures.
Just remember to set realistic goals when hiking with kids. They won’t be able to hike at a fast pace and their legs can tire easily.
Sometimes it is the simple things that are the most fun and memorable for children.
Author Bio:
Clare, is a Mummy to 2 whirlwinds – Emmy & Harry. She is a Former Nanny of 14 years prior to having her own children.
In a bid to keep sane she started blogging over at www.emmysmummy.com where she shares life’s adventures and misadventures, reviews, competitions and also where she writes her very popular blog series “Top Tips from a former Nanny”.
If life wasn’t crazy and busy enough she also blogs over at www.thismummysalwayswrite.com where she is trying to move away a little from sharing too much of the children’s lives and write for herself again. You can also find her over on Facebook, Twitter and Instragram.
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