If you are keen to take your children on their first walking trips you might be interested in a few tips. Hiking can be a great way for families to spend quality time together and also discover the wonders of nature.
1) Go easy: Make the walk easy-going and not too long when you first set out for a family walking outing. The walk should be about the adventure or experience and not just tacking up the miles. Select a trail that has various features your children might enjoy looking at such as flora and fauna and great scenery. Check out National Trust , National Parks and the National Geographic website for a good family hike.
2) Go slow: Children like to explore new environments, so let them wander and discover new things as you walk. Don’t focus so much on making it to the end of the trail or getting there in a set amount of time. The more the children are able to encounter and experience, the more likely they are to want to do it again.
3) Be prepared: It is important that you prepare for just about everything when going on a hiking trip. Some essentials include water, snacks, small first aid kit, waterproof jackets, map and compass and binoculars. Also make sure you’ve checked the weather beforehand. Selecting the ideal backpack is also important for storing all of your hiking necessities in. Craveonline.com, a website that posts travel stories from around the world, gives a review on a back pack for kids that could be used for hiking and for school.
4) Dress code: No matter how simplistic the hiking trail you’ve chosen, it is still important to dress accordingly. Wear layers for warmth and make sure you take spare clothes in case the weather changes. Another must is comfortable hiking shoes.
Beach walks can be lots of fun. Pic credit: Greg Clarke on Flickr Creatives
5) Fun times: Remember, most children have short attention spans and so looking at nothing but trees for miles on end can get boring. Therefore, you want to be prepared by having fun things that they can do together. Easy games to play while hiking include having a scavenger hunt or even playing I-spy.
6) Keep it tidy: Teach your children to do their part in keeping the environment safe and clean. When stopping to eat or even walking while snacking, be sure that you do not drop litter and take home all your rubbish.
Choose family friendly trails, such as Loch Ard Sculpture Trails, near Aberfoyle.
7) Snap happy: Take lots of photos of the walk so you look back and remember the enjoyable outing with your kids. They could start a digital photo album of their family walks.
* Thank you to Sara Stringer for collaborating on this useful post.