We’ve all heard them.
The grumblings and the mutterings as we make our way along the trail.
“I’m tired. I’m hungry. I’m bored.”
Coaxing a tired or bored child along can take the good out of the most beautiful walk.
Going for a stroll as a family is one of the simplest things we can do to get out and about together. It (usually) costs nothing and provides us with a dose of fresh air, exercise and hopefully, conversation.
But how can we encourage and enthuse the reluctant walkers in the family? How can we move past the complaints and have a happy time with our loved ones out in the great outdoors?
Here are a few ideas that might be just the ticket for giving a new lease of life to your family adventures.
Let the Children Choose
If you keep reading my posts, you’ll probably be sick of hearing me say this! But choice really does work like magic, as long as it’s appropriate.
Sometimes there may be a specific reason why you should go to a particular place for your walk. But other times, it doesn’t really matter.
When possible, let one of the children choose the location. If necessary, you could pick two options for them to select from.
This could work particularly well with an older child or teenager, who may be reluctant to leave whatever they’re doing to come along with the rest of the family.
Set a Target
A youth group near me recently set themselves the challenge of walking, cycling or scootering the distance from their home town in the west of Ireland to Tanzania. Tanzania was the base for a charity they had been supporting and fundraising for that year.
Over the course of one month, all the members kept track of how many kilometres they had covered whilst walking the dog, riding their scooters etc. It was amazing how quickly their distances added up as they kept track of their success on a virtual map.
Why not pick a destination that means something special to your family? It could be the home of a loved one, or a country that you would love to visit on a holiday one day.
There are plenty of walking apps such as MapmyWalk that can help you keep track of the distances covered.
Don’t forget to include the distances of every member of the family. For example, if a four-person family went for a 5km walk, consider yourselves to have covered 20km.
Make sure to mark your successes on a physical map too, so that the whole family can see how your “journey” is progressing.
A whole-family treat, perhaps with a theme connected to the destination, could be a special way to celebrate the end of the project.
Invite Friends
For younger children, having a walking companion of similar age opens up lots of new possibilities for exploring and playing as they go. Imaginary games can be sparked by the simplest of things that are found along the way.
For older children and teenagers, walks are a great chance to chat and catch up on news.
It’s perhaps not something to do all the time, but every now and then it’s no harm to ask your children to pick a friend to bring along with them.
You could even ask a whole family to come along sometimes.
Try a Photo Challenge
This is an easy activity to do with mobile phone cameras. Divide into teams, with each team needing a phone to use. Decide on a list of photo topics for your challenge, depending on where you are walking.
For example, in a forest, you might choose the following:
- a creature that lives in the forest
- a very tall tree
- a rock that looks like something else
- something orange
It can be fun to include prompts that involve team members doing particular things. More forest-based examples of this might involve team members:
- hugging a tree
- wearing something made from leaves
- climbing a tree
The challenge of making the list and taking the photos may provide enough interest for some families.
But if you choose to make this activity competitive, make sure you have all agreed ahead of time how the photos will be judged.
Do a Scavenger Hunt
A quick online search will throw up endless ideas for scavenger hunts.
Usually, these involve collecting certain items, or at least recording that you found them.
There are lots of really creative ideas around as well, such as sound scavenger hunts! It really is worthwhile to spend some time looking for ones that you think will suit your family. Why not get the whole family involved in helping to choose?
Stop and Play
Sometimes we forget that going for a “walk” doesn’t mean walking is the only thing we can do.
Don’t be afraid to stop walking and play chase, hide and seek or similar. You might even climb a tree along the way.
Some toys are appropriate and fun to bring along. A child might be much more excited about going for a walk if they know they can bring their scooter, kite or skipping rope.
Walks aren’t always about the destination, and the family fun you have along the way is just as important.
Identify Nature
As a parent, it’s well worth taking a little time to educate yourself about the local flora and fauna. There’s something very satisfying about teaching your child about the nature you see as you go.
Children are naturally fascinated by the world around them, so if you help them develop a love of nature at a young age, they will carry it with them into childhood.
Some good nature identification books are a great idea for families who like to get out and about. It’s great fun to be able to put a name to all the different things you see.
Is it just me that thinks if you want to learn something new, the best place to start is often with a children’s book?
The RSPB in the UK have a My First Book of…. series. Each book covers a different topic, such as mammals, minibeasts, the seashore, birds and trees. You can find them, and a wide range of other interesting titles in their online bookshop.
Set Up a Nature Table
As you go, you’re probably going to spot all sorts of interesting things.
Children love to hoard and collect. A special shell picked up on a beach trip might still be hanging round their room long after they’ve left home.
During my middle few years of primary school, we had a nature table at the back of the classroom. If we found anything in nature that fascinated us, we were encouraged to bring it in to display on the table. Pine cones, funny shaped stones and even weeds, all found their way into school over the years.
The nature table is a fun idea to adapt for home. You might not use an actual table, but a shelf or a windowsill would do just as well. Get the children to make a nice sign for it, and display your finds with pride!
Try to rotate the items regularly, and keep encouraging the children to keep their eyes peeled for fresh contributions.
East Tennessee Family Fun have a great article about setting up nature tables. Adapt the ideas to suit your own area.
Make Some Outdoor Art
Even if we live far inland, I’m sure we’re all familiar with the idea of people creating beautiful artwork on the beach. From sandcastles, to marriage proposals written in the sand, the beach is just begging for creativity.
You don’t have to go to the beach to create outdoor art though. Wherever you go for your walk, you will surely find some natural items to get creative with. Even on a suburban street, autumn leaves could be used to make a pretty “collage”.
Why not gather sticks to build some interesting structures? A bridge-building competition using sticks is sure to spark some healthy competition.
Pack a Picnic
A walk becomes a whole different experience when food is involved. Even if you only have a flask of tea and a couple of sandwiches, there is something special about sharing a meal outdoors.
If you get the children to help with the preparation and packing, a sense of anticipation will begin to build. It’s amazing how a bit of food can make a simple walk feel like a special day trip.
It’s a good idea to have a dedicated bag, basket or box for family picnics. Keep it stocked up constantly with the basics you will need, such as mugs, plates etc.
Wash everything and repack as soon as you get home so that it is ready for next time. Having the bag on hand and ready (apart from the food itself) means you are much more likely to pack a picnic on the spur of the moment.
Even more exciting is the prospect of cooking a meal while out and about. Depending on your location, this might involve an open fire, a disposable barbeque, or a simple camping stove.
We recently bought a Kelly Kettle with cooking add-ons that we plan to use for family picnics. It hasn’t been used yet, but I hope to review it here once we do.
If you are keen to do any outdoor cooking, make sure to research your local bye-laws to make sure you know what you can and cannot do in your area.
Go Foraging
Foraging also involves food, but you find it from nature as you go!
As a child, I used to love wandering up and down our lane picking blackberries from the hedgerows in the autumn. I took great pride in choosing the biggest and juiciest for my bucket.
My dad used to help me pick and cook mushrooms from our field. This could be potentially dangerous, but he knew exactly what he was doing.
If foraging is something you would like to try, make sure to do your research first. Find foraging reference books that are relevant to your local area and study them carefully. I would also recommend having a solid idea of what you are looking for before you set out.
Have a plan for what you will do with your foraged foods once you find them. For example, if you are foraging for nettles, it helps for the children to know that you will be making soup with them once you get home.
Pick Up Litter
Although this may not sound like the most exciting activity on the list, litter picking definitely provides a worthwhile focus while out on a walk.
You might be surprised at how satisfied your children feel after playing their part in cleaning up an area.
It’s a particularly nice thing to do in a place that you regularly go for walks. It shows your appreciation for the area, and helps to keep it pleasant for others to enjoy.
Make sure to provide everyone with suitable gloves if you decide to do this. If you plan to do it regularly, it might be worthwhile to invest in a few litter pickers. They are fun to use and keep things hygienic.
Make It Easy For Yourself
You might have hundreds of bright ideas for getting your family excited about going for a walk.
But what if the difficulty lies in simply getting everyone ready?
Sometimes the thought of getting sorted, dressed and out the door feels too overwhelming.
It’s hard to believe that there was once a time when my husband and I just threw on our coats and shoes, locked the door, and wandered off down the road.
Now there have to be multiple changes of clothes and footwear for everyone, as well as a travel potty, before we can move an inch. Oh, and snacks of course! Not to mention favourite toys in case of meltdowns.
There are all sorts of reasons why getting out the door can be tough. Here are two, and some ideas for simplifying things a little.
1. “I don’t know where everything is!”
As I’ve already mentioned, this is one of our biggest issues. I have had too many experiences of not having what I need when I need it.
For example, not having dry trousers for our boy because I thought “Oh, it’s dry today. He won’t be splashing in any puddles”. Of course, I had forgotten that it wasn’t dry the day before, and so the puddles were still there!
I have discovered that it helps to have everything prepared AFTER a walk rather than before it! I know, it sounds crazy. But bear with me.
Gather a few bags to have as your “outdoor bags”. They might be reusable shopping bags, canvas bags, anything really.
Then assign them each a purpose. One might be the “hats, scarves and gloves” bag. Another might be the “spare clothes” bag. You might have a bag full of nappy things.
Every time you have been out as a family, make sure that these bags are replenished. Different family members could have responsibility for different ones.
Then you can just grab the bags and throw them in the boot of the car, or pick and mix what you need from them if you are just walking locally.
I find it works better to have separate bags for each type of thing. I’ve wasted too much time rummaging through one enormous bag trying to find an elusive item!
This system means that you always have what you need when you need it. I’ve already mentioned the idea of having a picnic box or bag ready at all times.
2. “I’m sick of giving out to them!”
At the moment, walks with our three-year-old and four-month old are tough going. If we bring the buggy for the baby, our toddler insists on pushing it. As you can imagine, this isn’t always the most successful of operations!
We also have to work hard at keeping him relatively close to us, and safe. He is prone to running off in excitement to examine everything he sees.
These challenges are normal! Toddlers are programmed to explore, and this aspect of their development and personalities needs to be encouraged. However, it can be really frustrating for us as parents, especially when we’re out and about.
A certain amount of discipline is needed when out on walks. This ensures that children are kept safe, which is the most important thing at all times. However, if we try to control the children too much, they will get just as frustrated as us.
Family walks should be a fun time for everyone. We don’t want our little ones to associate going outside with always being in trouble.
So while I’m not saying to let children away with bad or dangerous behaviour, I am saying that a little forward planning can reduce the amount of stress involved for everyone.
For example, we now bring our baby in a carrier on my chest for walks. The temptation to push the buggy isn’t there anymore for our little boy, and so it doesn’t stress us, or him.
We also plan our walks to avoid busy roads. If we go to the beach or to the forest, it is possible to allow him much more freedom to play, explore and just be a toddler.
We are very fortunate to live in a beautiful, rural part of Ireland with a range of landscapes at our fingertips. I’m aware that not everyone has the option of being able to go to a wilder place. But it’s well worth doing some research and seeing if you can find a suitable park, for example, where the whole family can relax a little more.
The behavioural challenges in your family may be completely different. This can depend greatly on the age of your children. Whatever they are, it’s well worth spending a little time anticipating problems ahead of time. By doing this, you can reduce frustration for all the family.
Put Your Best Foot Forward
I hope that this post has inspired you to get out and about with your loved ones. Hopefully some of these ideas will work for you, and help you to create lots of fun outdoor memories.
Have you any activities that you love doing on walks with your family? Leave a comment and share your bright ideas!
