We all have those days where we can barely muster the energy or willpower to get out the front door. With little ones in tow, it can take so much longer to leave the home – and the success in doing so can sometimes be short lived when you then combat your children’s protest!
Our advice is to not give up and to keep on trying.
Playing games or pausing for activities along your walk can be a wonderful way to keep children positive and motivated to keep moving.
Here are some fun and engaging activities for you to try together with your children whilst out for a walk.
Follow the Leader
While on your walk, nominate yourself as the Leader and ask your children to walk in a line behind you and to mimic what you do and how you move….
- Hop
- Skip
- Moooooove sloooowwwwwlyyyy
- Walk like you are on the moon
- Wave your arms
- Spin in a circle
Once they have the idea of the game, you can ask them to play the Leader. This is a great way to be silly with your children – they will love being in charge and watching you be silly copying what they do.
Go on a Scavenger hunt
Collect 3 things which fit these descriptions. Look for something that is: –
- Hard
- Soft
- Rough
- Smooth
- Bendy
- Knobbly
As an alternative to a traditional scavenger hunt, try making friends or family part of the adventure by asking them to text the list of things to find. Even better, how about making a video call to them before you head out and allow them to set your children the scavenger challenges.
You might even challenge other families to do the same and see who can complete the challenge in the quickest time.
Leaf threading
This is a really good way to engage your little ones with nature, whilst being creative and developing their motor skills.
On your walk, pick a stick and go hunting for the most interesting leaves (look for different colours, sizes, shapes), and simply thread the leaves onto your stick.
If you’re feeling really creative, bring your leaves home and turn your stick into a natural sewing needle with some thread.
Bark rubbings
Simply take some crayons and paper on your next walk outside. Find a good bumpy tree with interesting bark. Place the paper against the trunk and rub the crayon over the paper to make a print of the bark pattern.
Encourage your children to experiment with different trees, then take a look at the bark rubbings to see how they compare.
You can also collect things like twigs, leaves and pinecones and take them home with you to do your nature rubbings at home.
Treasure Map
Create a treasure map for some make-believe play. Follow ‘X Marks the Spot’ to their treasure.
Drawing some things to find along the way (a tree, fallen leaves, a bird, a puddle), is a great way to involve children in noticing their surroundings. Bring a pencil and leave them in charge of finding and ticking things off they follow their treasure map on your walk.
To make the adventure even more exciting, how about making some destination points along your route. Here you can hide some things for them to find (a ribbon in a tree, a toy dinosaur, a piece of fruit for their snack time). This is a great way of creating little breaks for those little legs that get tired.
I spy, alphabet game
Go through the alphabet saying things that you can see on you walk. For example: –
- A = acorn
- B = bird
- C = cloud
Some of the letters will be tricky!
Alternatively, try describing something that you can see, while the others try to guess what you are describing.
Matchbox Hike
Give your child a matchbox to take with you on your walk and ask them to fill it with tiny treasures from nature that they find along the way (a flower, an acorn, a feather). This is a great way to encourage them to admire the miniature wildlife and things in nature… you’ll also appreciate not having to carry home yet another pine cone!
Teddy Comes Too
Bringing Teddy on a walk can give children a great sense of responsibility. If they feel that they have a purpose, they are more likely to act with purpose. They might also enjoy showing or telling Teddy about all of the things that they encounter on their walk.