Walking with children can be a challenge so here are a couple of ways to keep them entertained and enthused as you drag them up the next Wainwright!
- Snacks! Food is a must when walking but with kids it’s a treat/reward that maybe they don’t get all the time. We tend to make banana cupcakes or flapjack to take on our long walks. The
children can be involved in making these the day before and know how good they taste so look forward to cake time. We take sweets that the kids can have whilst we walk along. Generally something they don’t get all the time so it makes it special - Do a Hunt. On shorter walks when we have time to potter about, we give them clipboards and tick sheets where they can go and find what they need on the worksheet. Normally they end up running a head in a bid to find the next item/clue.
- Let them lead the way. Children love to be in control and there is nothing better than thinking you are the leader. Our children take it in turns to hold the map, discuss the route and take us up the hill/along the path. They also get a sense of how to map read as well – a bit of added learning and they have no idea!
- Taking pictures. We do this in two ways. Firstly, by giving them the camera and them looking for and finding interesting views/items/animals to take pictures of and secondly, we take selfies. Every walk we do we take group selfies so we find lovely/unique places to take the pictures and get the children involved.
- Practical things to take – spare clothes! Yes of course the children are layered up in the same way we are (see what to wear!) but kids get muddy no matter what! We take spare socks, pants and trousers, and a teatowel or 2 in a bag at the bottom of the rucksack. This comes in handy when they paddle in streams or tarns!
- Have fun and go at their pace with A LOT of stops. We find that the first 2 miles the children are up for everything, walking, clambering, climbing, pretty much running with the excitement at something new so we go with it; knowing that the last mile will not be like that at all.
- If you have kids under 5 that you are trying to get into walking then start short and flat. A couple of miles wandering along a river where they can throw stones into, pick dandelions, find funny shaped sticks or paddle will give them a little joy and contentment along with some exercise and get them used to longer walks. An added bonus of the walk finishing at an ice-cream shop or playground would be wonderful.
You will be surprised with how far your children walk. We went from walking 2-3 miles to hiking 7-8 miles within the space of 10 walks and the children love the views, the noises the waterfalls make, the stories we make up and they love the sense of accomplishment it gives them.
Happy walking!
Tag us in your journeys on Social Media @EyeOnCumbria #EyeOnCumbria
