Want to get your family outdoors, but not sure where to start?
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Below, we share some tips on how to start enjoying outdoor activities as a family.
Start with short walks/hikes outside on a regular basis.
The easiest first step is to just get out for fresh air and go for a walk – even if it’s just around the neighborhood or to the local park. It doesn’t require any equipment. Just put on some shoes and go outside!
The important thing here is exposure and consistency. Get your children accustomed to the sights, sounds, and smells of how it feels to be outdoors (ideally, away from the honk and noise of cars and busy life passing by!). When it becomes a part of your normal schedule, it becomes a non-negotiable part of your life.
The goal here is to enjoy spending time adventuring together as a family and no one would dare miss it!
To make a little walk/hike feel special, try giving your outing a special name.
Our kids love going on “treasure hunts” to find snail shells, shiny rocks, rosemary and thyme on a trail just a few blocks from our house. These are common things we find in our area – what are common things you’d see that are unique to your area?
If you have an iPhone, we highly recommend checking out the free Seek by iNaturalist app created just for kids and families. Allowing the app to know your location, it shows the types of animals and plants you’d likely spot in your area. You can learn about each animal with their database and if you’re not sure what a plant or animal is, you can use their in-app camera to capture a shot and it can identify it for you!
Stop and smell the roses – Remember, it’s all about the journey, not the destination
Depending on the age of your kid(s), make sure to keep the length of time and distance appropriate to your child’s age and physical ability (some are stronger than others).
Allow your child to stop, explore and ask questions. Our children love to spy, point out and learn more about moss, lichen, mushrooms, flowers, bugs (including dung beetles!), etc, and we want to nurture that curiosity. They love comparing and contrasting the wetness and springiness (is that a word?! Or did I just make that up?) of moss to the dry, crackly lichen.
When kids point things out, encourage them to take a closer look. Ask them why they think something is the way it is. Foster their ability to ask questions and think. You’ll likely be surprised by your toddler(s) / young children.
Create a weekly activity chart with your kids
As an arts and crafts activity you can do together with your kids, create a fun weekly activity chart and add an outdoors activity several times a week.
Check out this blog post on how we came up with the idea and see how our masterpiece turned out for us!
If you’re interested in a printable version of our weekly activity chart that you can print and customize for your child, send us a message. We have one in the works, and we can notify you once it’s ready. We are working on creating various family resources and are constantly prioritizing and re-prioritizing our projects based on what our community needs. We love hearing from you so don’t be shy!
Mix it up and explore new areas
Bored with going on the same walks over and over again? Change it up one weekend and explore a new area, even if it means needing to get into the car and driving some distance to get there.
If you have a state/national park nearby, ask them for recommendations for a route with children. Try joining a local hiking group specifically for families (you get the benefit of learning about new trails and meeting like-minded families!).
Since Google is my faithful, best friend, I’d be remiss not to suggest asking Google to give you ideas for “easy hiking trails + (name of the city where you live)” and we’re sure tons of options will pop up!
If you’re going to explore a new area, make sure you know how far the parking is from the trailhead. If it’s not doable for children, if possible, consider dropping the kids closer with one adult, and then parking the car and meeting up with them. This is especially important for the littlest ones who won’t last as long and you don’t want to waste their energy walking from the car to the trailhead.
Remember food, water and other essentials
Remember to bring sufficient water, snacks or even a full-on picnic to munch on along the way, especially if you find a nice area to rest in.
Hungry kids = Grouchy, complaining kids. Keep them fed, hydrated and in a comfortable state (not too hot or cold).
Essentials to pack for a walk/day hike
- Comfortable shoes with traction. No, you don’t need special hiking boots with ankle support. Unless you have weak ankles, are doing harder trails with scrambling or scree and want to protect your ankles from rolling, a pair of running shoes will do just fine (heck, I even hike in Tevas, Chacos, and other comfortable sandals like my Merrell’s since I hate socks!).
- Cap and sunglasses
- Sunblock
- Thin long sleeve layer (or other appropriate cold weather layer) in case of change in temperature (being in the shade can feel many degrees colder, especially if you’re hiking where it’s moist)
- Comfortable pants for walking. Can be exercise pants, track pants, hiking zip off pants, anything that is comfortable, won’t chafe or cause overheating.
- Small rucksack to carry extra layers, food, water and other necessary items (e.g. first aid kit for longer outings)
- Anything lightweight like this foldable picnic blanket**should do. We also have this one** that’s softer (has a fleece like feel) but it’s thicker and heavier.
- For those who already carry or want to consider carrying their child, consider a wrap like this** for babies or a lightweight portable Boba air** for short hikes (we got this in cobalt blue and love that it folds into itself for storage!).
- For something more comfortable, try the Onya baby outback**(we got this in a forest green color and also purchased the organic baby booster).
- For more support on longer hikes, we suggest the Deuter Kid Comfort Series** child carriers. We have the I and the III. The I is lightweight and perfect for smaller frames or those who want something that isn’t too bulky. There is a suncover available for purchase separately and it slides right into a pair of slots on the frame. The III is super comfortable with lots of features, though this adds some weight to it. It has more cushion for both the child and the adult (the child even has a removable pillow), comes with pockets in the waistband to store things you need quick access to, a mirror so you can take a peek at your little one, and has a built-in sun cover that is zipped into the frame. Both are very sturdy and made of high quality materials. We imagine these will be passed down through several families before meeting the end of its lifespan! We were gifted the first carrier and we purchased the other. Although we believe it’s absolutely worth the investment, these are pretty pricey so we highly recommend checking around for one second hand on NextDoor, Craigslist, your local second hand store, etc as you can score a good deal on one.
If you want some recommendations on how to motivate and entertain your kids while hiking, check out these ideas here.
What activities have you tried to get the family outdoors? What have been the biggest challenges? Let us know in the comments below. We love hearing from you!
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