Hiking with Kids: Use All Five Senses

Enjoy the woods while hiking with kids! The idea of getting dirty, exploring new trails, and searching for wildlife, appeals to the inner child in most of us. Granted, kids can take longer than their fitness-focused adult counterparts, but that is usually because they have different goals. Kids seek adventures and their curiosity and imagination could probably teach adults a thing or two about trail appreciation. They are a lot closer to the ground. They will point out fungus, moss or insects that you will never see. Encourage their natural imagination. Set out on your hiking with kids excursion and the world becomes an exciting and magical place, where dried-up riverbeds become dinosaur grounds, ordinary mud becomes quicksand, and tree roots turn into crocodiles. Nature inspires creativity in a child by demanding visualization and the full use of the senses.

Kids are hands-on learners, so appeal to sights, sound, scent, touch and taste. Feel the texture of leaves or moss, smell the mud and listen with eyes closed to the sounds of wind. Lie on your back to observe clouds and make pictures from them, or taste the rain. For younger kids, tape together two empty toilet paper rolls and tie a string for first “binoculars.” They help to focus on just one bird in the bush or one fuzzy caterpillar. Older kids might like a scavenger hunt with items such as “Catch a smell. What is it?” Here are some fun games to help you enjoy your experience in the wilderness when hiking with kids.