On some of your trips, you’ll find that the scenery does all the talking for you. You keep your eyes up and stand in awe of something new around every corner. On other trips, you’ll get the dreaded “this is boring” from your hiking partners. Maybe you are in the middle of a vast forest without much variation, or maybe you have to stare at your feet to keep them dry. Let’s work on never letting your little one get that nasty B word in their head!
Be a Tracker
If the conditions are right, try combining staring at your feet with the ability to spot animal prints. Better yet, get all excited about animal scat. Kids love to say poop. An app or small field guide can help you both learn what animals left you clues, and you’ll both enjoy the mystery. What if you aren’t in an area with prints (or slow moving animals like the slug at left)?
Imaginary Tracker
Make your own! Pretend you’re following a giant, and make a new print every 10 yards. Maybe you design your own crazy animal as you walk, then draw the footprint in the trail. Take a picture to remember the animal, then rinse and repeat.
I Spy
This one is pretty obvious, but it’s not always very practical. “I spy something green” is off limits! But if there is enough variation along the trail, this game can help you spot the little details that are often overlooked. Think mushrooms, small flowers, fungi, and even some stones.
Sing Songs
I’ll admit this is my least favorite, but so many kids love to sing. Sing the story of your trip, sing songs you know, teach songs to each other, or go nuts with “99 trees on the side of the trail”.
Turn Back the Clock
Imagine the trail you’re hiking as it was 10 years ago. 100 years ago. 1000 years ago. How would you be different? What would your gear be like? Would the trees be different? Would there be more animals? Take advantage of the all the new knowledge you have from stopping to read all the signs!
Alphabet Game
Just like the classic road trip game, except the group needs to find something that starts with each letter of the alphabet in order. Aspen, Birch, Caterpillar, Dandelion, Egg, Fly, Grass, Heather…you get the idea.
Story Add-on
Plan your trip as you walk. Of course, not your real plan! One person starts the story (“We drove to the trailhead…”), and the next person adds on (“..and then we put on our backpacks and started walking…”), and the next person (“…but soon we found the trail was made of lava…”), and continue (“…so we paddled down the lava on boulders…”) until the story comes to an end (“…and we thanked Sasquatch for the ride back to our car.”).
Photo Time
Every 10 minutes (or 5 or 30), stop and take a picture. Look around and find the best scenery, switch up your poses, change clothes, include something you found on the trail, or otherwise mix it up between pictures. This is a great way to make sure you have lots of stories to tell when you get back home!
