8 Amazing Tips to Train Kids for Hiking

The idea of taking my kids on a hike came to my mind, fortunately just when my daughter Claire had learned to take baby steps. You might wonder if I could always take my baby (& later babies) to parks and picnic spots and why I wanted to plan a hike with them.

Well, it’s because hiking is an activity that can take kids closer to nature and let them breathe in more fresh air. But since hiking is also a more tiring activity, I had to use a lot of creativity and train my children for it. But the journey (of training my kids for hiking) was amazing.

Since hiking is a more tiring activity, we first have to prepare and train our children for a hiking experience. This is a topic I have covered previously.

Today, i am going to share with you my favorite hiking tips of all time for parents planning their first hike with kids.

Without further ado…

1. Start Them Young

As I said earlier, my daughter was very young when I planned to take her on a hike with us. The younger your child, the earlier would they be prepared for hiking (if you take them on a hike). If they are babies, that’s even better.

This way, you can make hiking a normal weekend activity in their view. Claire got so used to hiking that if on a weekend we stayed at home, she would get pretty upset. Don’t be afraid of whether your child can walk so long or not. You’ll be surprised to see what they can do.

2. Let Them Plan the Hike

When our kids grew up enough to make suggestions, I assigned them the task of planning a hike. Here you should maintain the delicate balance between actually planning the hike yourself and making them feel that they’ve planned the trip and everything is happening according to their wish – they’re not being dragged into it.

Ask them if they want to explore a cave or walk along the river and fish on the way or collect wildflowers in as many colors as possible in the forest!

While Claire planned a hike for the first time, to the Hanging Lake in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, we were around her acting as helpers to give tips and suggestions. But we let her make the final decision. So she was proud that she’d planned the hike and had thoroughly enjoyed the trip.

3. Let Them Walk

When we go on a family hiking trip, we always make our kids walk as much as they can. It’s important not to let your heart cry. When your child takes just a few steps, do not to carry them.

They should get habituated to walking. If they realize that you feel bad for them when they walk, they’ll think that walking is indeed a bad activity that they shouldn’t do and they will expect you to carry them. On the contrary, they should realize that walking and hiking are fun activities, and they should continue them.

4. Give Them Tasks to Do

Children love taking responsibility. That way their self-esteem is built up and they feel confident. We let our children perform small tasks. This may include leading the group, carrying a set of lightweight items such as food items distributing food to everyone in the group after a given time interval, etc.

5. Let Them Play and Have Fun

While hiking, we find safe and suitable spaces, take breaks at regular intervals, and let kids have fun.

We don’t stop them from doing what they want to do provided they shouldn’t be out of our sight. It’s a good idea to take such ‘game breaks’ often so kids feel that they get to play a lot on a hiking trip. Next time they’ll be more enthusiastic about the adventure.

Getting the right boots on little feet makes every trail after it a better one. Hence, I cannot stress enough how important it is to choose the right kids’ hiking boots. This is a lot more straightforward when you know exactly what to look for, which is why i created this guide to help you.

Moving on…

6. Let Them Rest

Rest is essential for everyone including children. If children keep on doing something or the other or playing, they will soon be tired and will lose interest. So, we essentially give our kids enough time to rest.

If you have more ideas to train kids and keep them entertained on hiking trips, do let me know. Once your children start hiking regularly, you’ll be amazed to see their improved physical and mental health. It’s my own first-hand experience!

7. Teach Them to Leave No Traces

Children should have fun on the trip. Fun, you should teach them to be disciplined too. Teach them to dispose of trash properly, do ablution responsibly, respect and not harm the flora and fauna, and be considerate to fellow hikers.

Taking your family on a hike is one thing, but leaving the environment exactly as you found it is the part that actually makes you an adventurer worth looking up to. If you are grappling with how to go about imbibing this culture in your routine, you can read our guide on the topic. We all want the nostalgic paths we have trailed to inspire the generations to come. So why not do something today to get it right the first time?

8. Carry a Lot of Healthy Foods and Treats

The food you carry on a hiking trip should be a good mix of healthy foods and treats. To maintain stamina while hiking, they should eat healthily. Mine love my Homemade Trail Mix Recipe.

You can use your creativity to find even more ways to train your kids and keep them entertained on hiking trips. Once they start hiking regularly, you’ll be amazed at their improved physical and mental health! Hiking kids are healthier both in mind and body.

With this, I have come to the end of my favorite kid hiking tips that I swear by. If you have experience hiking with toddlers, or kids of any age, share your experiences in the comments below.

Who knows?

You might have the insight that changes a kids perception for the better…