To get your kids excited about hiking
“Mooom, I’m too tired!” Sound familiar? Our kids have their moments too—whining, dragging their feet, or asking to be carried. But over time, we’ve discovered a few fun tricks to keep them motivated and moving. Here are our favorite ways to make hiking more fun for little adventurers:
Ditch Games
Many forest trails have small ditches or rain channels running alongside or across the path. We let the kids decide how the grown-ups have to cross them. Is there lava inside, so you have to leap over? Or maybe it’s filled with glue, and you get stuck? We’ve had ditches full of electric shocks, sticky snail slime, candy, or even poison. Their imaginations take over—and the hike becomes an adventure! 🙂
Trail Marker Hunt
“Who can spot the next trail marker first?” Suddenly, the kids are scanning trees and rocks, focused on the next blaze or sign instead of how tired they are. It works great with waymarkers, arrows, or even painted symbols along the trail.
Building Beds for Forest Fairies
This idea actually came from our son. We collect moss, leaves, and little natural treasures to build soft beds for forest fairies—usually on top of a rock or tree stump. We often carry a small pouch so the kids can gather things as we go. It turns the hike into a little nature scavenger hunt.
Leaf Tickles
The kids grab a leaf or blade of grass and sneak up to tickle mom or dad’s legs. The grown-ups have to laugh, giggle, scream, or run away—and the kids come chasing after, laughing the whole time. Before you know it, you’ve made it up another hill without anyone noticing.
Storytelling Magic
This classic never fails—worked on me when I was a kid, too! Whether you make up your own stories (forest fairies are a big hit with us), tell fairy tales, or act out a Paw Patrol mission, storytelling sparks kids’ imaginations and keeps them too engaged to notice the miles flying by.
