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Spending time outdoors is important for our physical and mental health. A country walk can be a great outdoor activity for keeping the entire family fit and taking in some amazing local scenery – and it doesn’t cost anything. Some kids will see it as an exciting adventure. However, others may not be so keen to go on a walk – they’d rather be playing video games in their room.
Encouraging kids to come on a walk may involve finding creative ways to make it more fun. Below are a few different ways in which you may be able to make country walks more exciting.
How To Make Country Walks More Fun For Kids
Play games as you explore
There are many games you can play that make a country walk more exciting such as I Spy or a scavenger hunt. These games won’t just provide a country walk with another purpose, but could be an educational opportunity to learn about the natural world. You’ll find outdoor learning activity sheets and booklets online that your child can use to play these games. You could even score points and make it a competitive activity.
Dress for adventure
Use a country walk as a chance to spark your child’s imagination. Treat it as a real life movie-style adventure and let your child dress up in fancy dress as their favourite character. They can then role-play as they walk – pretending to go on a quest to slay a dragon or exploring another planet. Alternatively, let them have fun choosing hats or backpacks for their adventure.
Give your child a camera
You could consider buying your child a disposable or digital camera and letting them take photographs along the way. It could be a chance for them to practise their photography skills and it could encourage them to take in their surroundings. You’ll also be left with an array of photos taken from their perspective that could be quite interesting to look for afterwards.
Plan little breaks along the way
Breaking up your walk with a few strategic stops could help to prevent getting bored half-way through. You could consider planning a route with a playground along the way. You could also consider taking some snacks or preparing a picnic and finding somewhere to stop and eat this en route. You could even stop for a pub lunch somewhere or find a cafe to grab some drinks and cakes. Aim to space out these stops evenly.
Integrate educational apps
While a country walk can be an opportunity to get kids away from screens, it’s also possible to integrate this technology if you think it might motivate kids to get outside. There are a number of apps that kids can use to identify plants or animals, acting as a digital scavenger hunt. These could be very educational for kids. This guide lists a few examples of apps that inspire kids to play outside.
Conclusion
There are many other ways to inspire kids to get outside. However, these above solutions could be worth trying initially. Don’t be afraid to put your own twist on some of these games and activities.
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