The past one and a half years have been really stressful for all of us. Lockdown has indeed taken a toll on all of us. While most of us work from home, enjoying indoor activities with the family, outdoor fun is undoubtedly missed.
We never realized that we would miss hiking, swimming, and just playing field sports with our mates. From Maryland to Tennessee, plenty of hiking trails offer an intense yet entertaining activity for Americans.
Hiking – A Great Activity with Kids
Hiking can be done all year round, but summer mornings are a great time to enjoy and rediscover new trails. Most trails are full of flora and fauna, eye-captivating plantations, and lots of trees – this makes your trip even better.
While hiking alone can be fun on its own, going on a one-day trip with your kids can make it an entertaining venture. Your little ones can bring a fun side to the otherwise highly strenuous exercise.
This article will bring out some essential aspects of taking your children on a hiking trip.
Hiking Provides a Great Exercise Opportunity with Kids
How many times has your kid refused to come out for a run with you because of video games or any other activity? Probably more than once. However, when you plan a trip to the hills, it automatically intrigues the little souls.
Research has shown that spending time on the hills is exceptionally beneficial for the heart as you walk on an inclined path. It raises your heartbeat and strengthens your muscular system and heart health. Hiking with your family gets everyone up on their feet and enjoy scenic flora and fauna surrounding the beautiful hiking trails of the US.
Hiking Allows Modern Kids to Explore Nature
Trails provide many chances for learning about wildlife because there is so much to see and observe that we do not typically experience in our own gardens.
You may quickly uncover many sorts of bugs, plants, birds, and wildlife on various routes. Different sections of a path may have varying habitats, such as marshes, meadows, and woods.
Each atmosphere will provide you with the chance to teach your children in a way that is enjoyable for the entire family. You may also teach your children about these simple methods to conserve our woods.
Hiking Is a Great Bonding Experience with Kids
Nowadays, we are busy with our daily schedules. Going to work, school, and extracurricular activities. Obviously, it is impossible to halt your daily routine because we all are working to achieve great success. These hectic schedules limit family time and have completely changed the cultural values of every other American home.
However, hiking with your family can actually offer excellent family time together. You can set out on a Smokie Mountain vacation for a day of extreme fun, adventure, and exploring. Kids often open their feelings with their parents when out on an adventure like hiking. This will help you understand them better and know their nature.
Hiking Develops Problem Solving Skills in Children
Hiking is an excellent method to improve your problem-solving abilities and even teamwork. While hiking, you just don’t have to determine which path to go on the trail and how to avoid obstacles. Crossing water, getting through rocks, and avoiding fallen trees all take some critical thought – especially for little children.
These are fantastic teaching opportunities for smaller kids and opportunities to get feedback from everyone in your family. After you’ve reviewed all of your options, you may decide the best solution as a family and plan what’s better for all of you.
Hiking Will Give Kids Charge of Decisions
Allow the youngsters to control the pace and make some decisions along the way. Allow them to choose which path to go or where to eat lunch. They will automatically want to investigate their environment and look at new bugs, flowers, and birds. If they appear to become sidetracked on the path, you might bring a few toys for them to play with. Even better, see if kids can create their own inventions using just items found on the path, such as pebbles, twigs, and leaves. Just be sure not to waste anything.
Successfully Planning a Hike with Children
One of the quintessential things to consider when taking kids on a hike is to plan everything properly. Missing out on even the simplest of things will literally ruin the trip and make it uncomfortable. As you head out, make sure to plan the trip properly and pack these things before heading out.
Here are a few things to keep your trips child-friendly:
Keep It Flexible and Friendly
One of the best things you can do to hamper the entire trip is to call it a drill or an exercise session. Honestly, no kids like it. If you want your kids to enjoy hiking as much as you do, make the trip as fun as possible. Other than the ability to walk for a long time, here are some things that you can do to make the hiking trip fun:
- Introduce your kids to different plantations, flowers, and wildlife. Explain their existence, benefits, and origin along the way.
- Bird watching is also one of the meaningful activities to get your kids hooked on the trip.
- Create activities like rock/leaf collection or collecting different objects for a post-hike scrapbook.
- Take pictures by making various stops.
Bring Lots of Snacks
Kids love snacks – there is no questioning that. Hiking on a hot summer day can be pretty exhausting for adults, let alone kids. Ensure to keep enough fluids and snacks so whenever they want, you can hand them a pack. Packaged food is a good option because you really don’t want to feed them soggy sandwiches or an egg salad that has gone bad due to heat. Some things to pack are:
- Protein bars
- Juice boxes
- Healthy crackers
- Salty baked chips
- Plain water
- Popcorn
Proper Attire and Extra Dressing
Children may have a different body temperature than adults. While you are perfectly normal, your little one may feel hot (or cold). It is always a good idea to pack extra for yourself and your kid. The standard hiking attire consists of:
- Trainers (you can buy a good pair designed to hike from Nike, Adidas, or Reebok).
- Sweatshirts
- T-shirts
- Sweat pants
- Socks
Be sure to pack extra things like a raincoat, umbrellas, gloves and carry a spacious hiking bag. Also, carry:
- Extra face masks
- Hand sanitizers
- Alcohol swabs
- Plastic swabs
Conclusion
Hiking is a great way to boost your energy. When you are planning a hiking trip, make sure to follow all the COVID-19 SOPs. You can have a great bonding experience with your family while exercising. Just make sure to keep the trip fun, entertaining, and kid-friendly. For instance, if you plan to explore Pigeon Forge attractions while hiking through the trails, make sure to educate your kids in a fun manner about everything that exists there. The only way to make this trip fun is by making sure kids are actually enjoying it. Always pack enough snacks and fluids so that your kids don’t feel exhausted or tired during the hike.
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