Ideas for helping kids enjoy hikes and scouting new areas.

[CameronIdaho]

First off I'll admit, when my kids were younger I worked a job where I was always working overtime so I didn't go hunting as much. They've always enjoyed camping and stuff like that.

For some reason now this year my 7 and 5 year old are not huge into hiking. We've kept the hikes under 4 miles total. I also let them pick out some "hike snacks"(junk food they never get to eat any other time) on our way to the trail or back at a gas station. We make sure there's a big awesome thing at the top of the hike like a waterfall or such.

I've thought about getting back into Geocaching so theres a treasure hunt aspect.

I feel like my wife and I are very encouraging and and we take plenty of breaks so we often say we don't give up just take as many breaks as we need.

I also understand I can't force my kids like something that they don't. My wife and I could disappear in the mountains for days because we enjoy it so much.

Do you guys have any other ideas on how to help kids enjoy our hikes?

 

[honuswagner]

My kids are similar, it's like pulling teeth to get them outside, once they get out they love it. They all enjoy car camping, but hiking/backpacking not so much. Tough to get them to "hike", if I tell them we're going exploring I get a better response. Geocaching sounds like a good idea. I do the same thing with the junk food.

My 9 year old loves fishing, so I finally got him to backpack into some alpine lakes with me this spring. That got him hooked, now he loads up his pack with water bottles for weight to walk the dog so he can be in better shape for the next trip.

My 13 year old has no interest no matter what I do, I think in some cases it's just the way they are wired.

I think you're on the right track. Do whatever your can to make it enjoyable. Start out with short easy stuff, take your time getting there, have a destination (my kids don't like to hike just to hike).

This is a great topic, I'm interested to hear what others have to share.

 

[*zap*]

Make it fun, maybe bring along some of their friends, explain how them going helps you, fun destination(maybe a swim hole), you also might make 3-4 hikes a month 'mandatory'......a lesson in how to make the best out of things that we all must do.

 

[CameronIdaho]

Thanks for the advice so far guys. Yeah I think it could be interesting to keep this conversation going. I've been trying to make sure there is a fun destination everytime and I take advantage of their breaks to sit and glass. And Saturdays are actually the mandatory hike days already. My wife and I mental health is much better when we are outdoors so I joke that hiking is a prescription.

 

[menhaden_man]

I've got three (5, 7, 9) and we get out often... a few ideas to share:

1. Get them some cheap binoculars and a pack for their own "stuff," water, snacks, etc.

2. Pick up a critter ID book. I've got one for birds, but they've also got mixed bag ones with plants, reptiles, mammals, etc. There are even some phone aps now that use AI to identify plants based on leaves and such.

3. Grab a simple guide to animal footprints and scat. My middle boy loves checking out tracks and scat to try to figure out what it was. A small ruler is a must.

4. I've got one of those kid "smart watches" and my daughter likes seeing how far she walked (a step counter).

5. Let them tote a BB gun to shoot pine cones and such. Great way to teach hunter safety and carrying weapons in the woods. Also a great opportunity to teach them not to shoot anything that moves like we did back in the day. The Red Ryder types are like $30.

Lastly, some great advice a friend passed along to me... when we go fishing, he said to bring a bucket of rocks on the boat. Crazy how long kids can entertain themselves throwing rocks off a boat, but it's a true story. Good luck and keep them kids going! It's our next generation of outdoorsman and conservationists.

 

[justinspicher]

It was a lot easier when the kids were younger. Now that mine are teenagers it’s just not happening. I have learned not to force it. They don’t have a good time, I don’t have a good time and I end up in way more trouble than it’s worth with my wife. I’ll always ask though, even knowing the answer is no.

 

[Fatcamp]

Get a dang puppy. My kids love following that thing around.

 

[CameronIdaho]

I've got three (5, 7, 9) and we get out often... a few ideas to share:

1. Get them some cheap binoculars and a pack for their own "stuff," water, snacks, etc.

2. Pick up a critter ID book. I've got one for birds, but they've also got mixed bag ones with plants, reptiles, mammals, etc. There are even some phone aps now that use AI to identify plants based on leaves and such.

3. Grab a simple guide to animal footprints and scat. My middle boy loves checking out tracks and scat to try to figure out what it was. A small ruler is a must.

4. I've got one of those kid "smart watches" and my daughter likes seeing how far she walked (a step counter).

5. Let them tote a BB gun to shoot pine cones and such. Great way to teach hunter safety and carrying weapons in the woods. Also a great opportunity to teach them not to shoot anything that moves like we did back in the day. The Red Ryder types are like $30.

Lastly, some great advice a friend passed along to me... when we go fishing, he said to bring a bucket of rocks on the boat. Crazy how long kids can entertain themselves throwing rocks off a boat, but it's a true story. Good luck and keep them kids going! It's our next generation of outdoorsman and conservationists.

That's a lot of good advice! I was actually in process of looking at Hydration packs for them. Might be more fun if they have their own. Normally i pack water for every in my pack just so I can have weight in my pack.

Since my oldest was just a toddler, tossing rocks into water has been their past time. I agree, it makes no sense to me but they sure like it.

 

[CameronIdaho]

Our puppy ain't no puppy anymore. 6 year old great Dane but he accompanies us for all of our adventures.

 

[Akwoodchuck]

Give em a ton of sugar and turn em loose

Glacier hike last month with a 7, 9, 12, and 16 year old:

 

[CameronIdaho]

On top of the last like.

 

[menhaden_man]

That's a lot of good advice! I was actually in process of looking at Hydration packs for them. Might be more fun if they have their own. Normally i pack water for every in my pack just so I can have weight in my pack.

Since my oldest was just a toddler, tossing rocks into water has been their past time. I agree, it makes no sense to me but they sure like it.

Now we need a "how to get my wife to behave" thread - I've got the kids figured out, but this one eludes me!

 

[Terrapin]

Hiking and scouting are boring. My kids have grown up in the most beautiful places in the states and seen enough animals for two lifetimes... you couldn’t pay them enough to go hiking, scouting or hunting. Fortunately, they are both tremendous athletes and top of the class academically.

I guess what I’m saying is don’t force the issue. It might not be “their thing”. I think I may have hurt my relationship with my boys by having them go hunting/ hiking/ scouting/ fishing. I was to hardcore and they were not interested. Do the things they want to do and encourage their passions.

That being said, once they got girlfriends they suddenly wanted to go hiking... wanted to know about secluded waterfalls and mountain lakes. I drew them maps and a full can of bug spray... and non-breathable rain gear.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[CameronIdaho]

Hiking and scouting are boring. My kids have grown up in the most beautiful places in the states and seen enough animals for two lifetimes... you couldn’t pay them enough to go hiking, scouting or hunting. Fortunately, they are both tremendous athletes and top of the class academically.

I guess what I’m saying is don’t force the issue. It might not be “their thing”. I think I may have hurt my relationship with my boys by having them go hunting/ hiking/ scouting/ fishing. I was to hardcore and they were not interested. Do the things they want to do and encourage their passions.

That being said, once they got girlfriends they suddenly wanted to go hiking... wanted to know about secluded waterfalls and mountain lakes. I drew them maps and a full can of bug spray... and non-breathable rain gear.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks for the advice! Non breathable? Haha

I support them in their sports and their interests in video games, even if I can't get into it.

 

[Seth]

Some really good advice has been provided already. The identification of scat, tracks, scrapes and rubs was always interesting to my kids. And once we figured out what made the sign, we tried to figure out what it was doing and where it was going. Mine were more interested in off trail excursions, finding rocks, bugs, antlers, bones, or whatever “treasure” they came across. It is the journey, not the destination.

You mentioned video games. We implemented a rule several years ago.... screen time is earned. It’s a 2:1 outside time to screen time pricing model. Even if they don’t really want to hike or bike, they will go just to earn time. YMMV.

 

[Vids]

My kids (10,7,5) have been in the category of liking it but not enthused by it. We have an interesting dynamic right now that my 10 year old daughter is getting into it, 7 year old daughter is somewhere in the middle, and my 5 year old son gets discouraged easily and wants to quit.

We recently hiked in the Denver foothills (Green Mountain for those familiar). My son kept saying he was done with it, while my 10 year old was full of energy and wanted to summit. We pushed him on, I came up with the idea that we'd get ice cream on the way home if we summited. Boy, did that change the game. All of a sudden my daughters were working on him to keep going, and we ended up making it. At the end, my little man was extremely proud of himself. To me it's about more than hiking, I'm trying to teach him to face adversity and overcome it, one small step at a time.

My 10 year old daughter wants to hike one of the 14ers now. We have it set up that in two weeks the younger two will spend a day with their cousins while we tackle a 13er as a test run. Should go well, she's ready. Then we'll take on Grays/Torreys or Bierstadt in August. 2-3 years ago she wasn't interested in hiking at all, but now she is adamant that she wants to do a 14er.

Some takeaways from my experience: They like to have their own packs and camelbaks, and they like to load their own snacks for the hike. I fill their camelbaks for them, but let them choose their snacks. Keep it fun and don't push them too hard. We pushed my little guy, but only because we knew it was all mental, he was totally capable of making it. Keeping that carrot on the stick of the ice cream at the end, or a movie night with popcorn and ice cream goes a long way.

 

[CameronIdaho]

Thanks for even more ideas and your personal experiences.

I had never thought of having to earn the games. I despise most video games but I try to understand that they enjoy it and respect them. We normally just give them an hour per kid a day after they have chores done so they spend rest of the day finding other stuff outside to do and such.

On our last hike, I had a reward of if we made it then they get whatever candy and drink, and that got my 7 year old all hyped up. He then proceeded to help the 5 year old to stay motivated.

That's awesome that your eldest is wanting to do the big hikes!

 

[Vids]

That's awesome that your eldest is wanting to do the big hikes!

I'm stoked that she's interested now. Given where she was at a couple years ago, I thought she was never going to be into it. I don't push my kids into any certain activity, just expose them to different hobbies and help guide them along in whatever they take interest in. I think hearing Dad's stories about how good it feels when you've finished a big hike piqued her interest. Everyone on this board knows the feeling when Type 2 "fun" is over with, she wants to experience it now which is fantastic.

 

[huntabsarokee]

Some things I do with my 5, 9, and 12 year old are to let them pack their own snacks. They have small packs and hydration packs. Also bribe them with mountain house ice cream sandwiches. They only get those on hikes. I often make up a game where I pay them money for spotting certain animals. Like deer are .25, bear $1, and snakes $20 because my wife hates them. I try and change up the locations to and try to target some place they can play at. One time it was a large train tunnel that went through a mountain. The geocache thing works well too. The 5 year old has the best attitude and the 9 year old likes to give up after 2 miles. I also find that taking 1 or 2 often is better than all 3.

 

[Kentucky]

There is some good advice in this thread.

I worked a lot out of town, by product of that is kids spent most of time in town. When they were younger they sometimes wanted to go with me on weekend outings, then that just faded. You can’t make them, that’s the worst.

I have since quit my road job because of this. Myboys are 13 and 15 now, little one has some interest, big one has fun once he is out..
I just keep at it, if I can get them in the truck going somewhere they wanna go and then afterwards slip down to river for a bit, or look at a field, they bothe take short interest.. better than nothing,...

mans the rock thing, I skipped rocks for 1.5 hours yesterday evening with teenagers..