6 Tips to get your kids walking!
I’ve put together something a bit different this month, a reflection about one of my favourite things to do - walking! Before we got our first dog, we never walked anywhere. We used to live close to the city and didn’t even walk to the dairy down the road. Once we got our dog, Buffy, we discovered a whole new neighbourhood, and world. Our love of walking grew, and now we don’t think twice about it, regularly taking family walks and planning holidays around walking adventures.
I also really enjoy walking with the kids and the dogs. When I’m just by myself, I find I’m all up in my head and don’t pay attention to anything. When I have the dogs with me, they are usually off lead, so I’m a bit more present, making sure they are in sight and watching out for other dogs. I find when I’m walking with the dogs and kids that I’m the most present. I slow down and pay attention to my surroundings. We amble and look at everything - trees, hills, streams, sticks, pinecones, rocks, mushrooms, etc. All the things I would zoom past without even noticing. If I’ve planned well and packed enough snacks, it’s usually a lovely time out.
Walking with kids can be tricky though, I have had some quite unpleasant walks with Jensen (one such incident ended with me carrying him, the bike, and the dog over hot sand back to the car!). After years of practice, I’ve picked up a few tips to keep it fun and make sure everyone has a good time. I hope these tips help make walking with your kids (or just yourself) easier and inspire you to get out into nature more.
1. Try to walk regularly
Having a pet dog is a big responsibility, but the upside means we are out walking almost every day. There’s no way Jensen (or me!) could manage the hikes we do on holiday if we didn’t walk regularly. Before he was at school, we walked 2-3 times a week and now try to do at least one family walk on the weekend. Since it’s just something we do, he doesn’t often complain or question it. Of course, there are times he doesn’t want to go, but usually changes his mind by the time I’ve gotten to the top of the driveway.
2. Start small
We are fortunate to have beautiful off-leash trails around where we live (that’s why we moved here!). Before Jensen was born, and when he was small enough for the front pack, I would walk for about 1.5 hours with the dogs. I then tried to walk those same trails once he could accompany me on foot, and our outings turned into three hour plus adventures. We’d all get home exhausted and a bit stressed from rushing (and failing) to get around them. I then had the rather obvious thought that I could do a much shorter part of the trail. I would pick something that would take 25 minutes with the dogs and go at the pace Jensen wanted. Although we didn’t cover as much ground, the dogs were still loose for an hour, and when mummy isn’t rushing, everyone has a better time. We were then free to look at everything and take multiple snack breaks.
3. Pack snacks
And that brings us to tip number three, pack snacks! I always try to pack a yummy snack box for the kids (and me when I have time) and plan to take at least one break about halfway through the walk. We sit, chat, snack and recharge for the rest of the walk. I try not to bribe Jensen to walk with food (he’d be all over that in a hot minute and never walk anywhere again!), but packing a variety of yummy snacks does help with motivation. Some of our favourites are bliss balls, pretzels, chopped fruit, crackers, and popcorn. The dogs like the snack break too!
4. Have the right clothes and gear
This is where a little bit of preplanning helps make the walk the most fun. There have been many times when we’ve arrived somewhere forgotten Jensen’s gumboots, and there have been the best puddles for splashing in. When he was smaller, we got some great rain overalls just for splashing in puddles and always packed lots of layers in winter to stay warm. In summer, it means sunblock, hats, water bottles, and shoes for when the trails are too hot to walk on.
My Ergobaby front pack is also one of the best investments I’ve ever made. It’s six years old and has had a baby in it for hundreds of hours and is still going strong; I just love it (not affiliated at all!). I’m sure carriers have evolved in that time, but the one I have has been perfect for us. Jensen still went in it until he was about three years old, and Jamie spends a lot of time in there for school drop-offs and pickups. It really does distribute his weight well and makes him much easier to carry for extended amounts of time. We hiked 10kms last year, and I managed it no problem with Jamie in the front pack! We tried a few of the bigger hiking packs with Jensen but found they added too much extra weight. Once I figured out an easy way to get the front pack on my back with Jensen in it, we carried on using the Ergobaby even for big hikes as it was the most comfortable. My friend shared with me the great tip of laying the carrier on the bed/couch/car boot, laying Jensen onto that and then clipping it on around your waist and shoulders from there. That changed my life and meant once he was bigger, taking him out on my back was much easier, and he could see a lot more too.
5. Try not to rush
Back to the end of point two, plan ahead and try not to rush. Another obvious revelation I made is that when I rush, things actually go slower. The dogs sense it, the kids feel it and start acting up more and fighting me on everything. When I take a deep breath and calm down, then usually order restores itself, and the irony, things move faster! So if there isn’t enough time for a walk, maybe park a little further away from the playground instead. Use the stroll to the playground for your walk and save everyone’s sanity!
6. Use Games if motivation is lacking
Again I try not to bribe Jensen to walk as he’d work that for every penny it was worth. However, during one walk, I inadvertently made up a game where we’d count the steps then think of a person who was that age. He loved it! And now we still play that game every time we go to that trail. It’s a great one that goes down the side of a hill and back up, so there are many sets of short stairs and bridges. That’s another thing kids seem to love, stairs, boardwalks and bridges. Most of the time Jensen doesn’t need any motivation if the trail is varied and has something to explore. We walked Goldies Bush a few years ago, and he managed about 4km because he didn’t want to miss out on any of the stairs or bridges.
Another bonus of all our walking is all the areas we’ve explored locally and around the country. In 2018 we tried to walk a new place every month and had such a great time exploring by foot; we’ve kept it up and are now on our fourth year. Some of the fantastic places we have walked are Sanders Reserve in Auckland, the Quarry Track in Muriwai (that’s the one with all the stairs and bridges), Ōtuataua Stonefields in Auckland, Karangahake Gorge trails, and the breathtaking Yarndley’s Bush in Hamilton. All places we would never have visited if we weren’t on a walking mission.
I hope these tips help you get out there, move a bit more, and explore what your neighbourhood has to offer. There may be a fantastic park or track just around the corner. Walking is also an underrated form of exercise. Although it is low intensity, walking is still great for you and the kids. It benefits our cardiac health, improves mood, can prevent weight gain, and reduce the risk of cancer and chronic disease. We should all be walking more! I also find it great for clearing my head and problem-solving. Giving myself the space to put the phone away, think, and attempt to be present. Hopefully, I’m also passing on a lifelong love of walking and exploring to the kids too.
So let’s go hit the trails!
Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist or health professional. I have completed a certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from eCornell and have done in-depth research about plant-based living. The information I trust is mostly sourced from medical professionals that are leading the way in this plant-based revolution. Check out my recommended page for more info.
