Viewing Mum and Dad as friends rather than the Fun Police; that’s what an outdoor adventure can mean to a young mind. Here’s how to sow those seeds in the next generation
1 Be Young at Heart
There’s no point droning on about the pleasures of fresh air and exercise: kids don’t have your time-constraint issues so they don’t see the big deal. And they run a lot anyway. So think as they do: it’s not a walk, it’s an adventure: a story with them as the hero.
2 Aim high
Kids love the idea of climbing big hills, but making a beeline for Snowdon (3,561ft) is more likely to exhaust than inspire them. Head for little mountains first (see our suggestions on page 10).
3 Show them the plan
Show the children where you’re going and let them follow the route. Let them use the GPS if
you have one, or draw them their own simplified ‘treasure map’, which includes things to
look out for along the way.
4 Go big on the small things
Ban boredom by making sure there’s plenty to look at. Grown-ups love massive views but kids aren’t as impressed by them. Think small-scale: climbable trees, paddleable streams, stone-skimming lakes, mini-beasts… or delight the dinosaur junkies with the fossil-rich coasts of Dorset or Yorkshire.
5 Celebrate success
Make it special afterwards by handing out semi-official looking certificates. Even basic desktop publishing skills should be able to create an impressive-looking document, which kids will love. Take hero pictures on summits or up trees, and stick them on the fridge door to remind them of the fun they had. And remember to praise their efforts throughout the journey and heap it on when they finish.
6 Invest in kit
Proper boots, decent waterproofs and a backpack they love (like this Fjallraven Kanken) are a small price to pay for hours of happy family fun, and cold, wet kids are infinitely harder to motivate than warm, dry ones. Most big brands make brilliant kids’ gear at very reasonable prices. Mini-rucksacks, fleeces and boots all give children the sense that they ‘belong’ to this bunch of walkers, and that a walk is something special.
7 Don’t go crazy!
In the early days, keep walks short and don’t stretch their little legs too far. Three miles is the upper limit initially. They’ll soon build up stamina to tackle longer walks.
8 End at a reward
Walk to an ice cream! Plan ahead for the bribe: make sure there’s a shop at the end of the walk – and that you reach it before closing time! Trails that end at an adventure playground also work well – we love the one on the Chatsworth estate in Derbyshire. For older children, the Go Ape treetop challenges across the UK’s forests are a thrilling reward. Or maybe just seek out a simple pub with a climbing frame. It all works!
9 Send them packing
Forget rucksack efficiency and minimising weight… let children pack their own rucksack with a few bits and pieces and a handful of sweets. It will make them feel important. Like proper explorersAnd if Sidney the Stuffed Elephant has to come too, so be it.
10 Bribes on the way
Make sure you have an endless supply of sweets, chocolates, snacks and crisps to keep blood sugar levels high and provide incentives to reach the next stile, summit or waypoint. Keep a few tricks up your sleeve – the stile fairies were everywhere when we were kids, leaving packets of raisins or the odd jelly baby on upcoming stiles when we weren’t looking.
11 Explore a good book
Many classic children’s books are about young people exploring woods, hills and lakes. The heroes of the Famous Five stories, Swallows and Amazons, Stig of the Dump and The Lone Pine Five plant the seed that the outdoors is for exploring – and then there’s Beatrix Potter, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings….
12 Give THEM a goal
Make a list of things for children to find (or make it up as you go along). Tailor a list to each child or let them compete to spot things first. The RSPB’s books and website can help with lists
– see www.rspb.org.uk.
13 Give Them a Job
Nominate a snack monitor, responsible for doling out the treats to the rest of the team; or a Chief Navigator to announce direction changes or read from the guidebook or GPS. Or a Chief Orc-Slayer, if that’s what you’re up against.
14 Allow Time for Larking About
When planning, leave plenty of time for climbing trees, or a paddle in sea/lake/river if it’s midsummer. You won’t fish them out easily, or get them down, so
just go with the flow. As wildlife expert Simon King says: “It’s great to walk,
but it’s just as important to stop.”
