Kids Hiking Hacks
Make Walking with Kids Fun with ‘The Walking Games’
Do you play walking games with the kids?
Or are you looking for some hacks to help you hike with the family?
Because let’s face it, walking with the kids can be somewhat of a ….. challenge at times. So when I declare, ‘make walking with kids fun’ like I’m some kind of magical Mary Poppins type, then rest assured, I am not.
No, I don’t have a spoonful of sugar to make the walking medicine go down and I don’t have a magical bottomless bag full of miracle cures. Sometimes, walking with the kids is quite simply a whinge filled moan-fest with a side of stroppiness and a sprinkling of resentment thrown in for good measure.
Have I hit the nail on the head?
So calling all parents of the other Reluctant Explorers out there! Walking with the Kids can be done! It WILL be done and it shall ABSOLUTELY be done with a massive bag full of snacks and….
The Whinge Busting Walking Games!
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Thank you for taking the time to have a look at my website and for reading this now!
I set up the Reluctant Explorers and maintain the website and attached social media accounts in my spare time, around mum-life and two jobs. It was designed to provide access for parents to free resources to help get more families outside and exploring in nature. These walks have all been created by myself and the kids and we have walked each one ourselves (and re-walk them regularly to keep the information as up to date as we can).
If you would like to support us and can afford a few pennies, you can make a donation to our ‘Buy Me a Coffee’ page. Simply tap the button below to head there!
Poo Jumping and other games…
Start off strong and as you mean to go on I say…
Yes. This game does comprise jumping over piles of poo. BUT, it works because… well firstly, it speeds up little legs, secondly, it’s POO and that ALWAYS gets a laugh and thirdly…. you can turn it into a walking competition (how many piles of poo can you jump over?) Just don’t jump IN the poo. K?
Other such genius no-prep-minimum-effort walking games include…
⭐ I packed my bag and in it I put… memory game. If you don’t know it, one person says ‘I packed my bag and in it I put… a sock’… for example. The next person then says… ‘I packed my bag and in it I put a sock and a toothbrush….’ (see where this is going?) Then the NEXT person says… ‘ I packed my bag and in it I put… The United States of America (my youngest’s fav addition to the bag) and so on until somebody forgets and then you start the whole glorious process again! HOORAY.
⭐ Animal noise impressions (loud, and hilarious and no more needs to be said on THAT matter)
⭐ A classic game of speed-up-the-walk tag. Warning. Don’t do this in the vicinity of bog. Because the bog WILL get ya.
⭐ The game where you have to think of a word that starts with the last letter of the word that came before it. An excellent way to cause World War 3 over who said what last and also how stuff is spelt, along with…. that’s not a word. EXCELLENT time wasting exercise.
⭐ What am I. Describe yourself… like.. ‘I am a carrot. I am orange, rabbits like me… no I’m not an Oompa Loompa’ and so on…
⭐ The Story. It’s capitalised because this game is like an existential crisis for the world of fiction and therefore it needs to be given the gravity it deserves. Each sentence is told by a different person, and the PLACES this activity goes…… well. Fiction. I’m sorry.
I like to think of them as the walking games for the families who forget to bring stuff with them to entertain the kids whilst walking…. So basically people like me. An emergency walking game selection to have in your back pocket!
Google Animals Walking Game
Ever used the Google augmented reality function on your phone to create real life wild animals on your walk?! Well then you haven’t lived!
This one is guaranteed to be a success, but you do require some internet coverage for it to work so I will warn you. Nobody wants a promise of exotic animals only to find there’s only E reception and the hundreds of sheep surrounding you simply won’t cut it!
How? Google an animal, e.g. a tiger, bear, penguin etc. and you will be faced with the option to ‘Meet a life-sized - whatever you Googled - up close’.
It is then transported by the magic of Augmented Reality to wherever you are at the time! You can take a picture of it or even a video, and boom! Mega walking fun to be had.
Try these Google games:
Transport a bear into a cave (check out our Settle caves walk for that!) and have a real life bear hunt.
Add an alligator to a river side walk (check out our Aysgarth Falls walk for that!)
Find a hippo wallowing in a waterfall (check out our Buckden Beck waterfalls walk for that!)
Bubble Games
Oh my word, BUBBLES ARE LIFE!
As a fully grown adult, I love bubbles. So do my kids. They did when they were babies, preschoolers and even now they are older!
Why not grab yourself some bio degradable and non toxic bubble mix (leave no trace!) and…
Try out these bubble games?
Freeze your bubbles. This is a game to play in the middle of winter at the height of the whinge season! You need sub-zero temperatures and frozen ground for this to work at its best.
Wind bubbles. Yup, using the wind to blow your bubbles for you… laziness at it’s best, fun though for a windy day!
Or simply chase the bubbles. This is excellent if the wind is blowing in the direction you want to head. Not so much if it sends them backwards.
Whatever you do. Bubbles rule.
Make Hide and Seek Photographs
Such an easy game to play! Grab your phone or camera, find a spot, take a ‘before shot’ and then a ‘boo shot’.
Spend your walk finding the best hide and seek photograph spots!
Why not try these games?
Pull a ridiculous face
Give yourself a bucket list (photo with a tree, a wall, with a sheep in the background)
Have a prize for the best hide and seek photographs
No need for any more explanation! Off you go!
Take Paper Boats Sailing
Now I am no origami expert, but I am just about capable enough to make a wax paper boat!
Don’t be fooled by the epic waterfall setting for one of our wax paper boat sailing sessions though, mostly we have sailed these on rainwater!
We have a page dedicated to these with a proper instructional video and everything about how to make one yourself, so why don’t you go and take a look at it if you want to make your own!
Why not try these games?
On a rainy day, sail a boat on a puddle
Find a little stream to float it down and have somebody catch it at the bottom
If you want the epic waterfall in the photograph? Then head to our Cow Close Waterfall walk.
Just remember not to leave any rubbish behind and take all of your soggy boats home with you! Always supervise children around water and leave no trace.
Make a Journey Stick of your Walk
Ever heard of a Journey Stick? Essentially, this is an ancient craft of creating a memory of a journey.
And we all know that a kid’s memory is like a veritable sieve (ever asked them what they’ve had for lunch) unless it’s the most random memory that has been stored as a core memory that you have no idea why…. Anyway. The idea is simple, you get a stick, take some elastic bands or string and tie it around the stick so you have somewhere to wedge in your bits and pieces and then you collect nature bits and bobs from along the way!
Simple!
Why not try upgrading your journey stick by creating a walking stick?
Find an epic walking stick, clean, sand and wax it, then create an area around the top of the stick to tie on bits and pieces from along the way, like pine cones, feathers, cool leaves, seed pods and more!
Puddle Splashing Games
This one is MESSY! So be prepared! It needs no more explanation other than…. JUMP IN MUDDY PUDDLES AND TRY AND GET EVERYBODY ELSE WET!
Why not try these games?
Add a competitive edge, by taking a tape measure to measure how far the splash goes. Maybe you could even crown a winner!
Use the mud to make mud pies (in for a penny and all that)
Puddle pole vaulting
Fun in spades. Or should I say puddles…. (sorry about the washing)
Maps, Maps, MAPS!
This is THE most adaptable activity there is! Getting kids involved in the map reading process is such a great way of reducing the whinge factor. Basically, think along the lines of… they can see exactly how far they are going to walk and how far they’ve got left …. therefore, fewer ‘how long is there to go?’ whinges!
BOOM! Parenting win!
Why not try these games?
Preschoolers/ KS1 kids? Make your own muddy map! For this, simply draw a rough shape of your walk (circular walks work well, as you can pretty much draw a circle!) Then get your little ones to draw what they see on the way around. Even better if you can get them to pop the drawings in roughly the right spot, and gold stars if you can compare what they see, what they draw and what’s on the actual map.
Older kids? Get them planning the walk with you and get them to start identifying the features on the map too. Create a checklist in the order of your route and tick them off as you go. This has the added bonus of them being able to know how many checkpoints there are left until the end. Having an element of control is worth its weight in gold!
Go for a Litter Pick Walk
If you can leave a place a little better than when you arrived then that’s worth it right?
My two love going litter picking and when you visit a beautiful place like the Yorkshire Dales National Park, you want to leave it as beautiful as you found it!
SO, on that note…. DON’T be a tosser. There is nothing more frustrating than seeing a fabulous spot ruined by somebody who could not be bothered to take their rubbish home with them. YOU brought it, YOU take it away.
Sadly, this is not always the case. So wherever we can, we pick up other people’s rubbish (as long as it is safe to do so).
And fortunately, my two LOVE IT! So there you go, a walking game that helps keep our beautiful places clean and the kids happy too!
Photography Games
Simples right? Hand over the camera or the phone to the kids and let them loose! It’s amazing what they spot that we don’t, so make a game of it and try and beat the walk whinges too!
Why not try these ideas …
Doing a photo scavenger hunt? Create a list before you go and tick them all off.
Older kids? Challenge them to create a photo collage or to fill a frame back at home.
All ages? Create a subject to photograph before heading out, then create art from it back at home, whether that be drawing, digital creations, collage or clay!
Go Fly a Kite!
This is a great one. Windy day? Then get out walking and fly a kite! We have flown kites in all kinds of places (just watch out for power lines)
The photograph is us flying a kite on the moor near Lower Barden Reservoir near Bolton Abbey, but you know what they say about Ilkley Moor b’aht ‘at too (and I CAN confirm…. it’s pretty much always windy!)
Don’t have a kite? Why not try making one at home, and then taking it to fly, or we love our Pocket Kite. (As an Amazon Affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases)
Understanding Nature
Ok. The title suggests I’m trying to be patronising, but I’m not! Honest!
Taking the time to figure out what you’re seeing and experiencing is one of the easiest walking games there is! Fungus, flowers, birds, rocks, it’s all got a story!
If you have an animal, get tracking their prints, looking for their habitats, or finding their poop! Listen for animal calls, or identify the trees you see. Find the gazillion types of fungus there are to find (look, don’t touch), hunt for bugs, look for wildflowers… the list is endless!
As a pocket sized resource, we LOVE our nature identification cards from Catkin and Co. A fabulous Yorkshire based local business, why not check out the Catkin and Co. website to find out what she’s got in stock!
The Nature Collecting
When my two were younger, the extent of the nature collection was so great….. it deserved a THE at the start of this title!
And it was so epic…. it developed a whole website page of its own!
So are you the proud parent to a stick connoisseur? Perhaps you have a super special stone collection, or pinecones that are just too pretty to throw away (ok, that’s me there).
Well you are not alone! Collecting is a whole world of walking game fun!
Why not try this whilst walking?
Head out on a mission to find the perfect walking stick, then bring it back and take it to the NEXT level!
Find a rock that’s shaped like a heart, then bring it home to paint.
Find a leaf skeleton, then take them home to draw (holly works best for this)
Head out in late Spring and forage wild garlic, or in late Summer and find blackberries?
We have a whole page dedicated to what you can do with your nature collection, so check it out!
Walk to feed the ducks
Does it need to be said that a walk that involves feeding the ducks is just one of the best?!
Because it really is!
Why not have a go at making your own duck food? Then heading out on a mission to find some hungry ducks! All you need is some leftover sweetcorn, cucumber, lettuce, porridge oats you can even give them some rice! (source Canal and River Trust) Top Tip! Keep your dry ingredients separated from your veggies until you’re ready to feed to stop it getting too soggy and sinking!
We know a walk…
Actually, we know LOADS of walks that have a place to go and feed the ducks, why not try our Ilkley Three Bridges walk, or our Swinsty Reservoir walk or try our Fishpond Woods walk!
Take a Walking Scavenger Hunt
Sometimes all you need is a little bit of a mission.
And taking your own scavenger hunt with you on it, is a great to get little legs walking and experiencing their surroundings!
You could create your own, or we have a page full of free printable walking scavenger hunt games that we have created in the past for us, and for you to use!
And what about now they’re older
One thing that I’m blummin’ proud of, is how this website has grown alongside the kids. The walks have grown and so has the moaning! Kidding. Or am I…?
Of course, I still get this kind of conversation on a regular basis:
Them… ‘What are we doing today?’
Me…. ‘We’re going for a walk’ (the ‘we’re going on an adventure’ thing wore out a while back… can’t think why…)
Them… some unintelligible sigh of annoyance follow by ‘How far is it?’
Me… ‘oh only about 3-4 miles’ (or if I’m feeling mean…) ‘25 miles…’
Them… (no matter what the distance is….) ‘OH THAT’S SO FAR…’ followed my more moaning and thrashing of arms, flopping face down on the kitchen table, writhing on the floor at the injustice… You get the idea.
SO you see. Nothing changes… except after they get over the initial horror of it all, they do hike, they do enjoy themselves, but there are always moments. Maybe it’s a boring bit, maybe the up is a BURRRRRRNY steep up, maybe it’s chucking it down with rain we still need help and I STILL tailor the walks to be as exciting and as varied as possible.
Here’s what’s worked for us so far in the preteen/ early teen era
Maps: Of COURSE I’ll be starting with maps! My two have been given map based walking games for years and I’ll tell you…. with caution… that I think my map-geekery has rubbed off. They can now pinpoint where they are on a map using three geographical locations, they can use a compass (when I remind them how…) they can use the contours of a map to figure out how hard their legs are about to work… and they don’t mind it. That’s a win right?!
Camera: Gone are the play cameras, now my two have commandeered our old DSLR and they photograph the walks. Not just the big views but the little things we spot on the way. Now bear with me on this, but it forces them to SLOW DOWN (I KNOW I recall the tortoise phase too) and turns a walk to an experience rather than a march to the finish line.
Walking Games: Yup, they still work! The ones we play the most are I packed my bag, the word game (which is now the name game - think about fictional characters, authors, musicians, sports personalities, film and TV stars etc. and the second name of the person said starts the first name of the next. So…. Olivia Rodrigo would be followed by Richard Osman etc. Double letters send it back the other way…) and the story game.
Challenges: We are in the era of motivational challenges. We completed the Dales Mountains in one year and have done the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge (which both want to do again this year!) We are currently underway with our trig bagging challenge. They tell me that at least it means something, there’s a point. So I’m rolling with it whilst it lasts!
Hiking to stuff they love: The kids have always loved a cave, a rocky scramble and a wild swim and so they still get excited about a walk with these things! It’s a motivation for SURE!
Tell them a Story: Think of it as you being the walk guide. Before you head out research some horrible history, a piece of folklore, a ghost story or a witches tale about the place you are walking, then tell the story as you reach the spot in your walk.
All our Family Friendly Walks on One Map!
What’s that I see? A MAP!?
Yes, that’s right, you guys asked, and here it is. The map of ALL the Reluctant Explorers family walks!
The one you can see is embedded so you can use it straight from the website, or if you’d prefer, you can view it straight in Google Maps, simple tap the link on the button below.
The benefit of using it directly from the website is that when you tap on each individual walk, you will find the page link to each walk, allowing you to jump straight to the walk information!
The map can be filtered as follows:
Family Walks (purple) | Pushchair Walks (pram) | Waterfall Walks (blue) | Walks Under Two Miles (yellow)
For more types of walks (pub walks, woodland walks etc. Head to the menus above where they are all categorised, depending on what you fancy!)
Scroll using the arrows for all our Family Friendly Walks
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![Swimming in Janet's Foss Yorkshire Dales]()
Waterfall Walks
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![Malham cove walk for kids]()
Pushchair Friendly
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![Pinhaw Beacon trig point walk near Skipton]()
Peak Bagging Walks
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![The Park at Greenhow Nidderdale]()
Walks with Play Parks
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![Gordale Scar in Malham Yorkshire Dales]()
Organised by Location
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![Walking in the woodland in Wensleydale]()
Woodland Walks
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![Playing on the shore of Embsay Reservoir Yorkshire Dales]()
Reservoir Walks
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![The ruins of Bolton Abbey]()
Bolton Abbey Estate Walks
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![Leaping over the stile at Almscliffe Crag]()
Walks Under 2 Miles
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