5 ways to make family walks more fun
Family walks are one of our only pastimes at the moment. Due to current restrictions in the UK, many families have taken up regular walking as a hobby – as let’s face it, there isn’t much else to do to get outside at the moment! However, many people are embracing this change to their lifestyles and are vowing to keep up the walks long after life returns to normal.
After all, it’s free, good exercise and a great way to spend time together. It might actually become a little more fun when it is no longer the only option to get outside!
If you are struggling to motivate the kids, or finding the walks are becoming monotonous, here’s 5 ways to make family walks more interesting.
Plan a trail
This doesn’t have to be anything complicated or pre planned, it can just be a written or mental list of things to spot on your walk. For example, challenge your family to be the first person to spot an oak tree – or five red cars, or to find the most unusual leaf. Set challenges based on the seasons and items you are likely to encounter in your area.
Give the walk a purpose
Instead of hopping in the car to the local shop or postbox, turn an everyday chore into an opportunity for a walk – distance dependent of course. Children will love to be given the task of posting the letter or finding the correct items in the local shop.
Take photographs
Allow your children to take photographs of any interesting sights they see using a mobile phone or small camera. For example, a minibeast hunt. The free app Pic Collage can then be used to turn the photos into a poster. It is a very simple app to use even for young children. Alternatively, the photos could be printed and stuck onto a paper poster.
Spot seasonal changes
If you are familiar with the same walking routes, take the opportunity to point out seasonal changes to trees, plants and flowers. This could lead to further research at home about tree identification, plant life cycles, and weather patterns. The Woodland Trust have a great free app to identify trees.
Set a step or distance challenge
Many fitness trackers such as Fitbit and Apple Watch have step counters and location trackers to tell you just how far you have walked in km or steps. You could set a family challenge to walk a certain number of miles or km a week, or a certain number of steps. The targets could be individual or a collective effort and they could be tracked using a simple chart tracker.
There are plenty of online challenges to sign up to, including The Step Count Challenge, or come up with your own target to suit your family!
I really enjoy walks with the family and our dogs. It is such a lovely way to unwind and relax.
Love family walks but due to back problems cannot do them at the moment
I love going on a family walk as it is a way to spend quality time with each other appreciating what we have around us.
Hi love your site
Our family walks tend to be dog lead, he’s a Beagle, so very stubborn, so we just follow him!
I love having a walk with my Granddaughter Phoebe.
sometimes i do yes
Adore the freedom and chatter on our walks – great for all the family
I love a family walk, I try to go for a walk every day
Absolutely, we walk every day
We love a family walk! We’re very lucky being based near the Lake District, although less lucky with the weather.
Yes, even more so at the moment, but as we are limited to how far we can travel, we have been exploring local areas a lot more, and found some hidden treasures
We love family walks, I think it’s a great way for us all to talk without distractions.
Love a family walk we usually go to our local woods with the dog and it’s lovely in all seasons!!
Love family walks! And miss being able to go further afield! Can’t wait to the nicer weather and picnic time!
yes we do, just got back from a lovely walk in the parks this afternoon shame about the amount of dog’s dirt though!
We love a family walk, especially somewhere with a view! I can’t wait to go on a sunny coastal walk again.
absolutely I’ve been doing walks with my partner and mum lots in lockdown so great for fitness and mental health too.
I love going for walks and we love geo-cacheing and looking for hidden objects! A lot of fun for all ages.
Always – best part of my day
I love going for family walks, although they are normally quite stressful as the kids start messing around and play fighting, which almost always descends into tears and tantrums!!
Love walking … river walks are my favourite!
Thanks for sharing 🙂
I do, particulaly with everything going on at the minute! Its free, clears your mind and you can make family memories by doing so.
Love family walks and our 4 dogs love them too!
I like to get out for a walk sometimes. I much prefer it in the spring though.
Walking as a family is one our favourite pastimes. Its healthy, free and a time to be together. We are also lucky living in the countryside.
I love a family walk. Good for bonding, and hugely important for mental health.
A family walk is a great day out without having to spend much money
Love family walks x