Get outside with the children and go for a frosty walk

Go for a frosty walk

 

If you’re like the team here at Little Terra then you probably enjoy a walk at the weekend and would love to get your children involved too. We are all aware that our children probably spend too many hours on the PC and Playstation resulting in rising levels of obesity and health problems. Making walking a regular part of children's everyday lives is a good way of counteracting this worrying trend and they will thank you in years to come.

 

However, we know what it’s like, five minutes in to the walk and the little ones are holding their arms up to be carried and the bigger ones are kicking their heals and bored already!  Well follow our few tips and hopefully you’ll get the whole family as excited about a walk in the countryside as you are!

 

• Firstly don’t mention going for a walk; children are born with built in aversion to anything sounding remotely like a walk.  Clever or well-seasoned parents will build up the excitement in to an adventure.  What kind of adventure depends on how old your children are and their own interests, but hunting for fairies, searching for the ruins of a castle, climbing a hill to fly a kite, fishing in rock pools on a wintry beach, or throwing stones in a river, have all worked for us in the past.  We know you can’t fool all of the children all of the time but we’re happy to settle for two out of three, half of the time.

 

• Give the children their own rucksack and encourage them to pack it themselves.  This will build up the excitement and take their mind off the actual walk part of the walk.  Although, as you will no doubt end up carrying it yourself within ten minutes, then you might want to supervise what they take.

 

• Younger children like the idea of counting steps and older children can get obsessed with pedometer readings. Check the results at regular intervals and have a prize at the end for the highest score.

 

• Make sure everyone is suitably equipped. There’s no such thing as bad weather just bad clothing so it pays to invest in some good quality clothes to make your children feel as warm, dry and comfortable as possible.  Good boots or wellies, http://www.littleterra.co.uk/Product_Type/Footwear for jumping in muddy puddles, and a high quality thermal base layer made from man made fibres, not cotton are basic essentials, as well as a good quality outer layer that is windproof as well as waterproof http://www.littleterra.co.uk/Product_Type/Waterproof_Clothing. 

 

• Plan the walk so that it offers lots of things to keep the little ones occupied.  Keep alert to flagging energy and provide distractions such as hills to run down, walls to walk along, streams to jump over and sticks to pick up to use as walking poles.  Point out birds and wildlife, funny shaped trees and unusual plants and encourage the children to learn their names. It’s also useful to have a route that can be extended or shortened depending on how little legs are going.

 

• Turn the walk in to an impromptu nature trail and get them collecting leaves, acorns, seeds, pine cones or nuts.  Reward them for finding the biggest or the funniest looking and save them to turn in to drawings, collages and home made pot pourri when you get home.

 

• Plan lots of breaks and give the children something to work towards – for example at the next tree we’ll stop for a bar of chocolate - fun size bars pulled out of pockets at appropriate moments will turn the walk in to a treat not a chore and will often stop even the longest and loudest whinge.

 

• All kids love taking photos so consider buying them their own camera or just buy a cheap disposable and let their imaginations run riot.  Other fab props include binoculars, a compass and a map.

 

• Finally, remember this is a family walk and not your weekly keep fit session.  Children only have little legs and they can walk incredibly slowly.  Be patient and go at their pace; once you stop trying to hurry them up you’ll find you have lots of fun looking at the world from their angle and half an hour of jumping in a muddy puddle together will become a special memory.

 

 

ENDS