Active Families, Walking

Two ladies, with a young toddler on one of their shoulders

Walking With Children

Walking is great low impact exercise for children and the whole family, and its free! It’s also a really nice way to spend time together, whether you’re going for a stroll to explore your local area, or you’re visiting a park, the countryside or local woodland.

Sometimes however children need a bit of encouragement to put down their screens and get out on a walk. Often if you have a focus for the walk, such as an interesting destination, an activity like a scavenger hunt or a game to play along the way, children will find it much more enjoyable.

Below are some ideas for engaging children’s interest, and some links to some games and resources.

  • Try a scavenger hunt or just give them a box or bags to fill with ‘treasures’ this could be a conkers, feathers or some autumn leaves. Or get creative and take along some crayons to do some bark rubbings.
  • Look out for local family trails that provide activity packs for things to spot along the way.
  • If you’re going on a longer walk, don’t’ forget drinks and snacks and make sure to stop for a break.
  • Take the dog along for a walk, or if you don’t have one see if you can borrow one from a friend or neighbour!
  • In nicer weather, pack up a picnic and walk to your destination.
  • Younger children might enjoy acting out stories from their favourite books or films- think ‘The Gruffalo’ for a woodland walk for example!
  • Younger children will also love putting their wellies on to jump in muddy puddles on a rainy day – just remember to bring some spare clothes!
  • Older children might enjoy being the route finder, or being responsible for holding a map or trail guide. Taking photographs along the route can also be a good way to keep older children and teenagers engaged.

Find more advice for successful family walks, from walking with babies, to children, and teenagers in this article from the Ramblers.

Where to Walk

Take a look at our Walking page for ideas of where to go walking, or visit Lincolnshire County Council’s walk Finder where you can search by distance and type of walk. If you’re walking with a buggy, or a wheelchair user, take a look at their Countryside for All Routes which has information on accessibility.

Find more ideas about keeping active together as a family on our Getting Active as a Family Pages.