Tips on Hiking with Kids!

We visited our favorite nature park again this week for another big hike, the girls did a nice 2-3 mile route to Far Country Falls, trekking along the Wildside Trail! As our family hiking experience increases, so too have our tips for future trips.  Next week we're going to try some fun scavenger hunt lists, but these are my favorite tips on hiking with kids thus far:

#1 Pack lots of snacks and drinks
#2 Pack a few lollipops or candies for the last mile trek
#3 Bring BandAids - maybe some extra dry socks too!
#4 Sing songs, it helps the miles go by.
#6 Tell stories, my kids love hearing "The Tortoise & the Hare"
#7 Play games like "I Spy", quiet listening games, or finding the colors of the rainbow
#8 Plan for breaks - digging for rocks, sitting by a waterfall, looking at bugs, etc.
#9 Change up the pace, skip, run and "follow the leader"
#10 Provide a carrot for finishing, such as "we're headed to the toy store when we get back to the car"