Walking is a habit that most people should get into as early as possible. It’s a means of preserving your health and fitness, clearing your head, and getting from one place to the next.
If you want to encourage your children to walk, then you might have thought about booking a holiday that involves lots of walking. But before you do this, it’s worth stopping to consider exactly how much walking your children can tolerate, and what steps you might take to make the trip more manageable.
Assessing Your Child’s Readiness
Before you go on any active holiday, it’s worth getting a sense of your family’s physical capabilities. If you end up pushing yourselves beyond what’s comfortable, then you might risk becoming irritable. A few test hikes should give you an idea of how far you can push things. You might also get a sense of their level of enthusiasm, and how you might motivate them when things get tough.
Planning and Preparation
If your trip is going to involve several successive days of walking, then you’ll want to make sure that you’re adequately prepared. If you want your children to ‘buy in’ to the trip, then you might allow them a say in the trails you pick, and allow them to pack their own bag of supplies. Think also about how you’ll break the day up, and what snacks you might take along to keep you energised.
This is particularly important if you’re overseas. Most of the walking holidays Italy has to offer will involve longer trips through parks, and it might be that you end up taking longer than you thought. It’s better to be carrying too much food and water than too little.
Keeping Them Engaged on the Trail
If your children end up tired and frustrated, then they might not appreciate the scenery around them. This might be counterproductive, since it might actually turn them off walking in the long term.
You can avoid this with the help of games and planning. Encourage them to look out for specific landmarks, plant species, and animals. If you have a trail map (or, better yet, an OS map), then you might entrust them with navigation. Have them do this with a physical paper map, rather than a digital one. After all, part of the fun of this kind of holiday is that it will provide a break from screen time.
If you want to keep your children engaged during a hike, then it’s important to be sensitive to their moods and general state of mind. If it looks like patience is wearing thin, it might be time for a break!