|
|
Games to Play with Children on a
Hike
by Sue Freeman
When you take children out on a hike, the goal is for everyone to have
an enjoyable experience. The challenge is that age often determines what
is enjoyable. Children between the ages of three and five want to touch
everything they see. They are not interested in a beautiful view.
Touching a moss covered rock is far more satisfying. Teach them to
explore and touch, but not to destroy or collect. As children get older,
they still enjoy touching but getting someplace often takes precedence.
Children between six and ten years old are capable of strenuous hikes.
They want to see things and reach a destination, but often don't
comprehend the beauty of a spectacular view. Their experience with
nature is too limited for them to know comparatively, what is unique or
rare.
The challenge of keeping the hiking experience enjoyable for all
increases with groups of mixed ages. Try these verbal games to engage
their minds as well as their bodies.
Sing a Song: Learn a song and sing it while you hike. If you're walking
an abandoned railroad bed try "I've Been Working on the Railroad." Find
a spider web and sing "Itsy Bitsy Spider." The song doesn't have to
pertain to the hike, any song is fun while you hike.
Blindfolded Walk: If you're on a relatively flat, safe trail such as an
abandoned railroad bed, blindfold one member of the group and have
others give verbal instructions.
Identification: Have someone close his or her eyes. Place an object in
their hands and ask them to identify what it is.
I Spy: One person thinks of something that everyone can see and gives a
clue such as "I spy something round and hard." The others try to guess
what it is. The winner then gets to choose the next "I Spy."
Twenty Questions: A person thinks of some object or person. The other
players ask yes-or-no questions to discover the identity of the object
or person.
Where Was That? After walking for several minutes, ask children about
the order of things you passed. How much do they remember?
How Far? Have each person guess how far he or she has hiked. For older
children, show them how to orient the map and locate your position.
Cloud Pictures: Take a break. Look into the sky and describe to each
other what you see in the clouds.
Chain Story: One person starts a story, but stops in the middle of a
sentence or idea. The next person must continue the story then break to
let the next person continue, and so forth.
Yes or No: A person can ask any question of any other person, but the
words "yes" or "no" cannot be used in any answers. Actually any words
can be prohibited. It makes children think before they speak.
Name a Class: Have a person name all the presidents of the U.S. that
they can think of, or all the baseball players, etc.
About the author
Sue Freeman is the author of 8 guidebooks to family fun outdoors in New
York State and Ontario, Canada.
http://www.footprintpress.com
|
|
