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Walking with children...

Walking with children
Photo: Nick Wiltshire

Going to school in a car.… sitting in classes most of the day…. coming home and watching TV or being at a computer into the evening…. the risks involved for our children’s health are enormous.

It’s harder to change your habits when you get older so that’s why it’s vital for parents to do everything they can to make walking a regular part of their children’s everyday life.

Here then are some tips for making walking fun for kids.

Adults make walking boring for children! Suggesting a walk can be a bad idea – instead,make plans to go to a place they will like or on an outing or adventure. This could be to a local event, a pond, a hill to fly a kite, a park or some swings, a visit to a friend or an ice cream van, a ruin, a railway, a waterfall or canal side – there are so many possibilities.
Take nice things to eat and drink on the way. Think of it as a treat and your children will catch your excitement.
Don’t make it too long and hard – the chances are they will need to build up their fitness gradually just like an adult does.
Be prepared to go at their pace, even it that means playing in a puddle for half the afternoon.
Children can have a staggering amount of energy one minute and be totally exhausted the next, so be prepared to cut the walk short if necessary and congratulate them on any special efforts or achievements.
Show them where they are on a map if you have one.
Make sure children have comfortable clothes and shoes. Carry extra layers for them and be prepared for them to get hot and cold in rapid succession.
Take something to change into in case they get wet and remember sun cream and lotion for bites and stings.
Give them a small rucksack to pack and carry – this will add to the sense of adventure. But remember you’ll probably end up carrying it so don’t let them pack too much.
Kids love clambering over things – boulders, tree trunks or small steep hills or dunes. They like jumping over streams and climbing trees and rocks – it’s the straight flat paths that bore them silly.
Let them take a friend.
Think up things they can look for – animals, birds, trees, people, buildings – or collect – tree seeds, leaves, shells, small stones.
They could take photos, bike or roller skate some parts, walk the dog or even collect litter!
Try to make walking part of their regular journey to school. This will help build up their strength as they do it every day. If you’re worried about them walking on their own, see if you can link into a “walking bus” project. Contact Walk to School or Walking Bus for details of this and other ways of getting to school safely without a car.
Joining forces with another family is often a good idea. This way the commitment each parent has to make can become more feasible and the children have fun walking together.

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