Summer time and no school lead to energetic children and the need to find something productive for them to do that is both entertaining and healthy. Sure, you can stick them in front of an Ipad or television and call it a day, but do you really want your children spending hours everyday glued to a single spot? Instead, plan a short walk with the kids. This is an easy, free, and repeatable activity that you can do with your kids. It is also very good for them health wise as it gets them up and moving! You don’t need to go on these long hikes that encompass many miles and take several hours. Those could require a bit more planning and could still be fun, but what I’m talking about are those short routine walks together as a family around the neighborhood, at a park, or at a nearby walking path. 

Establish a Routine

Don’t just drop this on your children. Sit them down and talk about what it is you’d like to do, why you want to do it, and what you hope to gain from it. Children don’t like being kept in the dark and simply making them do something just because you said so will make these walks more of a burden than a fun time with the family! So, establish a set time for when you want to do it and how often you would like to. You can do an hour before dinner every other day or in the mornings once a week. 

Next, explain to them why you want to do this and what you hope to gain from it. Your kids will be rather confused if you just suddenly pulled them out of their rooms and started randomly making them go on these walks without so much as an explanation. Imagine, you’re at work, and suddenly your boss comes in and starts giving you all of these other responsibilities without even telling you why. Whatever your reasoning is, be honest. They will appreciate it more than you pulling your parent card.

After all of that is settled, establish a preferred walking route. You don’t have to stick to it exactly but it gives you an idea of how far and how long your walks will take. Whether it’s a simple walk around the block or you happen to live right next to a beautifully scenic walking path, make it your own! For me, I live right down the block from a park. I walk there, go sit by the playground for a bit, then turn right around and walk back. It doesn’t take more than thirty minutes, but it is still nice to get out and move a bit. 

Important Things to Bring

Congratulations, you’ve established your routine! Now what? Well, there are some important things that you should bring with you on your walks! Depending on how young your children are, there may be more items you need to bring but this is a good starting list: 

• Water
• First-Aid Kit
• Snacks
• Wet Wipes
• Portable Fan
• Hat
• Sunscreen
• Extra Pair of Socks
• Bug Spray
• Sunglasses

With all of these things in hand, you’re ready to go on a nice family walk with your kids!