Generally, exploring and discovery is enough for kids, but sometimes even they can grow bored with that and become restless. Remember that they naturally have shorter attention spans than adults.
Fortunately, there are lots of tried and true activities you can do on the trail that’ll keep kids from getting bored. Among them is Orienteering.
Have kids look at a topo map and identify the real world features: a ridgeline, a draw, a distant mountain peak. With a compass and map, have them track your course on the trail, telling you when you’ve reached specific points that you’ve marked on the map. To help kids understand how many steps they need to take to travel a specific distance, they may want to wear a small pedometer.
Materials: Topo map and compass brought as navigational tools.
Ages: 12 and up.
Learn about more than a hundred other hiking diversions for kids in Hikes with Tykes: Games and Activities.