What to do after a day hike with kids

Keep up kid's enthusiasm for hiking by celebrating and reviewing the
adventure afterward. Photo courtesy of Trevor Manternach / Photoree.

“Let children walk with Nature, let them see the beautiful blendings and communions of death and life, their joyous inseparable unity, as taught in woods and meadows, plains and mountains and streams of our blessed star, and they will learn that death is stingless indeed, and as beautiful as life.” – John Muir

Once you’ve completed your first hike, pat yourself on the back. You’ve done a lot of work but have taken the first step into a larger world for both you and your children.

Before getting home, you may want to celebrate. Perhaps boost everyone’s energy with a stop at a restaurant or somewhere else special back in civilization. As Monica S., of Manchester, N.H., writes: “After being hauled around all day in a baby carrier, my infant and toddler always enjoyed a stop at a playground near the trailhead, especially when it was in a village or park that we’d never been to before.”

Such activities make a memorable end to a day hike. To keep kid’s enthusiasm charged, “review” the hike in kid-friendly ways. While you really can’t do this with infants, most toddlers and older kids will enjoy it.

Learn about more than a hundred other hiking diversions for kids in Hikes with Tykes: Games and Activities.