Keep kids excited about hiking: Leaf Crowns

Maple leafs are perfect for making leaf crowns.
Photo courtesy of kevinrosseel / Photoree.

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.

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. One post-hike game/activity you might consider is Leaf Crowns.

Have kids collect leaves during the hike, storing them in a bag. Once home, cut a white strip of paper about 3 inches high and 25 inches long (though you may need to adjust this for child’s head size) for each child. Depending on age, child can measure and cut the paper strips themselves. Next, for each strip, glue or tape the ends to form a loop or crown. Next, have children decorate their crown by gluing their collected leaves to them.

Materials: Paper, glue or tape, leaves collected on hike, bag for collected leaves

Ages: 3 to 8

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