Keep kids high on hiking: Totem Animal

Will a deer be your totem animal?

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 Totem Animal.

On a trail where you’ll see a lot of different wildlife, pick a random number. Have each child count each time they see an animal. When they reach the pre-selected number, they’ve met their totem animal (or the emblem that represents them).

Once back home, encourage your children to look up information about their totem animal or to create a shield or a flag with their totem animal on it.

Materials: Paper, colors or markers

Ages: 4-12

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