Fun game for hiking kids: Track Detective

How were these tracks made?
Photo courtesy of Photoree.

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 Track Detective.

This game is best played on a trail with a thin sandy coating or during winter in the snow. Have half of the kids stand side by side and make a series of tracks in the sand or snow, in a straight line for about 10 feet. One child will walk, another hop, another jump and so on. Some children might step on their tippy-toes while others skip or run.

While the tracks are being made, the other half of the kids will turn their backs so they can’t see. Once the first group is done, the second group will try to guess how the tracks were made – by walking, hopping, jumping, etc.

Materials: None

Ages: Four and up

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