Fun game/activity for hiking kids: Deer Ears

Have your child hear like a deer. 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 Deer Ears.

Have the children cup their hands, as if they were going to scoop up water. Then have them hold their cupped hands behind their ears. Their ears now mimic the shape of a deer’s ears (as well as a rabbit’s, an owl’s, and many other animals).

Ask them if they can hear better with their hands cupped behind their ears. They probably can. That’s because the shape of the ear affects how well an animal hears. Ask the children why a deer or rabbit would need better hearing than a human. Materials: None

Ages: Four and up

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