Once you’ve completed a hike with kids, 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 Photo Trail.
During the hike, have children take photos of the interesting sights or key points on the trail. After returning home, have them select and print out the best and most representative photos of the trail. You don’t want 8.5x11-inch printouts but those that are smaller, say 2x3 or 3x4 inches.
Next, on tag board have them draw a map of the trail. Having a printout of the topo or guide map you used on the trail is useful. The drawing should take up all of the tag board.
Finally, have them tape or glue the pictures near the spot on the map where the picture was taken. They may wish to draw lines showing the exact spot on the trail that the photograph was taken. Older children can add captions, such as the what the picture is a photo of (Skull Rock, Bass Lake, red pine grove, etc.). At the top of the tag board, children can write the trail’s name and its general location (such as the park and state).
Materials: Camera, printer, paper, tag board, markers or colored pencils, tape or glue
Ages: 8 and up
Learn about more than a hundred other hiking diversions for kids in Hikes with Tykes: Games and Activities.
