How to handle nuisances on trail when day hiking with kids

While the trail may be a different place than the living room, kids still will be kids. That means you’re going to run into some of the same problems that you do at home – noisiness, sibling rivalry, complaining. In addition, the trail offers its own unique opportunities for behavior problems.

Once kids understand the rules of the trail, however, behavior usually isn’t an issue. Typically, there are enough sights along the way to grab their interest, and they’ll enjoy the freedom that being in the great outdoors offers. Should they misbehave, though, keep an even temper. You don’t want to become a behavioral problem yourself on the trail, or you’ll just turn them off to hiking.

Read more about day hiking with children in my Hikes with Tykes guidebooks.

Teach day hiking children to stay on the trail

Taking children on a day hike offers a great opportunity to teach them some rules of the trail. This can help ensure they grow up to respect mother nature and others. Among the rules to teach is “stay on the trail.”

Hiking off trail means potentially damaging fragile growth. Following this rule not only ensures you minimize damage but is also a matter of safety. Off trail is where kids most likely will encounter dangerous animals and poisonous plants. Not being able to see where they’re stepping also increases the likelihood of falling and injuring themselves. Leaving the trail also raises the chances of getting lost.

Staying on the trail also means staying out of caves, mines or abandoned structures you may encounter. They are usually dangerous places and wild animals may be living there.

In addition, never let children take a shortcut on a switchback trail. Besides putting them on steep ground upon which they could slip, their impatient act will cause the switchback to erode.

Read more about day hiking with children in my Hikes with Tykes guidebooks.

Teach kids to ‘pack out what you pack in’

A day hike with children allows you an excellent opportunity to teach your little ones the rules of the trail so that they grow up to respect nature and others. One good maxim for them to learn is to “pack out what you pack in.”

Set the example as a parent: Don’t litter yourself; whenever stopping, pick up whatever you’ve dropped; and always require kids to pick up after themselves when they litter. In the spirit of “Leave no trace,” try to leave the trail cleaner than you found it, so if you come across litter that’s safe to pick up, do so and bring it back to a trash bin in civilization. Given this, you may want to bring a plastic bag to carry out garbage.

Picking up litter doesn’t just mean gum and candy wrappers but also some organic materials that take a long time to decompose and aren’t likely to be part of the natural environment you’re hiking. In particular, these include peanuts shells, orange peelings and eggshells.

Burying litter, by the way, isn’t viable. Either animals or erosion soon will dig it up, leaving it scattered around the trail and woods.

Read more about day hiking with children in my Hikes with Tykes guidebooks.