Best Hiking Games For Bored Kids
There are lots of hiking games that you can play while on a trail. But some are not fun, or the story that you are making up, you forget, or the scavenger hunt that you are holding gets ripped, dropped or ruined. We’ve been there.
The first hiking game that we started was “What’s your job?” out of necessity really. The kids weren’t watching their surroundings and were stepping in animal poop, running into spider webs, and missing the snakes that were crossing the trail.
Now everyone has a job and they change often as to what type of trail we are on. We aren’t looking for bears while at Garden of the Gods, but we are looking for rattlesnakes! We aren’t looking for rattlesnakes in the forest but we are watching out for spider webs and animal poop.
I also take the kids hiking a lot. Which sometimes results in a kiddo not happy because we have to leave the house and they can’t play video games.
In efforts to change a child’s mindset, we play games. This usually turns a frown upside down.
What are hiking games
A hiking game is a game that can be played standing up or walking on a trail. I have the best intentions to get my kids outside and playing in nature. Well…they sometimes do not share my enthusiasm. They get all floppy and complain that they are bored, or hot, or hungry or bored and want to go home.
We play games at home every Friday, so why not play some games on the trail too?! This usually helps get the floppy kids mind off how bored they are and how they could be having fun if they played along too.
Why are kids bored on a hiking trail
To the bored kid hiking…all they are doing is walking. They aren’t riding their bike or scooter. They aren’t going fast and there possibly isn’t a breeze to cool them off.
We have the best intentions to show them the really amazing things outside. They just don’t care about the awesome bird, or the really cool looking tree that is hugging it’s neighbor tree, because all they are focused on is how boring walking is. Or they are hot and not moving fast enough to entertain them self.
So in order to turn their sad face into a happy face, we need to get creative. Showing them the really cool nature stuff only works for so long. So let’s add some games to this awesome hiking trail.
Best hiking games for bored kids
Hide a toy/animal
Sometimes I have a “floppy” kid, (the one whose kicking dirt and has their arms hanging down like an ape, while whining they’re bored) that is when I suggested hide the toy game. One kid ALWAYS has a toy in their pocket or I have one in the 20 pound backpack I am carrying. Or one kiddo insists on bring a Jeep or truck, on the hike…
How to play: Kind of like hide-n-seek, there is a ‘hider’ and a ‘seeker’. One kiddo, the hider, will run ahead on the trail and hide the toy. The seeker kiddo will turn around so they can’t see the hider. The ‘seeker’ can stand and wait or attempt to walk backwards to keep moving. Once the toy as been hidden, then they can play the hot/cold game to find it.
What’s your job
The game that started it all. Like I said above, I needed this game for my kids so they wouldn’t get bitten or attacked by something. You’d be surprised at how many tree branches jump out and whack a kid!
How to play: Give every kid a job. That’s it.
What kind of jobs… bear watcher, spider watcher, spiderweb catcher (This child can be the leader and hold a long stick to swing around in circles to catch the spider webs BEFORE everyone walks into them), snake watcher, bird watcher, animal tracker, poop finder, it can be anything, even something made up.
Animal tracks
Being an animal tracker is something that my kids love to do while hiking. We usually see deer prints on the trail. Oh and dog prints too. We usually make up stores about the print being a coyote or something much larger just to keep things exciting.
If you are not familiar with animal tracks then I would get the Animal Tracks! game. We have this in our camper to play when we have down time.
How to play: Every kiddo can play this game. Keep your eyes on the trail and look for signs of animal tracks. You can keep a quick guide book in your 20 pound backpack that you are carrying or have a kiddo put one in their backpack, this is the one that we have (we live in the Rocky Mountains) and it’s a little bit bigger than my hand. It actually might fit in your back pocket.
Floor is lava
I’m sure you have played a version of this game before and so have your kids. The rules are the same here…don’t touch the ground. Wait…what?
How to play: Start by standing on a rock or a tree root. Then jump, cartwheel, leap to the next rock or tree root. Don’t touch the ground, because the floor.is.lava! This game is best played in the forest. A forest that has a lot of tree roots and rocks.
In the photo above you’ll see a ton of tree roots exposed. Your kiddos would start at the roots at the bottom of the trail then walk along the root to get to another root. Or jump from one root to another root. They could hold onto the tree to help them balance from one place to another.
Obviously if the tree root or rock isn’t sturdy, don’t go on that one, pick another one. The point of the game is to get them moving but in another form other than “just walking”.
Who pooped on the trail
Every kid loves poop. Ok ok, not every kid. But mine do. And it’s fun for them to find animal scat on or near the trail.
How to play: Every kiddo can play. Just keep your eyes on the ground. On and near the trail is where you’ll find animal scat. I would suggest getting a field guide book, to familiar yourself with the different kinds of scat and to keep it in your 20 pound backpack.
Find your stick
There has been countless trailheads that have “walking sticks” just posted up against the trailhead sign, waiting for my kids to show up.
There have also been tired kids who are getting floppy and need a little help. So that is when I suggest having them find their stick.
How to play: Have your kiddo find a stick big enough for them to use as a walking stick. Or if they want to play “bad guys” then they can use that stick as a weapon of choice. Or if you have a Harry Potter fan like I do, that stick can be a wand.
Extra credit, buy this book. It’s amazing! Keep it in your 20 pound backpack.
Geocaching
We used to play this one a lot. Then we found all the ones that were close to the house.
Then we started finding the not so “family friendly” ones. We live in Colorado, so you can guess what we ended up finding in some.
We even had one that we placed at Garden of the Gods, and well, no matter how many times I stated that it was a family friendly cache, not many people listened. So I had to archive it.
This resulted in us not looking for them anymore. I suggest looking for the ones that state “family friendly” and go after those if you have any concerns in your area.
How to play: Download the Geocaching app. Once you make an account it’ll tell you where there are cashes hiding in your area that you are currently in! Super fun treasure hunting game.
Leave painted rocks
We leave painted rocks all over our neighborhood and on the trail that is behind our house. We love to find them and we love to place them.
How to play: Grab a rock from home (we have a plethora of them at our house) then paint the rock. Or write inspiring messages on them. Then hide them, not so well, on a hiking trail for someone else to find them.
Leave your mark
This is fun if you have your walking stick already in hand. Or if you are in a rocky area.
How to play: If you already have your walking stick then you can draw arrows on the trail point you or any one else in the right direction. Or if there are rocks near by, you can stack rocks or place them on the trail in the shape of an arrow to show you or someone else the correct way to go on the trail.
Extra credit: If you are playing “hide the toy”, this can help the ‘finder’ go in the direction they need to go to find the hiding toy!
What direction are you facing
I read a lot of books, about 1 a week. I was reading this book about letting your kids be eaten by bears, (super amazing book) and in there it tells you how to identify the direction you are facing by looking at the trees. Mind blowing I know! Then I was reading another book to the kids, (I read to them a lot too) about reading natures signs and it also talked about the trees showing you directions!
How to play: Look at where the sun is at, then look at your watch/phone to see what time it is. Say it’s about noon and the sun is directly above you. Now look at the trees in front of you. Tree branches have fuller branches on the south facing side of the tree. Those branches grow directly toward the south, because that is the side that gets the most sun throughout the day. Now the branches on the north side of the tree will grow up, like they are trying to grab the sun. These branches will be much thinner and not as full as the other side of the tree. So now that you know which direction the tree branches are going, what direction are you facing? Once you guess, take out your phone to the compass app and see if you are correct.
Extra credit: Buy those two books, they will help you make sense of what this crazy mom is trying to explain. 😉
Let them play
Nothing more than just that.
I know we have an agenda and we want to complete the hike to the waterfall. But sometimes it’s not about completing the trail but just getting those kids outside to play.
I know that if there is a creek nearby the trail, my kids will be in it. No matter what my agenda is. And I better have a change of clothes for the little guy. He ALWAYS gets wet!
How to play: Let them bring the Jeeps and trucks and dolls and animals to the creek. And just sit in the grass, or on the side of the trail and observe magic in nature.
Bring a picnic on the trail or snacks
We haven’t been on a trail that has a picnic table at the end of it, nor a rainbow. 😉 But maybe you have and you thought that it would be neat to have a picnic up there. But the thought of adding a cooler to your 20 pound backpack makes you sweat, then have no fear, I have a plan for you!
How to play: Don’t lug the cooler to the top of the trail. Have a picnic once you get back from the trail. Or have a picnic before you get one the trail that way no one is saying that they are hungry! Or if a picnic just won’t work… carry snacks with you and give them to the kiddos once you get to the top of the trail or at least half way.
Extra credit: Bring candy!
Bonus*
Ok, not really a bonus, but if you like to bring scavenger hunts on a hike with you I have one… We use this one while we are on Jeep trails. We started writing down all the types of trees that we found on the trail. Types of trees being, what features they have. Some trees have “eyes”, a big belly, “blood” dripping, hugging a neighbor, or even fall on a neighboring tree.
If you want to print it out and have a kiddo hold onto it, then go ahead and print this one out. Or just download it to your phone and have the kids try and find the fun features that some trees have.
Wrap up
If you skipped to the bottom, shame on you. 😉 Just kidding. These are the best hiking games for bored kids, that we play on the trail, that are a hit. We’ve played others, but these are the ones that we play over and over again.
- Hide a toy or animal
- Floor is lava
- Animal tracks
- What’s your job
- Who pooped on the trail
- Find your stick
- Geocaching
- Leave painted rocks
- What direction are you facing
- Leave your mark
- Let them play
- Bring lunch on trail or snacks
What hiking games do you play while you are on the trail?
