Hiking With Kids: The 31-Day Family Hiking Challenge
In August 2020, my three children and I embarked on a family hiking challenge. We started August 1st and made our way through the entire month doing a hike every single day. It was one of the most challenging and exciting things I have ever done with my children.
We have always loved spending time outdoors as a family, but lately it’s a necessity after being stuck at home for so long during the pandemic. There are so many reasons that I love getting my children outdoors from health benefits to increased imagination and stress relief. And I wanted to see what spending a month of dedicated time hiking in nature would do for our family.
Read on for the what and the how of doing your own family hiking challenge!
The 31-Day Hiking Challenge
Are you ready? 31 Days and 31 Family Hikes! It’s the perfect challenge for your family if you want to work on your health, spend more time in nature, create bonding memories, learn to do hard things and accomplish big goals.
One of the great things about a hiking challenge is that each individual hike is rewarding all on its own. Every peak you reach, every beautiful view and every wild animal or amazing set of rocks to climb rewards and motivates you and your kids for more.
For my family, I had seen that my kids and I were all experiencing a lot of malaise from the pandemic and recent medical situations in our household. We needed something to look forward to and something to boost our spirits!
Time spent in nature not only boosts your mood, it’s also scientifically proven to boost your energy, increase your ability to concentrate, calm your nerves, enhance creativity and focus and boost your immune system!
Those are all things I want for my family so we embarked on the challenge as a way to set up the habit of spending a lot more time outdoors in nature.
31-Day Hiking Challenge Criteria
So what counts as a hike? My criteria is spending 30 minutes or more on a designated walking or hiking trail. It doesn’t have to be strenuous or long or particularly spectacular. It’s more about discipline than destination – although there are definitely benefits to seeking out beautiful trails!
Why Hiking?
I think it’s so important for children to spend time in nature. Not only does it instill an appreciation of the natural world and our role in it, but it’s also one of the best ways to raise healthy, self-aware and emotionally balanced children.
For more about hiking with kids, check out my interview with Denver-based author Pete KJ, here.
In addition the benefits of Vitamin Nature, I want to teach my children that they can do hard things! They can set goals and accomplish them and have fun along the way! As a parent, the biggest gift I can give my children is to broaden their realm of possibility and that starts now, even at their young age!
If you need hiking gear, check out my recommendations for hiking with kids.
How to Get Your Kids on Board
I do not recommend forcing this challenge on your children! Nothing great is ever accomplished by force! Your family will be so much better off if you at least marginally get your children on board for the challenge. So here are some tips:
First, explain your WHY. It helps unify everyone if they understand your reasoning behind the challenge, whether it’s the physical health benefits, breaking screen addiction, spending more time together as a family or something else entirely.
Next, get them involved! Ask them where they want to hike, what types of hikes they want to try, if there is anywhere new they want to go or friends they want to invite. Allow options!
Also, check out these games and activities that always keep my kids entertained while hiking!
Lastly, it’s really fun to come up with some sort of reward, either along the way or after the challenge is over. Maybe a fun outdoor movie night or backyard camping! Or maybe it’s something larger like a new paddleboard or tent. Having something to work toward and then enjoying that reward at the end is really empowering for children!
Be A Part of the Fun
Convinced yet? If so, get hiking with us!! If not, just follow along until you are 😉 And if you are local, check out this list of 31 family hiking trails near Denver or this list of stroller-friendly hikes near Denver.
I’m using the hashtag #amonthoffamilyhikes on Instagram so you can follow along or share your own journey!
Also, to make this more fun, I’ve designed a 31-day hiking challenge tracker to mark off our progress! If you are interested in joining in with us, you can download PDF tracker in my VIP area! Not a VIP yet? Sign up for my newsletter to get instructions on how to access it!
Share your hikes and trackers and tag me and #amonthoffamilyhikes on Instagram!
