HIKING WITH KIDS – HAPPY FAMILY TRIPS

FAMILY HIKES WITH CHILDREN

All the best – to the children. So says the folk wisdom.  And what could be better than to walk with a little backpack on the mountain trails and enjoy the unique scenery with your dad and mom? Or playing in a green glade by a stream with your peers? Or feel important and "grown-up" by helping to gather firewood and build a fire with real adults? 

A hike in the mountains with the kids is a great family vacation option that will provide unforgettable shared emotions and bring your family even closer together.

On my first real hike, I went to the Carpathians when I was under 9 years old (already an adult :-), and my sister was 7 at the time. I still have some memories of this family trip. I remember how I ate a lot of blueberries on the slopes of Temnatic, how we were running up and down the mountain, how we were carrying small backpacks (I think I had 9 kg, and my sister 7. But I'm not sure:), how my father and I were catching tasty trout, how we fried them in a pot, how we went up to the top of Stoy mountain and walked among its domes. It's strange, only a week of hiking, but so many good memories to last a lifetime...

 

Taras Pozdnii, founder of the Kuluar Club

HIKING WITH CHILDREN – FEARS AND DOUBTS

1. At what age are you allowed to take children?. In our hiking tours, we recommend taking children from 7 years old. They are quite independent, have a strong immune system, and are ready to run around and walk a lot in search of something new and interesting. The main problem is to keep your child interested in the trip, and have time to answer all the questions, because there will be a lot of them.

   Long, tedious climbs and long walks on flat terrain are often hard for kids, because it's boring. At such moments we try to entertain them with games and stories. Some hikes can also take younger children, but they need to be accompanied by both parents and be under constant supervision.

   

2. Isn't it dangerous? Again, it all depends on the age. For older kids, from 7 years old and up, the main danger stems from the children themselves and their restlessness. When the group overcomes a difficult section of the path, children instinctively feel the gravity of the moment and behave in a collected and good manner. And adults at such moments are as concentrated as possible and look after their children. But for a drawn-out rest or in the camp, when children become bored and parents are relaxed (there is no apparent danger) – expect adventures. They will start playing knights and bruising one another, they will hide matches from the guards, they will start kindling their own fire and get burnt... There can be all kinds of adventures, they are kids.)

   The main thing is not to let them close to cliffs and make sure they don't eat unwanted berries. Younger children need more supervision and care.

3. Will the child make it?. As practice shows, children often cope with transitions even better than their parents. Everything is new and interesting to them, and it charges them with unseen energy. All day long they can walk back and forth along the trail, asking adults about everything they see and telling their own stories, often invented on the spot.

   Sometimes it's very interesting to listen to them, children's imagination is not as constrained by frameworks and norms as ours. Children get tired faster than adults, because they have less endurance. That's why they need to make stops more often. But they have much more energy, the main thing is to keep them interested in what is happening and not to let them get bored.

4. Will I make it? On an organized hike with a baby, you will have to carry some stuff and food for them, and sometimes, when they get tired, the baby themselves. Of course, this is heavier. Therefore, we advise going to the mountains with children as a family, so it would be easier to distribute the load.

   

5. Will there be someone to communicate with? Usually, children's hikes involve several families, so you and your child will not be bored. While the kids will play on the sidelines, you can meet their parents and make new friends.

Family tourism – why do parents need it

In the frantic industrial world, you don't always have time for the most important thing – socializing and sharing leisure time with your little ones. All day you are away at work, come home tired, and you do not always have the desire to listen to the eternal "whys" and play with children. And you should. After all, they grow up and take as an example from their parents. You can grovel, telling them how to live and what to do, but, first, you need to be a living example and proof of your words. Otherwise, all your words make no sense.

It is on a hiking trip with children that you will have plenty of time to socialize and opportunities to be a positive example. Kids will look up to you and just repeat. On a family hike, you will be able to increase your credibility in the eyes of your child and become a real role model for them.

Another important aspect is the curiosity of children, they look at the world differently than we do. Everything is new and interesting to them. And with them, you will rediscover the mountains, because there are many small but beautiful things that you just won't pay attention to, but a child will definitely notice!

And it is just a pity to deprive your children of almost the most beautiful things in this world – travel and mountains.

Family hikes in the mountains – why does a child need it

First, it is fascinating. Everything around is unfamiliar and unusual. Here comes a funny pebble that looks like a heart, here is a beautiful flower, and there is a fabulous tree of incredible shape. It turns out that there are so many interesting things in our world, and not just in the monitors of laptops and computers! 

It's useful. When hiking, kids expand their horizons very quickly, learn a lot of new things, and do a lot of things for the first time. This contributes to a more intense and proper development. After all, one of the main tasks of education is to set the right vector and instill the right priorities. By accustoming children to hiking from an early age, you can almost certainly say that their lives will be full, healthy and interesting.

It's educational. In a family hike, kids from an early age will learn what this or that plant is called, which berries you can eat and which you can't, how to make a fire and set up a tent. We are sure that even if your child does not become a tourist, this knowledge will not harm them.

While camping, children understand that not everything can be obtained by caprice. No matter how you beg, no matter how sniveling and naughty you are, the rain won't stop, the sun won't come out and the blue helicopter with eskimo won't come. But you can go ahead, pitch a tent, make a fire, cook food, and you'll feel fantastic. Not only you, but everyone around you feels good. And you are so little, but such a good child – because you helped the adults to make everybody feel good.