Good afternoon friends! Are you wondering what to do with your children on a hike? Open the list of games for different groups and ages - you are sure to find something interesting.
- Games on a family trip Games with kids
- Educational games for kids in nature
- Games for preschoolers
- Games for schoolchildren
- Games in the tent
- Dating games while hiking
Such a height
The presenter shows a twig of a certain size (about 10 cm). These are the branches that will need to be collected for the fire (they can be broken). So, the guests of the hike are divided into teams of about 5 participants. At the “start” command, the leader marks the time, and the teams begin to collect brushwood for the fire. And you need to put it in a pile so that it is higher than the rest. The team that manages to “build” the tallest fire in 5 minutes will be the winner. After the game, all bonfires can be combined into one. This thing will definitely come in handy on your trip.
Team building games
A close-knit team is strength, support and the ability to work in a team as if you were working for yourself. It can be difficult for guys, especially in adolescence, to make friends and find common ground. In a game form, you can play and find a common language much faster.
Game "Secret Friend"
The game requires preliminary preparation. The names of all participants in the hike are written on separate pieces of paper and placed in a separate bag or box. Upon arrival, when you have free time, you can start playing.
When all the players meet, each participant pulls out one of their pieces of paper with someone’s name written on it. The person whose name he draws out will see and become his secret friend. If someone draws out their name, the procedure is repeated.
The “secret friend” in some way becomes your ward. You need to take care of him, do nice little things, help. It's not what you do that matters. The main thing is that the person is in a good mood. The whole point of the game is that all the pleasant little things are done as unnoticeably as possible. At the end of the hike, the participants gather and make an assumption about who his “secret friend” was, and of course the secret is revealed about who he really was.
Game "Who am I"
An old but interesting game. For this, you need to prepare sticker cards with symbols in advance. Each player is given a card with the name of an animal, actor, cartoon character, etc. the main thing is that there is one topic. You can prepare several sets. For example, with the names of plants, animals, poets, etc.
Kebab creative
Races, hide and seek and competitions on a hike are, of course, good. But sometimes you want to show your talents in other ways. In front of each participant there are plates with sausages and vegetables (onions, peppers, tomatoes, for example). Each participant receives a skewer. At the command of the presenter, the participants begin to “tinker”—to create a creative barbecue. You can use handy objects (knife, toothpicks, for example). At the end of the creative process, a vote is held. The most picturesque “kebab” pictures are determined by applause.
Dating games
What to play on a hike and get to know each other better? If strangers and children of different ages are going on a hike, then getting to know each other will help to unite the team and introduce the participants to each other in a playful way.
Game "Border"
The goal is to learn as much as possible about each other.
- The border is being drawn. This could be a line drawn on the ground, laid out branches, etc.
- All participants stand on one side.
- The presenter voices a series of questions one by one. For example, “Who loves chocolate?”, “Who has a pet at home?”, “Who has gone on excursions before?” etc.
- Participants who are united by one or another answer to a question cross the border.
Game "Border"
Questions can be varied. In this way, useful information about the participants of the hike will be learned, which will further help in communication and finding common interests.
Game "Thrush"
The goal of the game is to get to know each other in a playful way. Anyone can participate, but it is desirable that there be an equal number of girls and boys.
- The players are divided into girls and boys and form two circles: outer and inner.
- The inner circle turns its back to the center, the outer circle turns its face. Thus, pairs are formed.
- Participants standing opposite each other pronounce words and perform the following movements:
- “I am a blackbird and you are a blackbird” - point to themselves and to the one who stands opposite;
- “I have a nose and you have a nose” - touch the tip of your nose and the nose of the neighbor opposite;
- “I have cheeks and you have cheeks” - touch your own and your opponent’s cheeks;
- “I have scarlet lips and you have scarlet lips” - touch your lips and your neighbor’s;
- “You and I are two friends and we respect each other” - they hug or shake hands, saying their names.
Sleepwalkers in sleeping bags
The guys are divided into pairs. Each couple is given a sleeping bag (homemade - you can use a simple blanket). All couples are at the start. The participants of each pair wrap themselves in their “sleeping bag” (the leader or friends help them wrap themselves in a blanket; the blanket is secured with a clothespin, for example). At the same distance from the pairs there is a mark that the “sleepwalkers” need to reach. At the command “start” the pairs move towards the mark. And on the mark for couples there is a set, for example, a bun and a glass of milk or just a glass of juice. The pair of “sleepwalkers” who reach the mark faster than others and drink the juice (milk) will be the winner.
Prank games
The main purpose of funny outdoor games is to get to know each other without feeling tense or awkward.
Game "Hypnosis"
The presenter calls those who want to undergo a hypnosis session and one assistant. The volunteered players stand in front of him, the assistant stands nearby. The presenter says: “Imagine that a magnificent flower with bright petals and large leaves grows from a bud in front of you. Its magnificence blinds the eyes. Delighted, you kneel down, pressing your hands to your heart,” the player repeats everything that was said.
The presenter continues: “A divine aroma emanates from the flower. Do you feel it? Smell the flower." The player follows the instructions.
Game "Hypnosis"
“You wanted to pick it to give it to your best friend. Be careful, the stem is thorny. You need to extend your relaxed right hand forward,” you do.
"You feel hot. You are thirsty, and there is a large drop of dew frozen on the petal. I really wanted to drink it. To do this you need to stick out your tongue.” You comply.
Now everyone is frozen in their position. The leader gives the command to open his eyes, approaches the assistant, gives him a military honor and says: “Comrade Colonel, guard dogs are ready to guard the border.”
Game "Lunokhod"
The players stand in a circle. The leader, moving on all fours, walks around the circle with the words: “I am the lunar rover - 1. Pi - pi - pi.” Anyone who laughs or smiles must join the active “lunar rover”. The game continues until everyone becomes a “lunar rovers”.
Come up with interesting goals
At the same time, children get tired of monotony. To maintain motivation, plan your day trips so that the scenery changes frequently: it’s nice to go from a dense forest to an alpine meadow, and spending the night on a lake is an adventure. Walking for a long time along a wide dirt road is also boring: children jump much more cheerfully along a narrow rocky path.
It’s good if you encounter various “attractions” along the way: a colorful village, grazing cows, a blueberry or raspberry garden, a church, a cave. If nothing special is happening around, tell your child about everything in the world: what the trees are called and why the leaves are green, where the sun goes at night and why it rains.
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Entertainment on the go
Is the group depressed? Make a riddle!
Has the transition been delayed, are the people sullenly silent or grumbling at the guide? Create a cheerful mood immediately! “Talkers” will help you pass an hour or two:
- Cities. The last letter of the previous city becomes the first letter of the next one. Experienced people can name mountain peaks.
- Associations. The first one names the word, the next one names the association, and so on down the chain. You can complicate the task, for example, by thinking about what is bigger, faster, stronger than the one named.
- Magic chest. The game begins with the words: “I take out of the magic chest...”, and everyone sequentially adds one item, maintaining the order of the words. Whoever hesitates leaves the game.
- I'm taking it on a hike. The presenter comes up with a rule by which he will select participants for the hike. For example, it will take those who name words with a consonant or consisting of three syllables. Players, not knowing the rules, name the things that they will take on a hike, to which they receive the answer from the host: “We are taking you” or “We are not taking you.” The one who guesses the rule first wins.
- Questions for the attentive. Ask everyone to carefully watch the road, so that you can then exchange questions: how many trees grow around the bend, which way you turned behind the mountain, etc. At the same time, learn to remember the route so as not to get lost in the forest.
Take a look at the route according to your abilities
Choose a route for family trekking as if you had a C in physical education.
If you have hiking experience , first choose a simple trek that would seem boring without children. With the new lineup, a short and easy route, especially to familiar places, will be just right: you won’t get too tired and will save resources for communicating and playing with the children.
If you haven’t gone hiking before , choose your debut route based on the following criteria.
- The route for the first hike with a child should be physically simple, without steep ascents and descents.
- It is better if there are recent reports about the trek from other travelers: this way you will know exactly what awaits you.
- The smaller the distance from civilization, the better the route is suitable for hiking with children. In this case, you will be able to buy more groceries along the way, rather than carrying them the entire trip on yourself.
- There should be regular sources of running water on the track: springs, wells, clear rivers (water from rivers will have to be boiled). An example of a bad place is Karabi-yayla in Crimea: there is no water on the plateau, you need to carry it with you.
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What else should you consider when choosing a hiking route with children?
Increase the difficulty gradually . Before your first hike, do some training - complete a one-day route. Kebabs on the shore of the lake do not count. The second time, go for two days with an overnight stay at the dacha or in a tent not far from the car. When you feel confident, get ready for real trekking with a tent.
Go during good season. In July in Karelia, children will howl from mosquitoes, in August in Turkey on the Lycian Way - from the heat, but in September it will be comfortable in both places.
Find out if there will be a connection on the track. It’s good if the phone can pick up at least part of the way. For autonomous mountain treks, it is worth considering satellite communications.
Develop a plan B. For hiking with children, choose routes where it is easy to change plans: walk less or more than planned, and also quickly get to civilization, if necessary.
Ideas for good routes for hiking with children
1) Lycian Trail, Turkey Duration from 1 day, you can choose a section with overnight stays in guesthouses and not carry a tent and food.
The trail descends to the beaches of the Mediterranean Sea, there are signs where to go. 2) Lagonaki Plateau, Adygea and Krasnodar Territory Using simple gentle routes you can approach quite “adult” mountains. There are many trails of varying duration and complexity, for example, route No. 30 (4–5 days) or Yavorova Polyana–Fisht shelter and back (2 days).
3) Multinskoye Lakes, Altai You can go to Lower Multinskoye Lake in a UAZ one day. There are tourist centers and campsites; you can choose routes of varying difficulty and length.
Don't play it safe
When you do something for the first time, there is always a temptation to follow the path that seems easiest and most reliable. For example, join a paid tour and shift the entire organization onto someone else’s shoulders. Or limit yourself to trekking for a few hours and never decide to go on an overnight trip.
To prepare for a hike with children and complete the trek safely, just follow the recommendations from this article. Try it at least once, and then you’ll tell your friends that family hiking is not at all difficult and very addictive.
Decide on the format of the trip
Think about what kind of hike you would like to go on with your children. The more precisely you formulate the format of the trip, the easier it will be to choose a place and a specific track. To make it easier to decide, answer yourself these questions:
1) Do you want to follow the route and spend the night at different points? If not, stay in one place, for example, in a mountain camp, and take day trips around the area;
2) Are you ready to carry your things? If not, look for a trek where you can a) spend the night in guesthouses and eat in cafes, then a small backpack with clothes and children’s things will be enough for you, or b) hire a car, porters or rent horses that will deliver the backpacks to the next overnight stop;
3) What level of comfort do you need? If you don't want to sleep in a tent, look for routes where you can spend the night in huts, tourist shelters, guesthouses or hotels.
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Competition "Guess Who"
Perfect for a noisy and cheerful company. The competition goes like this. One of the guys needs to be blindfolded. Girls are hardly lined up. The guy must determine who is in front of him using any means available. Girls, in turn, are not allowed to say a word or do anything that could give them away.
All the guys are blindfolded in turn, and the girls are swapped. After all participants have voiced their answers, the number of points for each player is calculated and the winner is determined.
Then we do the opposite - we blindfold the girls.
Game "Spin the Bottle"
You will need a regular bottle and several small sheets of paper. It is desirable that the number of leaves be slightly greater than the total number of all participants. Each player writes 1-2 tasks on a piece of paper, rolls it up and puts it in a bottle. Tasks should be interesting and funny. For example, climb a tree stump and depict an animal drawn in a picture or depict your friend who is present here drunk, etc. Next, spin the bottle and the one to whom it will point must take out one task and complete it.
See more cool tasks here.
Buy your child trekking clothes
Fight your instinct to dress your child in cotton and take a closer look at technical trekking clothing. High-quality sportswear is pleasant to the touch, breathes well, wicks away moisture and dries quickly. As a result, they are less likely to break down, which means you will need fewer changes of clothes.
For example, if a child sweats or washes his hands carelessly while wearing a cotton T-shirt, it will have to be replaced with a new one. A T-shirt made of polyamide will not suffer from sweat (it is removed from the skin and evaporates), and a wet sleeve will dry in half an hour.
In case of rain, bring waterproof pants and a jacket, as well as a fleece suit to wear on cool evenings. Children do not know how to endure - they must be comfortable throughout the entire hike.
Exactly how much to take depends on the hiking conditions. But on average, a preschooler needs two changes of clothes for a two-day hike in good weather.
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Don't climb high into the mountains
Children, like adults, at altitudes above 2500 meters can suffer from altitude sickness. Weakness, shortness of breath, headache, nausea, rapid pulse - these are symptoms that the body has not yet adapted to the high altitudes. If you don't pay attention and continue to climb, the consequences can be very serious.
What can you do to ensure that neither you nor your children suffer from altitude sickness? The easiest way is to choose routes at low altitudes. You most likely won’t even feel the rise to 2500 meters. Eliminate the Himalayas and Elbrus from your immediate plans, go instead to the Khibiny Mountains or Taganay - and there will be no problems with altitude. If you want to climb above 2500 meters, follow the acclimatization rules. To determine if a child has altitude sickness, use the CLSS method.
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