I like to try and make sure my kids have an
active lifestyle. Sometimes I do this in big ways, other times I do it in
smaller ways. Personally, I find that the easiest approach is to make sure we
take regular family walks, you might remember my post on the Fewston and Swinsty Reservoir walk or have seen me tweeting about our walks around Spofforth Castle:
With a beautiful Yorkshire town to explore, it only makes sense that we’d take the opportunity to take some nice summertime walks! It’s a really rewarding experience actually, because it’s getting me out of the house more than I would have been otherwise and it’s that leisurely sort of exercise which doesn’t feel like too much work!We have had a nice walk around Spofforth Castle this morning. pic.twitter.com/x88U3pL1m6— The Yorkshire Dad (@TheYorkshireDad) April 17, 2017
Knowing Your Limits
Since
my sons are only 2 and 3 years old, I’m obviously not heading off on huge ten
mile hikes, but even at this age they can still go quite far. In some cases our
walks can take up to an hour (there and back) although, to be fair, we have to
get the buggy out when they’re this long. Every child is different, but it’s
always important to keep their fitness levels in mind.
Our
2yo obviously doesn’t do all that much walking, but he always has a great time
when we go out. Usually we stop for a nice picnic lunch around half way, so
they get a good rest in the middle. The kids always have a bit of a wander and
a bit of a play wherever we stop for lunch.
Tips to Keep
Everyone Happy
If
you take your kids too far, they’re not going to like it. If you’re thinking of
doing similar walks with your own kids, here are a few things I do to keep
everyone happy:
●
Bring cartons of
juice and/or bottles of water. You don’t want the kids getting too thirsty.
This is especially important in the summer
●
Always bring the
buggies, if you’re walking younger kids
●
Stop for a rest
if anybody’s getting too tired
●
Include local
playgrounds on your route. They provide much appreciate pitstops
The
last thing you want is the kids rolling their eyes when you tell them it’s time
for a walk. Do what you can to make it as easy and convenient for them as
possible.
Where to Go
There
are some really nice parks in my area and I think they’re probably the best
place to go when walking young kids. Where I live, they’ve got some great pavements, which make it possible for
us to walk through places we otherwise wouldn’t be able to. For example,
there’s this nice little wooded area which we walk through on the way to one of
the parks and there’s no way we’d get the kids through there without rhino pave
surfacing.
They
use tiny little rubber granules which are really easy to walk along. Plus, the
good thing about them being rubber is that if we have any trips or falls, we
usually don't need to get the plasters our afterwards!
If
you’re planning to do something similar, you should definitely stop to think
about what sort of surfaces there are where you’re going. A field without a
proper path, for example, might be a lot harder to walk through than you think,
especially if you’ve got kids as young as I have.
Next
time you’re trying to think of something to do on a day off with the kids, why
not go on a walk? It’s fun and it’s easy. If you’re looking for other ways to
exercise with the kids, check out my blog post on golfing with them. What sorts of
exercise do you enjoy with your children?
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