Trail Games: How to Make Hiking Fun for Kids

As a parent of three-year-old twins, I know first-hand how challenging it can be to keep things fun for kids while hiking. I have found that keeping my kids motivated through imaginative play and games helps us smile, avoid meltdowns, and complete our hikes. I have created a list of ways my kids and I keep things happy on trail to share with you so you can keep hiking fun for your kids too.

Before diving into my trail game recommendations, I want to mention how important it is to allow your kids to move at their own pace on trail. And yes, that means your hike will likely take much longer to complete. Just accept that as a fact of outdoor parenting life.

Let your kids explore as they hike. Believe it or not, going at their pace allows us parents to soak up even more nature than the fast pace hike you hiked at prior to having kids. Take these extra moments to observe the great outdoors through your kids’ eyes and you will rediscover nature all over again right along with them.

Here are my recommendations for ways to have fun hiking with your kids.

Color Scavenger Hunt

When things start to get dicey while hiking with your kids, mix things up with a color game. Pick a color - or let one of your kids choose. Encourage them to search for items along the trail of that specific color. This game will help them look at nature more closely and discover items they otherwise might have overlooked. 

For example, by saying the color "red", your kids may find a vibrant red wildflower, a cool red streak in a rock, or even a beautiful ladybug on a tree leaf. If you have multiple kids on your hike, you may assign them each a different color. They can discover items on their own and then share their findings with the group.     

Hike-and-Seek

We like to play a version of hide-and-seek where the kids hike up ahead (but not out of view), and to find a tree (or bush, or rock) to hide behind. Then I come find them. 

Don’t worry about putting some distance between you and your little ones. Younger kids, like mine at three years old, don't realize we can watch them hide or even see them behind a bush. As an adult you can choose to find them or walk past them to allow them to jump out and try to scare you. Our kids love jumping out and scaring us on the trail. And as a parent, playing along that they scare you gives them even more excitement and enthusiasm to run up ahead and do it again. And this gets you closer and closer to completing the hike.

Animal Quizzes

You can incorporate animals into your trails games in a bunch of fun ways. Instead of just keeping track of the animals you encounter, try quizzing your kids to see how many animal sounds they can make. Start off with familiar animals and then get harder as you hike. If you stump them, encourage your kids to attempt a fun sound that they might make. For example, ask them “what sound does a shark make?” (Or a unicorn, bat, sloth, spider, or turtle!) 

You can also ask your kids to guess what animals eat something you come across on trail. For example, if you walk past a bush with berries, ask them “what kinds of animals do you think eat these?” No berries? Acorns, leaves, worms, fish, bugs… every trail should have lots of food options. Let your kids try and list as many animals as they can. 

Another fun animal quiz is to ask them what animals live in different environments: desert, rainforest, tundra forest, marsh, etc. Don’t forget to ask follow up questions. It’s always interesting to hear your kids’ thought processes, and it lets them know you’re interested in their ideas.

Red Light, Green Light 

This game made our list thanks to one of my son’s most epic fits on trail. One day he wanted to hike up ahead, alone. He told us to “stay here” and then he kept walking. We started to walk forward, but stopped when he turned around.

He got a smile on his face and then looked forward and kept walking. So we started walking forward again, trying to move quickly to catch up. He heard us, turned back around, and started to laugh - and we giggled too.

By this time he was having fun, and would say “stay here” and turn around to walk forward (green light). Then turn back around quickly (red light). Our boys are not quite old enough, but if your kids are, try the full rules of Red Light, Green Light.  

Toy Time

Imaginative play can really help motivate your kids to keep hiking along a trail. Bring a favorite type of toy to have them play with and incorporate into nature. Let your kids have a car or truck to fly through the air as they hike. They can have a doll or action figure jump from tree to tree.

Find two sticks and see how far your kids can carry a toy by only touching it with the sticks. Find a large tree leaf and have them imagine it is a flying carpet and let them fly their toy all over the trail.

The possibilities are endless. 

Snack Relay 

When other trail games fail, I bust out my kids’ favorite snacks (Goldfish, M&M’s, dried cranberries, Skittles, fruit snacks), because snacks never fail.

Unfortunately, coordinating walking and snacking can slow things down even more for kids. Instead of giving them the snack bag, I turn snacktime into gametime. I pick out something further up the trail and give them one piece of snack when we make it that far.