Hiking games are so useful when letting toddlers hike on their own and so I decided to share some more hiking games. Check out the first article Hiking Games for Toddlers for more hiking game ideas. The best part about this post is that not all of the ideas are from me!! Some of them are from my followers and readers. Games are not always necessary on a hike but are great to use when a toddler is starting to slow down or get fussy. there are times when you need to finish a hike or walk and it is way more enjoyable when you can finish it on a high note with a game. I am so excited to share these hiking games so that you can add them to your hiking toolbox!
Find the Stuffy
“One of my secret weapons on the trail is this oh so loved tiger…. When Penny is tired, tiger likes to hide along the trail. Tiger waits patiently for Penny to find him. Once found, Penny gives him a kiss and sends him with me to find another hiding spot along the way.” – Sachi Honley Thornley
I spy
As your walking along the trail say “I spy with my little eye something that is…. (mention a colour)”
Examples include:
- something green: A leaf
- something brown: A tree
- something white : a rock
Story time
“Once upon a time there were two little girls that loved hiking……” That is how most of the stories start on our hike. Our daughter loves listening to the stories on our hikes and this can keep her entertained for hours.
Play a Story
This might seem similar to tell a story but instead you are actually playing the story while you are hiking with your toddler. Some good friends of ours used to play Jack and the Beanstalk while hiking. They pretended to go searching for the giant, climb the beanstalk and fight the giant all on one epic hiking trip!
Catching Tinkerbell
This game really helps quicken the hiking pace. I tell my daughter that tinkerbell is up ahead on the trail. We both then run and try to catch her. Often we will catch her but as soon as we open our hands she flies away. We run and chase after her again. You could also play catch the bug, catch the ant man etc.
Surprise!
“We run ahead and find the perfect tree for hiding… Then BOO! Scare daddy! It’s amazing how much distance you can cover when they get into a good game haha’ – Nicole Warren
Hide and Seek
Play hide-an- seek along the trail by taking turns hiding behind the trees and rocks.
Any other ideas?? Comment below, help some parents out and maybe you can be apart of the next series!!!
We do lots of singing on the trail, and it has the dual benefit of keeping bears away! We also recite favourite stories including “Each Peach Pear Plum”, “We’re going on a bear hunt” and “The Gruffalo”. Lastly we play “guess the animal” (same as 20 questions). Hiking has been a great time to help our kids learn things, as it often gives us the chance to be one on one. Counting, alphabet, colors etc can all be turned into a game by alternating, skipping one out (guess which number is missing- 1,2,4,5,6,7,8,9,10) etc. Happy walking!
Thanks for your comment! Reciting stories is a great idea! I also love the idea of teaching the kids while hiking. I know my 3 year old loves to learn right. Going through the alphabet or counting rocks etc. is something we will definitely have to try. Also I totally could easily repeat two of the above stories! They are family favs!
While I don’t have children myself, I can certainly use these ideas when I take out my niece and nephew. Thank you so much for sharing.
Thanks for your comment! Your nephew would def love these games
Oh, how I miss these days! We used to let our boys carry wooden swords on our hikes so they could scare or slay the bad guys and dragons as we were walking. Now they are teens, and well, I’ve run out of ideas short of promising them ice cream after the hike.
hehe that sounds so fun! What a great idea! And… Ice cream is the perfect way to end a hike 🙂
I hike with my 2 & 4 year olds quite often and use a few of those… but their favorite is when I sing “we’re following the leader, the leader, the leader…. following the leader wherever s/he may go! T-dum, t-deee, t-deedeeedeedumdeedi, ………” I think it’s from Peter pan?? ♡ They love trading off being the leader
Aw that sounds like so much fun. Thanks for the comment!