What’s not to love about a winter walk? Trees sparkling with frost, the crunch of the frozen ground beneath your feet and your breath making billowing clouds in the icy air.
Walking is a great thing to do with children at any time of the year but in Winter it can be particularly beneficial as a way of expending all that pent-up energy and getting them out in the fresh air. Walking is not only good for your physical health but also your mental health and wellbeing and our foster carers love it as an activity to do with children of all ages.
We recognise, though, that it’s not always easy to persuade young people to leave their bedrooms and get outside for a walk. That’s why we love some of the great ideas put forward by our friends at The National Trust for getting children out for a winter walk.
If you’re walking with young children, they suggest giving your walk an enticing name like a ‘parachute walk’ if it’s windy.
Some of our foster carers (ensuring they have changes of clothes with them!!) offer a prize to the muddiest monster at the end of the walk. Or, if you don’t fancy tackling all that mess, how about prizes for other things such as the roariest dinosaur or the woofiest dog?
Even older children might find the idea of looking out for animal tracks an engaging one. Why not invest in a book that shows how to identify different paw prints? Or, download an App on your phone that can help you to identify different animal sounds or plant species as you walk along.
Investing in a pair of binoculars means you can search the treetops for signs of birdlife. The RSPB website is a great starting place for budding ornithologists. Their RSPB Youth Membership package gives you access to 170 nature reserves all over the UK, as well as a welcome pack and magazine for the child’s age-group.
Walking with a dog can be a lot of fun. If you don’t own a dog yourself, ask around to see if you might be able to take a friend’s or neighbour’s dog out for a walk. They will probably be glad of your help and most children love dogs (although do check, as not all children are comfortable around dogs).
Some of our foster carers (ensuring they have changes of clothes with them!!) offer a prize to the muddiest monster at the end of the walk. Or, if you don’t fancy tackling all that mess, how about prizes for other things such as the roariest dinosaur or the woofiest dog?
If you have time beforehand, designing a scavenger hunt can be a great way of engaging a child’s interest. Note down a list of things that they have to find – from common things like acorns and fir cones to harder-to-find things like animal tracks and forked sticks. Or (and we must admit, this one is our favourite!), why not buy a cheap litter picker tool online and get your child/children to litter pick while out walking? Not only does this give them a great sense of purpose but it’s also helpful to the environment and as a way to protect local wildlife.
Along with The National Trust, The Woodland Trust also has many great ideas for winter walking with children. Our foster carers love the idea of getting younger children to use their imaginations while out on a walk – pretending to be explorers or searching for evidence of fairy and elf dwellings in the frosty trees. If you need a little help finding woodland to walk in, visit The Woodland Trust’s Find Woods page to search for places near you. But, even if you’re not close to woodlands, a walk round a local park can be fun or even a trip to the beach to watch the crashing waves (but keep a safe distance).
If you’re heading off on a winter walk, it’s important to make sure everyone is wearing the right clothes to keep them warm and dry. An essential winter walking kit includes wellies, warm socks and waterproof clothing. Hats, gloves and scarves will keep you toasty when you head outside (although as you walk or run about, you might find yourself getting quite warm and stuffing them into pockets and bags!).
Whatever you choose to do, have fun.
Read our Becoming a Foster Carer page to see how you can start your fostering adventure and make a difference today!