Fun Walking Games

If whining is the theme song of your family walks, you may be looking for any means to keep your children entertained on the sidewalk or trail. Keep kids entertained on walks by using walking games to transform monotony into excitement. Adding walking games to family outings can help your children enjoy the exercise they need to stay healthy.

  1. Animal Walk

    • Bring excitement to a boring walk by encouraging your children to use their creativity to walk the ways different animals would. Prompt your children with an animal's name and have them re-create how they think that animal would walk or move. For example, if the prompt is "panther" they could pretend to stalk through the forest, crouched low. If the prompt is "pigeon" they could flap their arms as wings and bob their heads. Give your children different prompts every several minutes to keep them interested. If you are hiking on a forest, you can choose to have your children walk like native animals, and use the opportunity to teach them about the animals living in your area.

    Scavenger Hunt

    • Before you go on your walk, create a list of things you know you'll encounter on the way. Make enough copies for each child to have one, and prompt them to find each item on the list during the walk. You can even transform a walk into an educational experience by listing items such as native plants or historic buildings, and use the walk as an opportunity to teach your children about the area.

    One Sentence Story

    • Take each child's mind off their aching legs by playing this creative and fun word game. Have each person in your walking group take turns. The first person begins the story with a single sentence she reads aloud, creating a character and a setting. The second person invents the second sentence of the story, building off of the first one, and tells it aloud. Each person takes a turn to build on the previous sentence to create a wild and wacky story.

    Mix It Up

    • This game requires all members of your walking party to line up in a single file line when walking down the trail or sidewalk. Select a special sound that you hear on your walk, such as a barking dog or a chirping bird. Every time you hear this special sound the person from the back of the line must speed-walk to the front of the line. The game continues until all members of your party have had a chance to lead the line, or to make it more of a game, have a pre-determined time set and see who gets to be the leader the most number of times. Mixing up the order of the line and adding a competitive element to it will keep your children interested in the walk, and listening for the special sound will have them quietly paying attention to their surroundings.