Hiking Anyone?

One of our favorite things to do with our children when they were young was to pack a lunch, tailgate, and go for a hike. It was an inexpensive way to spend a fun day together. Even though my children are older now we still like to hike when we are together. Lately, it has been my husband and I doing the hiking and picnicing.

Recently we hiked with friends and it brought back memories of when my children were little. Our son always had a lot of energy to burn and would run ahead. We used to give him a land mark that he could go ahead to -where we could still see him. He would run ahead to the designated spot, turn around and run back to us, then forward again. It seemed he always traveled 2 to 3 times as far as we did with all his back and forth.

While hiking this weekend I heard a young family use a different tactic with their energetic one. The mom would call out traffic light signals. Red light - stop where you are. Yellow light - slow up. Green light -hike. The child didn't feel they were stifled - it was all a game.

What clever ideas have you used with your children?
Post your tips in the comment section.

To Your Health,
Lisa