Trekking with kids: 8 useful life lessons they will learn.
Photo by Joshua Gresham on Unsplash
When parents bond with their kids, there are certain moments when hanging out turns into a life lesson for them all of a sudden. It can be a little annoying to your kids and will seem like just another sermon from you. Since we’ve all been kids before, we know what it feels like to suddenly have your parents turn a fun hang-out into a lecture.
However, there are some activities that you can do with your kids that will be life lessons in themselves. These are life lessons without you having to state it to them directly. One such activity would be the subtle and relaxing art of trekking.
Trekking allows you and your kids to go to places you’ve never been to before. It lets you see things you’ve never seen anywhere and so much more. Aside from that, trekking is packed full of life lessons. Here are eight useful life lessons that they will learn if you take them on a trek.
Appreciation for nature
Your kids are born into a technologically-advanced society. Unlike you used to, they have many ways to entertain themselves without stepping foot outside of their homes. This way of life means that they likely don’t have a lot of interactions with nature unless you are deliberately putting them in that situation.
The world is too beautiful for you to let your kids not get to know more of how beautiful it is. With the help of trekking, your kids will get to see a variety of places around them that will appreciate nature more.
Nature itself is stimulating enough to get the attention of your children. All you need to do is to get them out there.
Patience
Going trekking with your kids will also teach them the value of patience. Getting to see beautiful destinations is one of the best rewards that trekking can give you. However, you won’t get there sooner if you are impatient. Your kids will learn that if they take one step at a time, they’ll eventually get to their destination.
You can help your kids be more patient during your trek by teaching them how to appreciate their surroundings more. For example, you can give them a list of local flora and fauna that they can be on the lookout for during your trek. Giving them a disposable camera to take photos of these local florae and fauna will make them more interested.
Hard work
As parents, you want your kids to have as comfortable a life as possible, but it doesn’t mean you should neglect to teach them the value of hard work. Teaching your kids how to achieve things through hard work will make them good people and responsible citizens. Otherwise, they might be disappointed when they go out in the real world.
There are no shortcuts to finding beautiful spots along your hiking trail. To get to your destination, you need to start walking. It can be hard at times, but after they finish the hike, they will feel a great sense of accomplishment for being able to complete without any shortcuts or additional help.
Confidence
It would help if you looked over your kids when they’re hiking, but it also requires you to give a bit of leniency when it comes to independence during the hike. Let your kids be responsible over what they pack for the trek will get them started on autonomy. Plus, it communicates that you believe in their abilities.
If you believe in your kids, they will learn to believe in themselves after. Doing this will set your kids up for better self-esteem in the future. Knowing that your parents back you up in whatever pursuit that you plan on taking will inspire confidence in any person, most notably your kids.
Self-care
Trekking teaches everyone how to be more aware of their body. Since trekking is all about getting you places with the help of your body, it involves quite a bit of self-care techniques. If your kids go trekking, they’ll develop a better idea of how to care for themselves as individuals.
For example, they’ll learn to understand their body. Your kids will know better when they need the help of trekking poles. They’ll also listen to their body and understand their limits so that they know when to take breaks. Trekking will also help them learn to stay hydrated and keep their energy up while they’re at it.
These simple parts of hiking all have something to do with maintaining the body, so your kids will have a better idea of where to start when it comes to caring for themselves.
Resilience
Your kids live their life in comfort most of the time, which is the goal of any parent. However, some parts of people’s lives are the most comfortable to go through. You want to set your kids up for success in handling these types of situations when they grow up. They need to learn resilience in the face of adversity.
Physical activity is one of the simplest ways you can teach resilience to your kids. Their physical discomfort for an extended period is rewarded with accomplishment at the end when they go on a trek. It’s a simple formula of resilience that works.
Responsibility
To be able to hike, your kids need to be responsible over themselves, their items, and the actions that they do. You can teach your kids to be accountable over the cleanliness of the environment by teaching them to pick up trash they see along the way.
Letting them help around your campsite is also a great way to show them how to be responsible members of the family. At the same time, you are teaching them practical skills that they can use in the future.
Cooperation and teamwork
Hiking as a family means that you need to learn to cooperate. You can do this by assigning a particular task to each of your kids. To have a successful hike, you need to emphasize to your kids that everyone needs to do their part.
The side effect of this constant to teamwork during the heck is that everybody gets to bond with one another.
As you can see, there are many lessons that your kids can learn if they ever go on a track with you. You’ve probably given your kids a lecture here and there when you’re at home. However, coupling a life lesson with a practical exercise will make it stick to your kids more.
Therefore, if you want your kids to learn life lessons without having to lecture them, consider going on a trek with them.