Hiking with Young Kids.

For the first time ever my husband and I decided to whisk our boys away for Thanksgiving break to a cabin in the Tennessee Smokey Mountains. We looked online in about June and booked a cute cabin for the four of us from Wednesday to Sunday. I planned for a very basic Thanksgiving meal to be prepared at the cabin on Thanksgiving Day so that we did not miss the traditional meal. But other than the meal, we took tremendous joy in taking it easy in the mountains as a family.

During these five days we designated two of the days to hiking and exploring all that the mountains had to offer us. As of 2017 we have become a much more "outdoorsy" family and have thoroughly enjoyed exposing our children to nature and all the things that can easily be missed if you do not take an effort to get outside and explore.

Overall our experiences with hiking with our boys have been successful - but the key is definitely being prepared and having a good attitude as a parent. Your kids are going to have days when they are more thrilled about a hike than others.

One of our first REAL hikes was about 7 miles with our 3 and 4 year old. I was so excited about the memories to be made and all that my boys would learn.

You can view a video of our hike below:

Well, less than one mile in, our 3 year old decided that he didn't want to walk anymore.... he "hated this" - and told us he hated it about 30 million times.

We stopped, took out our snacks and water, laughed and played with sticks for a while. He seemed to forget how much he hated our walk and instead continued on. We ended up having an amazing time for the rest of our walk!

I think the key was that as parents we didn't have any expectations except that we really wanted to complete the hike. We took things as they came and let the boys stop to look at things or play for a minute or two as needed.

Snacks and water are critical. Water is a given but having snacks for your kids is just as important. They get tired and exert much more energy than a parent. They run ahead and then double-back. They go off the trail a bit to examine the random bug or mushroom with excitement. They have super cute but tiny little legs. I would recommend eating a good breakfast before you head out so you can just pack snacks and maybe a light lunch - remember you have to carry everything!

They need proper shoes. Expect your kids to want to get in any water or splash in the up-coming puddle. Make it fun and as stress-free as possible for yourself as a parent by being prepared with the right type of shoes for your children. Our kids have worn Crocs on short-distance outdoor walks because they are water-proof but also protect their feet in the lake or creek. Crocs would not be good for the longer trips.

Put your supplies inside plastic zip-lock bags. It rains, you fall into some water or set your bag down in water accidentally - it'll ruin all your extra clothes and snacks. Also, most definitely pack a small baggie of wipes. You'll need them. I have learned both of these lessons the hard way!

Have a second pair of clothes. This is important for the big messes that happen and will led to a very uncomfortable (and irritable) child trying to walk back to the car that is miles away. Long pants are best to the real hikes in the tall grass and tougher terrain. I put my kids in bathing suit trucks and rash guards a lot of the time when we are heading somewhere that we intend to swim - like the lake. They can easily wear their suit on the walk to the lake and back because it is a well-traveled, easy trail.

Do not set a time table. Have an idea of what time you need to be a specific place because of the setting sun - but other than that, time restrictions and a strict schedule will be stressful. ESPECIALLY if it is one of the first hikes you are taking as a family. Set a decent pace and choose a short distance trail.

Be sure to keep things in perspective: the point is to unplug as a family and expose your children to nature. The reason you are hiking is NOT to cover a huge distance in a short period of time.

Choose trails that you know are interesting. Most of our hikes have involved trails that we knew led to the lake or to interesting places. We have done several hikes that included stops to canoe and swim - those seem to be the favorites! We hiked through Cade's Cove in the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee and viewed lots of cabins from the 1800's. This kept the boys entertained and excited about getting to the next point.

Be patient with your kids and DO NOT throw in the towel if you first attempt (or two) do not go as planned.

Truly, we are just developing our hiking skills as a family; all of this is still new to us. We are yet to do an over-night hike with camping involved.

However, I do write this though in hopes to inspire other families to get themselves outside and explore. We spend WAY too much time attached to the indoors and technology.

So many studies prove the correlation to children's behavior and academic success when they are given time to just be outside.

Challenge yourself today by planning a small hike for your family - even if it is a paved trail at a city park. You will get fresh air, exercise and make wonderful memories as a family.

Get outside and go!