In the name of Allah, the most Gracious, the most Merciful
This year I’ve been doing a LOT more exploring outdoors in general but specifically, a lot more going out on adventures with just my little guy and I. I’ll be posting some tips soon for mommas who want to go hiking or exploring outdoors with your little one’s but maybe feel a little bit intimidated. Today, however, I want to illuminate 13 wonderful benefits of going hiking with your toddler!
A lot of times when we talk about getting outside with our kiddos – be it hiking or something else – we focus on the benefits for the little one. Today, I really want to focus on some of the ways we ALL can benefit together! So we’re going to jump right in with these 13 mutual benefits of going and exploring your world through hiking!
1. Let’s start with the obvious one.. Hiking is a perfect opportunity for exercise and movement!
We all need a lot more movement in our lives and hiking is a great option for doing that. You can go as fast or slow as you need, pick a path that feels comfortable enough and get going.
2. Hiking presents a great opportunity to talk about our Creator.
This is my favorite benefit of hiking. Being out in the creation of our Lord is the perfect time to talk to Him, talk about Him and just get to know Him. Allow the trees, the waterfalls, the ducks, the butterflies, the acorns, the dirt – all of it, in all the simplicity and mutual complexity, call you to remember Allah and feel awe and gratitude to Him.
3. It’s an awesome screen free bonding time!
Being more in control of my screen time is something I’m really working on but one of the times it’s never a struggle is when I’m out hiking. Don’t get me wrong, I like to take a few pictures occasionally but otherwise it’s a screen free activity!
4. Hiking is a perfect time to learn about and practice mindfulness.
Going back to connecting with our Lord, hiking is also a great time to be still within ourselves. It’s a great time to check in with your body, your mind, your heart. Observing nature, observing ourselves.
5. There are so many opportunities for character building.
Kindness, courage, grit. Curiosity, gratitude, helpful. Hiking requires character building and it can be terrific to hone in on that for yourself and your little one.
6. You can learn to identify different trees, plants and fungi.
Identifying a variety of vegetation is a skill that you can really take into many directions. Becoming familiar with this allows you to get to know the world around you and informs how you may want to interact with it! Figure out what’s food, what can be used as medicine and what we should stay far away from.
7. It’s a great opportunity to learn about different animal species.
Similar to the plants, we want to get to know the animals too! Not only identifying animals themselves but also, maybe looking into learning about specific animal tracks, poop and habits.
8. Hiking provides great inspiration to explore your world.
Being in the thick of it, having to navigate the world, moving with the land – it really awakens a curiosity if we allow it. Once you get started, I have a feeling it will be something you return to again and again.
9. Hiking with your toddler is a great way to help build endurance.
Hiking is a safe way for you and your little one to test your limits – physical limits of course but also challenging your limiting beliefs. You build your breath, your strength, your curiosity and your courage.
10. It’s great for building self-confidence.
You said you would, you tried and you accomplished. You may have tripped a few times but you kept going. There were some pesky bugs but you pushed through. You did that hard thing…and that adds to your self confidence.
11. It’s one of those activities that encourage us to use all five of our senses.
We rush through so many things these days that I think it’s very rare for us to experience very much with all five senses. Hiking encourages you to go ahead and do that – smell the crisp air, feel the tree bark, taste a blackberry, listen to the squirrels throwing acorns through the trees, look at all the wonders around you.
12. Being out in nature is incredibly healing!
Through all of these other things and so much more, hiking is so healing. Through movement and fresh air, it heals our body, mind and heart. It is healing without us aiming to heal or even recognizing it.
13. You’ll definitely get a better night’s sleep!
Hiking with your toddler is a great way to make use of all that wonderful energy. It’s also very calming and relieving. Even if it’s just a simple hike, in my experience at least, everyone sleeps a little bit better.
That’s it for today. If you can’t already tell, I really love hiking and I feel called to encourage more people and more families specifically to go and try it out! I understand that hiking with your toddler might be a little intimidating at first…but I encourage you to give it a try! On top of all of these benefits, hiking with your kiddos also makes for an amazing opportunity for making beautiful memories as a family.
Question for the comments: Do you enjoy hiking with your family? What’s your favorite part?
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