Observational Hiking Games
Use your eyes, brain, and body on your hike to practice observational skills
Nature Hiking Bingo-
Print out a blank bingo board and allow children to fill in using words/pictures of what they think they will see on their hike. (You can also give a list of possible ideas for them to fill in if the children are not familiar with the area.) You can decide if there will be prizes of some sort on the hike (prizes can be simple things like when you get a bingo you lead the hike until the next bingoer, a healthy trail snack, a walking stick, etc.). This bingo game will have children predicting what they will see on the hike, reflecting on those predictions, and observing their surroundings very closely.
Download this free ‘Nature Hiking Bingo’ PDF
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Nature Charades
While hiking with your child or group of children stop at an interesting place on the trail to play nature hike charades. One person is chosen to be the actor. They look around the area for an interesting natural item to dramatize. It could be a mushroom, large boulder, interesting tree waving in the breeze, or other natural item that intrigues them. The actor attempts to portray the natural item with their body. The others look around the area for something that resembles the actor’s body movements or shape & take turns making guesses. The person who correctly identifies the natural item becomes the new actor. The game can continue in that space or the group can move on to a new area on the hike and the game begins again.
__, what do you see?
An easy and fun rhythmic game for children to observe and share their surroundings. On a hike, simply ask the child: “(child’s name), (child’s name-) What do you see?” In which they respond- “I see (something they see on the hike) looking back at me!” Continue this game for each child hiking with you. Allow children to then continue the train and ask another child what they see!
Example:
Teacher/Parent: “Johnny, Johnny- What do you see?”
Johnny: “I see a crooked tree looking at me!”
*Johnny can show the rest of the group where he is looking or have them guess.
Johnny: “Elle, Elle- What do you see?”
ISpy
Children love the game ISpy. Allow children to spy something in the surroundings and choose one way to describe it. For example- “I spy with my little eye something that (choose one way to describe it: is red, is octagonal, has letters on it)” Let children be creative with their descriptions to practice vocabulary! Encourage ‘hint giving’ when age appropriate to further conversation skills. The game of ISpy encourages observation, describing, turn taking, and cognitive development.
Scavenger Hunts!
Create a scavenger hunt for kids based on:
Local flora and fauna (hike in the space ahead of time to see what you may find)
-You could do a focused scavenger hunt only on seeds or birds or leaves..
Children’s interests (this can even be fantastical, for example- find a stick that looks like a fire hose or find a troll’s home)
Academic skill (color, shapes, letters, numbers, etc.)
Children LOVE scavenger hunts, it doesn’t need to be fancy or pretty- any challenge is exciting to kids!
Fundanas:
Purchase a fundana to have an easy game ready at all times in your pack! Simply spread out the bandana on the ground in a space along the hiking trail. Each player can select a natural object as their ‘game piece’ and place the object on one of the game squares to begin. Each square has the player attempting to locate an object in nature or make an observation. Play one round and then have the group come together to discuss their findings or observations. Players move their game piece for the next round and follow the directions. This is a fun, easy compact way to travel with a ready-made hiking game.
Be sure to check out more hiking games for spatial awareness & cognitive development- here.
