How to Entertain Kids Aged 5 and 7 During a 3-Hour Hike

You find a beautiful family hike. The scenery looks amazing. Everyone is excited.

And then, twenty minutes after you start:

“How much longer?”

Followed shortly afterwards by:

“I’m tired.”

“Can you carry me?”

A three-hour hike can feel very different when you’re five or seven years old. Adults can enjoy the scenery, think about where they’re going and happily walk in silence. Young children usually need something else to occupy their minds.

We recently did a three-hour trek with our 5- and 7-year-olds, and one incredibly simple game ended up keeping us entertained for a surprisingly large part of the hike: making up a story together.

It reminded me of something useful about hiking with young children. You don't necessarily need to pack lots of toys or prepare complicated activities.

You just need to give their imagination something to do while their legs keep walking.

The Game That Kept Us Going: Make Up a Story Together

This was by far the activity that lasted longest for us.

The rules couldn't be simpler.

One person begins a story with a sentence such as:

“Once upon a time, a little bear went hiking in the mountains and discovered a mysterious door hidden behind a waterfall…”

The next person adds what happens next.

Then the next person continues.

And around you go.

With children of five and seven, the story quickly becomes wonderfully ridiculous. A dragon might arrive. Someone discovers a magical sandwich. A talking sheep becomes the hero. The family gets transported to another planet.

There is no right direction for the story to take, which is exactly why it works.

During our trek, we kept coming back to the same story for a large part of the walk. Instead of focusing on how far we still had to go, the kids were thinking about what should happen next.

Why the story game works so well while hiking

Unlike many hiking games, it doesn't depend on finding something specific along the trail. You don't run out of red flowers, animals or interesting rocks.

The game can also stretch for as long as your children's imagination lasts.

And because everyone contributes, children aren't simply being entertained by a parent. They're creating something themselves.

There are a few ways to make it even more fun:

• Add things you see: if you pass a waterfall, suddenly the characters reach a waterfall too.
• Bring family members into the story: Grandma might become a secret agent or Dad might suddenly be able to talk to birds.
• Introduce a mystery: someone finds a key, a map, a footprint or a secret message.
• Give each child a character: they decide what their character says and does.
• Stop at a cliffhanger: pause for a snack and announce, “We’ll find out what happens next when we start walking again.”

That last one can be surprisingly effective when it's time to get moving after a break.

Turn the Hike Into a Mission, Not Just a Walk

The story game taught us another useful lesson: children don't necessarily need to be entertained every second. They need a reason to stay mentally involved.

Adults might be motivated by reaching a viewpoint or completing a trail.

For a five-year-old, “we're walking for another two hours because there's a beautiful view at the end” is not always quite as convincing.

A small mission makes the next section of trail feel much more manageable.

Try:

• finding three different types of leaves;
• spotting the first animal;
• looking for an unusually shaped rock;
• counting waterfalls, bridges or streams;
• finding something in every color of the rainbow;
• looking for animal footprints;
• finding the smallest and biggest flowers along the trail.

Instead of asking “Are we there yet?”, they're looking around to complete their mission.

10 More Hiking Games for Kids Aged 5–7

The story game might take you surprisingly far, but it's useful to have a few backup activities when enthusiasm starts to dip.

1. The Color Hunt

Choose a color and see who can spot something in that color first.

Start with easy colors like green or brown, then make it harder: yellow, purple, orange or blue.

2. Animal Detective

Look for clues that animals have been nearby: footprints, feathers, holes, nests, spiderwebs or even animal poo.

Sometimes looking for evidence of animals is more interesting than actually spotting them.

3. The Silent Minute

Everyone has to stay completely silent for one minute.

Then compare what you heard.

Birds? Wind? Water? Insects? Cowbells? Footsteps?

This is also a lovely way to make children notice where they actually are.

4. Junior Photographer

If you're comfortable letting your child use your phone or camera briefly, give them a photography mission rather than simply handing over the device.

Ask them to take five photographs:

• something tiny;
• something beautiful;
• something funny;
• something they have never seen before;
• their favorite view of the day.

The screen becomes a tool for observing the world rather than an escape from it.

5. Who Can Find…?

Take turns choosing something everyone has to find.

“Who can find something shaped like a heart?”

“Who can find the tallest tree?”

“Who can find a rock with two colors?”

6. Guess What I Can See

Choose something visible around you and give clues.

“I can see something green. It's taller than Daddy. It moves when the wind blows.”

The children have to guess what you're looking at.

7. The Alphabet Game

Try to find something beginning with each letter of the alphabet.

For younger children, don't worry about reaching Z. Simply see how many letters you can find.

8. Walk Like an Animal

For a short, safe section of trail, change the way you walk.

Take giant steps like a dinosaur. Hop like a rabbit. Stomp like a bear. Walk very slowly like a tortoise.

This works particularly well when everyone needs a little energy boost.

9. What Happened So Far?

During a snack break, test everyone's memory.

What was the first animal we saw?

What color was the bridge?

How many waterfalls have we passed?

What was the funniest thing that happened?

It encourages children to notice the journey rather than simply waiting for it to finish.

10. Let the Kids Become the Guides

Give your children responsibility for a short part of the hike.

They can watch for trail markers, announce when they see the next sign, or lead the family along a clearly marked and safe section.

For older children especially, being given a real job can completely change their attitude toward the walk.

Don't Wait Until They're Exhausted to Take a Break

There's a big difference between taking a break because everyone is happily ready for a snack and stopping because a child has reached the point of refusing to move another step.

With young children, it's often easier to stop before they desperately need it.

For a longer family trek, you might naturally break the walk into smaller chapters:

• walk and tell your story;
• stop for a small snack;
• start a nature mission;
• walk to the next landmark;
• stop for lunch;
• let the children lead for a while;
• bring the story back for the final stretch.

Three hours sounds long.

“Let's walk until that waterfall and then have our snack” feels much easier.

Snacks Are Part of the Entertainment Too

A snack break isn't only about hunger. It gives children something concrete to look forward to and divides a long trek into manageable pieces.

Easy hiking snacks might include:

• fruit;
• sandwiches;
• cheese;
• crackers;
• dried fruit;
• cereal or oat bars;
• nuts when appropriate for your child's age and needs.

And don't underestimate the motivational power of one particularly exciting snack saved for later in the walk.

Use What's Happening Around You

One of the easiest mistakes when trying to entertain children is preparing so many activities that the activities distract them from the reason you're there.

A hike is already full of entertainment.

There are strange insects, tiny flowers, clouds, streams, rocks, smells, sounds, footprints and paths disappearing around corners.

The best hiking activities simply help children notice more of what is already around them.

That's also why the story game works beautifully. The landscape can gradually enter the imaginary world you're creating together.

The mountain becomes the dragon's mountain. The stream becomes the river the characters have to cross. The sheep you just passed somehow becomes an important part of the plot.

The real journey and the imaginary one start blending together.

After the Hike, Help Them Remember the Adventure

At the end of the day, ask each child a few questions:

• What was your favorite part?
• What was the funniest moment?
• What did you discover?
• What was the hardest part?
• What should happen next in our hiking story?

They could draw something they saw, keep a favorite photo, write down the funniest moment or add the experience to a travel journal.

This is something we think about a lot at Mini Travel Book. Children experience travel very differently when they're given things to look for, questions to answer and little missions of their own. A personalized travel activity book can continue that idea before, during and after a trip, helping children become participants in the adventure rather than simply following the adults.

But whether you bring a travel book, invent games as you go or simply create one enormous story together, the goal is the same:

Don't just keep children busy. Give them a reason to engage with the journey.

What We Learned From Hiking for Three Hours With a 5- and 7-Year-Old

If I had to choose just one activity to use again, it wouldn't be the most elaborate one.

It would be the story.

No equipment. No preparation. No pieces to lose in a backpack.

Just:

“Once upon a time…”

And then letting everyone decide where the adventure goes.

Sometimes the best way to get children through a long walk is to give their imagination an even longer journey.

Frequently Asked Questions About Hiking With Kids

How do you entertain kids during a long hike?

Try activities that can happen while children continue walking, such as collaborative storytelling, nature hunts, animal spotting, guessing games and giving children small missions. Activities that use the environment around you are especially convenient because you don't need to carry extra equipment.

What are the best hiking games for 5- to 7-year-olds?

Collaborative storytelling is particularly good because it can continue for a long time. Other simple options include color hunts, animal detective, “Guess What I Can See,” photography missions, nature scavenger hunts and letting children become the trail guide for short sections.

How do you stop kids from asking “Are we there yet?” while hiking?

Instead of focusing on the final destination, divide the walk into smaller goals. Walk until the next waterfall, viewpoint, bridge or snack stop. Giving children a mission or continuing a story can also shift their attention away from how much longer they have to walk.

How often should you take breaks when hiking with young children?

There isn't one schedule that works for every child or trail. Watch your children's energy, the terrain and the weather, and try to stop before they're completely exhausted. Short snack, water and exploration breaks can make a long hike feel like several smaller adventures.

How can you make hiking fun without screens?

Use the environment as the entertainment. Look for animals, invent stories, search for colors, listen for sounds, photograph discoveries or give children responsibility for spotting trail markers. The aim isn't necessarily to ban screens, but to give children enough to do that they don't feel they need one.