National Walking Month: What Can You Do?

Jumping for joy on green grass next to the River Wharfe with blue sky — National Walking Month….. WOOO!

Have you heard of National Walking Month?

Because we have! National Walking Month takes place in May every year and it’s a month that we here at The Reluctant Explorers obviously get VERY excited about!

In case you hadn’t noticed yet, we are quite fond of a family friendly walk. But not only that, we are firm believers and enthusiastic advocates of the many, MANY benefits that just a little bit of walking has on your physical and mental health and that goes for kids and grown ups alike! If you happen to have stumbled across us on a Google search, then check out our social media pages for our Walk This May campaign.

But for now… let me tell you a bit more about the whole reason behind its very existence! ….

What is National Walking Month?

Set up by UK charity Living Streets, ‘Walk this May’ is all about getting walking MORE! As simple as that.

In 2023 their theme is #try20, which is simply encouraging people to get out and walk for just 20 minutes a day.

How do you get involved? Well you know what? There’s no big form involved, no registration process, NOTHING! Just get out and explore!

You can read more about Living Streets National Walking Month on their website.

Sitting in a concrete tunnel in the city — Doesn’t have to be fancy for it to fit the brief!

Why #try20?

Believe it or not, just getting out for 20 minutes a day is enough to have a positive impact on your physical and mental health.

Did you know that there has been a study carried out into the therapeutic effects of green and blue space on physical and mental wellbeing by the Queens University in Belfast?

When I say green and blue space, I’m not making a cloaked reference to Guardians of the Galaxy. No, I’m referring to green space as being open and undeveloped land with natural vegetation, trees, shrubs and flowers. Blue Space? That’s water; rivers, lakes, ponds, canals or the sea.

The study showed that exposure to these types of outdoors environments made measurable improvements to physical health, such as decreasing cortisol levels (cortisol is your stress hormone), blood pressure and cholesterol, as well as the subjects generally reporting a better level of health.

It’s said to boost feelings of relaxation and confidence, reduce the feeling of loneliness, help build connections with nature and other people and even in simply helping you to get a better night’s sleep.

(Although the kids’ll put a stop to that one in no time!)

So with that in mind, how can YOU aim to get your 20 minutes a day with the kids in tow?

Hand over the map… it’s a great way to get the kids involved (and therefore less moany!)

The Cold Hard Walking with Kids Facts

Yes, I know that a lot of the time, the prospect of getting kids excited about being out walking or hiking seems about as likely as a flying elephant.

And so even just 20 minutes feels like too much of a battle to be worth it right?

Never fear, you are NOT alone. I am the queen of spoiling everybody’s screen time fun by suggesting that we (shock horror) do something that DOESN’T involve dealing with creepers or chatting with your friends on Roblox…

BUT does it deter me from being the least popular person in the family? NO IT DOES NOT! Because despite the moans and groans, they actually (deep down) really enjoy it….. That’s what I tell myself anyway!

So to fit with the #try20 theme, here are my top 20 ways to help you get outdoors doing your 20 minutes with the family (whether they like it or not….!)

Can you get the kids excited about hiking? (Probably not! But let’s think positively!)

20 Ways to get your #try20 Motivation!

Ok. Here we are. 20 ways to try and kindle some enthusiasm in the kids about getting out walking for Walk this May. Hold onto your hats we’re going in….

Do a challenge!

Why not check out our ‘Walk this May’ walk log and challenge yourself to get out every day. Set yourself a treat at the end to work towards, whether that’s a day out (or chocolate. Chocolate works!)

Hand over control

If you want the kids to get excited about the walk, then ask them where they want to walk to! The caveat is, they can’t just persuade you to jump in the car… they have to walk it. So this could be to your local shop, to the park, to the skate park, or into town. Simples and nothing fancy required either!

Walk to School (as much as you can!)

Yes, I know this isn’t always possible with work commitments, it certainly isn’t for us. But if you can do it once a week, that’s a 20 minutes day bagged right there (unless you live next door to the school….. might not work so well then….)

Have an after School adventure

Again, I sympathise with the chorus of, ‘we have to work’, ‘we have football/ ballet/ gymnastics….’ but now there are longer days and the sun doesn’t set until after 8pm at the moment, why not walk to the park? Or take a walk around the block?

A trail is an ace way to get kids out walking

Try a Trail

Trails provide a little bit of purpose to a walk. They get rid of the boredom factor and they are a great way to keep those legs moving! If you want a scavenger hunt sheet to go with that trail why not download one of our free sheets!

Go on a nature collectors spree

Either have a project in mind (better for older kids) or create a shopping list of stuff to find out on a walk (ace for younger kids). It’s a perfect way to make them forget that they’re supposed to be annoyed about walking!

Maps. ALL the maps!

Either plan a walk with a proper map and get them to navigate (great for older kids) or create a little map to complete with stuff you see on your walk (better for younger kids - just draw a circle for them to add the things they spot to it, doesn’t have to be geographically accurate!)

Litter Pick

I don’t know about you, but my two are OBSESSED with litter picking. They absolutely bloomin love it! So take a litter pick (some communities will have some you can borrow) and head out for 20 minutes. You get your walk in, and you get to feel smug that you’ve done something pretty ace.

BUBBLES!

They are great AND they are yet another way to get little ones to forget that what actually is happening is that you are on a dreaded WALK! There are loads of eco friendly bubbles available now, or you can make your own using non toxic ingredients. (We’re about to try making non toxic bubble mix for ourselves, so check out our Instagram and Facebook to find out how we get on!)

Walk around a reservoir

There is something about being able to see exactly where you are going and how far you have to walk to get back, that makes this one a slightly less whingy walking route than some others! Why not check out our Reservoir Walks?

Take a picnic

Walking for 20 minutes with the promise of food at the end? Well that works right? Find the perfect picnic walk by checking out our picnic blog!

Go for a paddle

My two will always walk for a paddle spot! Go for it!

Take pictures!

This is a case of handing over the camera (or your phone) You can either set a task, a goal, a shopping list of stuff to capture or just let them loose (just be prepared to sort through 528 photos at the end!)

Find someplace new

Is there somewhere that you’ve heard of that you just haven’t got round to checking out? This is the time! This was something we did a lot of during lockdown (shiver) when we really hadn’t got much to do. It involves slowing down and really thinking about what’s nearby!

Paddling in the river at Kettlewll in the sunshine — Paddling is always fun!

Walk at Night

Grab a torch and head out under the stars! See how many constellations you can spot!

Summon the Google animals

This one always works a treat (as long as you have phone reception!) The Google animals will appear before your very eyes and always get a laugh. You can find out how to do this over on our Walking Games page.

Walk to build a den

Who doesn’t love to build a den?! We have a fab portable den kit that the kids got for Christmas (available from Den Kit Co.) but it doesn’t have to be fancy! Take an old bedsheet and some strong twine or rope, maybe some clothes pegs and voila!

Take your binoculars

Ok. Not everybody has a pair of binoculars, but they really aren’t necessary. You could make your own, or you could just go and see what birds and animals you can spot. Create a ticksheet and off you go!

Walk a Show Cave

It all counts! Why not take yourself underground and check out a cave? We have a blog all about the Yorkshire Show Caves you could check out to find out more!

Walk with your buddies.

Now. I’m not one to state the obvious…. (except I am. regularly) but a walk with many walking buddies makes walking more fun! So rope in your friends, your family, maybe even your next door neighbour to get involved with the challenge and spread the knowledge about this great incentive to get out!

So where will you walk this May?

We hope you have a fantastic time getting out and exploring this May, wherever that may be!

Drop us a comment below if you want to share your #walkthismayexperiences !