Saw a bunch of these online and wondering if they actually keep kids engaged or if it's just busy work. Looking for something that'll make hiking more interactive for my 6yo who gets bored easily.
I made my own instead of printing something. Listed stuff like 'smell something,' 'hear something other than cars,' 'find something smooth.' Kept my 6yo way more engaged than 'find 5 leaves different colors.' Less about checking boxes, more about actually paying attention.
Try it with your own list first. Costs nothing, lets you tailor it to what's actually on your hiking trail, and you can adjust if he's getting bored. The printables feel passive until you make them interactive.
Honestly with a 6yo who gets bored easily, the scavenger hunt is more about YOU giving the hike structure than the printable being magic. My son does way better when I'm actively pointing stuff out and making it a game, not just checking boxes on a paper.
We used them once. My 5yo got interested for like 15 minutes then spent the rest of the hike asking 'how much longer' and holding them upside down. So... YMMV? Kid dependent.
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The ones that work best IMO are the ones with multiple options for each item (like 'find something red' instead of 'find a specific flower'). Gives them agency and keeps them engaged. The hyper-specific ones feel like homework.