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Presume Outdoor Competence in Kids

March 21, 2023 by Chelsea Findling Leave a Comment

Presume outdoor competence in kids to get them to love the outdoors at a young age. In my line of work, we always discuss presuming competence in the students we work with. Inclusive School Communities defines presuming competence as “you believe that the student in question has the potential to develop their thinking, learning, and understanding”. The same thought process goes for presuming outdoor competence in kids. Your children will be able to achieve their outdoor goals if you set them up for success. If you believe they are capable, they will thrive and reach their outdoor adventure goals, including life goals. Instead of focusing on potential barriers, legal guardians should be thinking “kids can do this”. Where do we start?

Table of Contents

  • Get Them Outside at a Young Age
    • Hiking Options
    • Different Activities
  • Mental and Physical Health
  • Creating Traditions and Building Skills
  • Presume Outdoor Competences in Kids Travelling
    • Norway
    • Presume Outdoor Competence Hiking Preikestolen
    • Beautiful Scenery Backpacking
  • Positive Attitude
  • Presume Outdoor Competence by Starting with Small Achievable Goals
    • Backpacking at Four and Six Years Old
  • Presume Outdoor Competence by Continuing Your Goals
  • Keep Building Memorable Trips
    • Canoeing Horseshoe Rapid on the Kootenay River
  • Presume Outdoor Competence in Different Activities
  • Presume Outdoor Competence in Your Teenagers
  • The Love for the Outdoors as an Adult
  • Final Thoughts

Get Them Outside at a Young Age

Presume outdoor competence in kids. I'm looking at the camera while cross-country skiing as a nine year old.
This is me country skiing at nine years old.

Hiking Options

Getting children outside at a young age will increase their chances of loving adventures in nature and potentially turning their passion for the outdoors into more than just a hobby but a lifestyle. Children are impressionable at a young age. Show them that they don’t have to be experts, they just need to go outside, find a trail and start hiking. 4 Best Larch Hikes, 4 Spectacular Drumheller Hikes or Jasper Hikes: Best Memories are awesome examples of beautiful locations to hike as a family. They offer different levels of hiking depending on your skills. Family Quality Time together is priceless regardless of the length of time you spend outdoors.

If you’re passionate about the outdoors, share your joy for it. Children will see that you love it and will hopefully follow in your path. If you’re new to hiking or any other type of outdoor adventure, try it out together and see if it’s something that you’d like to do on a regular basis. Find something that the whole family likes to do and get outside.

Different Activities

Kayaking, rafting, canoeing, and even backpacking can be a lot of fun if you’re interested in overnight hiking trips. If it’s winter, try skiing. Here are 10 reasons to love cross-country skiing. If you’re more interested in downhill skiing Best Downhill Ski Day in Lake Louise will provide tips to enjoy yourself. Can’t decide between two ski hills: Downhill Ski Sunshine or Lake Louise? will help you figure it out. 5 Awesome Outdoor Skating Rinks in Alberta is a fantastic guide to figuring out the best places to skate in our province if you’re looking for a different activity to do with your family.

Mental and Physical Health

Presume outdoor competence in kids. I'm standing in a green meadow that is on the Brazeau backpacking loop.
Backpacking Brazeau Loop off Hwy 93 with my family.

Teach your children that getting outside is awesome for maintaining their mental and physical health. It reduces stress, makes you feel less tired, and gives you more energy and joy for living life. Overall, it makes you in a happier mood for a longer period of time. Being outdoors is calming and relaxing to get away from the busyness of the city even when going for a walk in a ravine. It will change your thoughts as you focus on the gorgeous scenery around you. You’ll feel your lungs expand as you inhale and then contract as you exhale. Breathing the fresh air will make you appreciate the time you have exploring the area. The exercise will feel great as you experience your activity of choice.

Creating Traditions and Building Skills

Presume outdoor competence in kids.  My family, Kris and I took a selfie before we started to backpack the Poboktan trail.
Ready to start our adventure backpacking the Poboktan trail with my parents and Kris.

Every time we finish a backpacking trip, we give each other a group hug for having successfully completed our goal. Creating traditions is exciting and something to look forward to every time we’re together. It brings us closer as a family. Kris has been welcomed into our family group hugs now as we’ve invited significant others into our family and want to continue the tradition. We hugged after backpacking Poboktan Trail successfully. This was the first time Kris backpacked and loved it!

Our experiences outside have built character for us as children over the years. We have developed skills and learnt so much through different activities and adventures.

In addition to hiking, backpacking, skiing, kayaking and canoeing skills, we have learnt:

  • to listen to the whistling in the trees to see if they are moving or if a bigger animal is somewhere in the forest.
  • to observe tracks and see what animals have been there before us.
  • how to make fires.
  • to dehydrate food for backpacking, canoeing or kayaking trips.
  • how to have a happy and warm x-country ski.
  • how to have an enjoyable trip Kayaking Desolation Sound: 11 Tips for the Best Trip Ever.

There is never a limit to the number of things you can learn and skills you can acquire by trying different activities.

Presume Outdoor Competences in Kids Travelling

  • Presume outdoor competence in kids. This is a picture of my family and I on Preikestolen in Norway.
  • I just got a bucket of water while chasing sheep away.

Norway

My family and I are standing on Preikestolen in Norway in the first picture. The second picture shows me getting some water from the lake while chasing away sheep who also wanted to drink from my bucket, once my family and I arrived at our hut backpacking in Norway.

Presume Outdoor Competence Hiking Preikestolen

Travelling is a fantastic way to incorporate our love for the outdoors into our trips around the world. It provides the opportunity to see things we’d never see otherwise, whether it be experiencing different views and cultures in a city abroad or seeing mountains and animals we wouldn’t see unless we are off the beaten trail. In the first picture above, we are standing on Preikestolen in Norway. It’s one of their most famous attractions. It takes approximately four hours to hike eight kilometres. It’s a five-hundred-metre elevation gain with two steep trail sections. The hike is moderately difficult offering spectacular views only seen when hiking it. If you take a boat, you can see the bottom of the fjords but the view doesn’t compare to putting in the effort to hike it.

Beautiful Scenery Backpacking

By travelling to Norway, we got to experience a new culture and another language. We explored Oslo and saw the sites around the city. We experienced hikes and did a backpacking trip. My family and I would never have seen the beautiful scenery and got to experience the sheep and different backpacking terrain if we hadn’t gone there.

Positive Attitude

I'm smiling at the top of Mount Arethusa during the larch season in September.
I hiked to the top of Mount Arethusa during the larch season in September.

I love to be outdoors as you can see by the huge smile on my face. A positive attitude is essential to succeed in life. Things get hard at times, yes but with motivation, determination and a positive attitude, anything in life is possible. Adults that encourage children to get outdoors and do their best once they are outside can change a child’s pathway in life forever. A parent or guardian that does presume outdoor competence in kids will allow their child to accomplish anything they set their mind to! A positive attitude from a parent or guardian can be a game-changer!

You might not feel comfortable or confident in the outdoors by yourselves but there are options:

  • Find walking paths in the city where you live and try those out and see how you like them.
  • Go with other families from your children’s schools.
  • Find other families in meetup groups.
  • Join guided tours.

Presume Outdoor Competence by Starting with Small Achievable Goals

Backpacking to Kinney Lake when I was six years old and my brother was four years old.
Backpacking to Kinney Lake when I was six years old and my brother was four years old.

Backpacking at Four and Six Years Old

I started backpacking when I was six years old! My brother was four years old. Our small goal was to reach Kinney Lake (seven kilometres from the parking lot) by the end of the day. Do you think it was possible? Of course! My parents, as you can see, had to carry most of the weight on their backs as Scott (my brother) and I could only carry our small school-sized backpacks. But we carried the most important part…snacks! We proceeded to eat often along the way. Every hour, we had a snack break. It took us a while to reach the campsite…seven hours to be exact but most importantly, we did succeed!

Tip #1: Be patient, and hopeful and have a positive mindset that one day you can find yourselves in the same shoes or boots as us.

Tip #2: Start with shorter hikes, then increase the kilometres to make them into bigger hikes. Work your way up to backpacking. Once you hike on a regular basis and get children to experience it as part of their daily routine lives, they’ll be ready for a backpacking trip in no time!

Tip #3: Kinney Lake is a popular backpacking and hiking trail. If you’re worried about your lack of experience backpacking as an adult, Kinney lake is a perfect trail to start. The trail is relatively easy. You’ll likely be around many other hikers to offer moral support as it’s a popular trail. There is a shelter for picnic tables at Kinney lake, in case the weather isn’t the best; you’ll have a place for refuge. Note: Kinney Lake campground is currently closed but is intended to reopen for the 2023 summer season. Check for reopening dates here.

A guided backpacking trip with your family is also available if you prefer to do that.

Get a FREE backpacking checklist to help you get organized. Talk to experienced backpackers to point you in the right direction.

Presume Outdoor Competence by Continuing Your Goals

Presume outdoor competence in kids. My brother and I are backpacking the Rockwall trail.
My brother and I backpacked the Rockwall trail at nine and eleven years old respectively.

Once we completed backpacking Kinney Lake at ages six and four, it was time to push ourselves and try something a bit more difficult. The picture above shows us backpacking the Rockwall trail at ages eleven and nine. We successfully backpacked 55 kilometres over six days and five nights. Scott and I had bigger backpacks than on our initial trip allowing us to carry more equipment with us and lighten my parent’s backpack load. We had enough endurance to last the entire journey. We took many breaks and took our time but that was the key to us enjoying our trip. Our experience continued to push us outdoors and enjoy these magnificent trips with our parents. Their patience, kindness and positive encouragement fueled our drive and excitement for backpacking and the outdoors from that moment forward.

Tip: It’s the small things that count. It can get frustrating to have to wait, take many breaks and make progress to eventually get to the campsite. Once you have a child that is so enthusiastic about the outdoors and can’t wait to go on their next trip like Scott and I, you’ll realize the initial struggle was all worth it in the end. Keep that belief that your optimism and confidence will result in your children and hopefully yourself loving the outdoors.

Keep Building Memorable Trips

I'm Canoeing the Bowron Lakes with my family when I was twelve years old.
Canoeing the Bowron Lakes with my family when I was twelve years old.

My family and I are canoeing the Bowron Lakes in the picture above. My parents decided it was time for us to try a new skill and venture out on a canoeing expedition together. This trip created wonderful memories that pushed us to do other fabulous trips as we got older such as canoeing on the North Saskatchewan river as well as the Kootenay River. Every time we tried a new activity or did an adventure we weren’t as familiar with, we learned and gained so much confidence in our skills and abilities.

Canoeing Horseshoe Rapid on the Kootenay River

Scott and I are canoeing Horseshoe Rapids on the Kootenay River.

This video shows my brother and I canoeing Horseshoe Rapids on the Kootenay River. We succeeded to stay to the right of both ledges and go around it back in 2009. This river forced us to work on our skills and get confident as we scoped out different rapids to know which angle to take and how to approach the rapid. We got skilled at prying, taking forceful strokes to stay to one side or another of the river and getting into an eddy when we needed a break.

Scott and I leaned heavily on each other and trusted each other to get to our campsite each night. It was a team effort that wouldn’t have been successful had we not created many memories in the outdoors together growing up and knowing we could rely on each other to get the job done. It was very much a trust exercise as he was in the stern (back of the canoe) calling the shots and telling me how to help him manoeuvre the canoe. I had just as important of a job in the bow (front of the canoe) to look out for potential dangers (rocks poking out of the water, logs in our way, ledges) that could impede our progression.

Presume Outdoor Competence in Different Activities

Mom and I kayaking near the Copeland Islands.
I’m kayaking with my mom near the Copeland Islands.

We tried kayaking later on as we got older. Until this day, I still love kayaking, especially on the ocean. So many opportunities to see many different types of marine wildlife such as starfish, seals and whales. It’s so relaxing to paddle back and forth, one arm moving forward and then the next one. There aren’t any set trails that force you in a certain direction. You are free to move as you want and choose your own destination.

Explore your child’s interest with different outdoor activities. If you’ve never been kayaking before, you can rent kayaks at Lake Isle Kayaking Adventures, one hour west of Edmonton. Cynthia, the owner offers kayaking lessons for those who are interested. Your family can rent kayaks to try the outdoor activity for one hour and see if you’d like to pursue it again in the future and possibly purchase a kayak to go on your own adventures.

Presume Outdoor Competence in Your Teenagers

Picture of my family and I as we finished backpacking the West Coast Trail when I was fifteen years old.
Family picture of us having completed backpacking the West Coast Trail for the first time.

When I was fifteen years old and Scott was thirteen years old, we were experienced enough as outdoor enthusiasts at this point to tackle the West Coast Trail. It’s a difficult trail that forces your family to work as a team and rely on each other to get through the seven-day trip. It’s imperative to get in shape by doing other backpacking trails prior to signing up for this trail, otherwise, you’ll regret it. Being an extremely popular backpacking trip with the diversity of the trail and beautiful scenery, it books up in thirty minutes. If you get a chance to backpack it, I would highly recommend it. I’ve backpacked it three times when I was fifteen, twenty-five and thirty-five years old. Every time has been difficult but so rewarding. Book here for your chance at an amazing trip.

You’ll find all the tips you need in my Backpacking the West Coast Trail: 33 Lessons I Learned from doing it Twice post. West Coast Trail: Exciting Food provides food ideas (including dehydrated ones) to complete the backpacking trip. Here is the Ultimate WCT Packing List to have a decently sized pack and enjoy your trip. Have a great time!

The Love for the Outdoors as an Adult

My family and I in front of Lake Minnewanka.
My family and I are in front of Lake Minnewanka.

My brother and I still love the outdoors as adults. I personally can’t wait for the next trip with my parents and family. It really is an immense joy of mine to spend time with my family outdoors. We’ve both found partners who love the outdoors as much as us. We want to pass our passion for the outdoors to the future generation; our children. We hope they’ll love the outdoors as much as we do!

Final Thoughts

Are you feeling inspired? It’s time to presume outdoor competence in kids and think “What can we accomplish as a family?” Start with small achievable goals in an activity that is doable for the whole family and work towards more complicated adventures. Encourage them, share your positive energy and be willing to work as a team to succeed in your outdoor adventures. Help each other when the task is difficult, and motivate each other to go a little further.

We all have those “What ifs?” in our heads of all the worries and things that could go wrong but what happens if we change the narrative and we start thinking positively? What if things could go right and your children could succeed and conquer the world? Find ways to make it happen and you’ll be that awesome parent your kid brags about. I still brag about my parents and the amazing trips they brought us on and still do. How many parents would still backpack the West Coast Trail with us in their sixties? Not many but our parents do and that’s what matters. Be the parent that matters and changes the narrative for them and makes sure that the outdoors is a priority for them. What will be your next adventure?

This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase through my links, I might receive a small commission, at no additional cost to you. I only recommend companies and products that I’ve used and tested myself. If you’d like to support me, I’d greatly appreciate it! It will help pay for the costs to run my website.

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Hello! I'm Chelsea Findling. I grew up in an outdoorsy family and love spending time in the outdoors near and far from home. I created this blog to help you plan your next couple adventure in Alberta and British Columbia with camping recipes, reviews, tips and new adventures.

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