How to be an Adventurous Parent: Embrace the Wild with Your Kids

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information

Before having kids, my husband and I were very adventurous. We took every opportunity that offered adventure.

We even spent a summer driving around Atlantic Canada while camping in the back of our Volkswagen Passat. It was one of the best summers we can remember.

After having our first baby in 2020, during the height of the pandemic, that changed. Looking back, I believe I had some postpartum anxiety, but it was honestly hard to tell, given what was happening in the world around us. Who wasn’t anxious that year?

Unfortunately, that all translated into my fear of having my child outside. I didn’t even want him touching the grass. I’d have him on a blanket in our yard and not let him off.

We went for walks, but he’d always be in the carrier, just in case. I didn’t know how to be an adventurous parent.

When I think about it now, I’m sad about the missed opportunities. The outdoors could have helped me with my mental health if I’d been able to let it.

Luckily, like most kids, my first was a natural explorer, so we eventually got back into it.

Here is what I learned about building my self-confidence around adventuring with kids.

The Importance of Just Starting

I didn’t go outside much in my first child’s first year because of anxiety, but once he was walking unassisted, all bets were off. He had places to be and wouldn’t let me hold him back.

Luckily, I was able to get out of his way and let him explore. I’m so happy I did because this kid would live outside if we let him. And I want him to have a lifelong appreciation and love for nature.

Now that I have a second child, I find it much easier to get out and adventure. I’ve had lots of practice adventuring with a small child, so now it feels like second nature. It was a lot harder when my oldest was so small.

Involving small children in the planning process is also helpful in becoming an adventurous parent. Likely, they’ll continue to want to do the same thing several times before moving on. This means you’ll have a chance to feel like you’ve got a handle on it before moving to something else.

But what if you didn’t start adventuring super early?

Don’t sweat it! It’s a ‘the earlier, the better’ kind of thing, but it’s also a ‘never too late’ kind of thing too. Start where you are and go from there.

The important part is getting started.

Preparation is Key

Getting started and doing something repeatedly will get rid of the anxiety around it. But how can you get started if you have too much anxiety to start?

Prepare, prepare, prepare.

This is what I had to do to make sure I felt ok and didn’t pass my worries on to my little guy. I did some reading to find out what we’d need, and I made lists. So. Many. Lists.

For smaller adventures, you don’t need too much. I pack a bag with a first aid kit, snacks, clothes, diapers, and wipes. In summer, I add sunscreen and bug spray.

In the beginning, I over-packed. There were always things I didn’t need, like several pairs of shoes, multiple outfit changes, and more water than we could ever drink.

Over time, you’ll figure out what you really need. In fact, I have a Camelbak hydration backpack that I keep ready to go as an adventure bag. I can grab a water bottle or fill the bladder, and we’ll be off.

Having an adventure bag ready to go at all times helps eliminate any anxiety and reduces the stress of trying to get everything together at the last minute.

Involvement in Organized Programs

Still struggling to get out? Getting involved in some organized programs can help.

Often, these programs do all the planning for you. If you’ve got a community resource center or anything similar, take a look and see what they offer.

They’ll have the route planned, date and time to meet, and sometimes even a list of things to bring. This takes the guessing out of it.

It can be a great way to gain some confidence when you feel like you can’t get started.

It can also be a great way to meet like-minded parents and build a community. This is something that I missed out on with my first, and I think it would have been so helpful.

Knowing you have someone there to help if needed, someone to cheer you on, and having someone to talk to about adventuring and parenting can be so helpful.

You’ll watch your kids learn from others and even teach others things. It’s a pretty cool thing to see.

It will help you continue to grow your child’s confidence and capabilities, as well as your own.

Building Flexibility and Resilience

So, you’ve planned meticulously, you feel prepared for the trails ahead. Great!

However, as with everything in life, things don’t always go to plan. This was a hard one for me. I struggle when things don’t go the way I had hoped.

It’s taken a lot of work, but I now see challenges when adventuring differently. I view them as part of the adventure and expect they’ll happen.

It’s ok to get upset when things are going sideways. What’s most important is how you handle it. You miss such a great teaching opportunity if you only get upset and turn back.

If you choose to move past the upset and figure it out, you can teach your kids many valuable skills to serve them their whole lives.

Flexibility, resilience, and problem-solving are some of the things that overcoming challenges while adventuring can teach our kids. And it’s a lot easier to learn these things when you’re young.

I’ve found that learning to overcome challenges and to expect things to go differently than planned can help with parenting in general.

Toddlers and babies can be pretty unpredictable—their brains haven’t even started to develop the ability for rational thought. Having these coping skills learned from our adventures helps me be a better parent.

It’s allowed me to be more patient and ready to work as a team with my kids. And in turn, my kids learn perseverance and teamwork.

Learning to embrace the obstacles we face while adventuring turns these challenging situations into invaluable life skills that will carry our children through adulthood.

Adding Fun and Motivation

When we come up against challenge after challenge, it can be frustrating. It’s easy to lose motivation to keep going when this happens. And because kids learn what we model, they may also lose motivation.

If your kid isn’t motivated to get out and adventure, it can be tough to keep getting out.

The way we frame things can make all the difference. I started talking about our challenges as learning opportunities, which helped reframe it for me and my kids.

After we’ve overcome a challenging moment, we discuss what went wrong and what we learned and celebrate getting through it.

I know for me, it’s helped with my intrinsic motivation. Especially if you’re a glass-half-empty person, being forced to look at what good came out of a situation can turn you around pretty quickly.

This means that your kids will learn it from the get-go.

This is yet another thing that will serve them well throughout their lives. They’ll learn to look on the bright side and to make the best out of a bad situation.

They will still be able to have fun even when things don’t go as planned. And I’ve found that some of our most fun times have been on adventures that went in a different direction than expected.

The stories you tell and the things you reminisce about later will often come from these misadventures. I don’t think I’ve heard a story that started with, “Do you remember that time nothing went wrong?”

Ensuring Safety First

Misadventures are bound to happen, and if you’d like to have fond memories of them, safety is key.

This goes along with being prepared, but what safety things should you prepare for?

First and foremost, I always have a first aid kit with me. Young children don’t understand the dangers (or care!) and are not always the most coordinated.

Having something with me to take care of the more minor scrapes and bumps really helps. You can either get one together or buy one with everything you need.

If you decide to put one together yourself, the basics of what you’ll need are:

• Adhesive bandages (Band-Aids)
• Bandages
• Medical tape
• Antibacterial ointment
• Scissors
• Tweezers
• Antiseptic and antibiotic wipes

It’s also a good idea to familiarize yourself with new places. If you’ve never been on a trail, find an app or forum to find information about it.

This will help you choose age-appropriate places to adventure, keeping your kids safe.

A Journey Worth Taking

Stepping into the role of an adventurous parent is more than just a series of outings—it’s a transformative journey that reshapes the fabric of our family life.

Embracing the art of adventurous parenting and integrating outdoor activities for kids into our daily rhythm has proven to be a multifaceted reward–each camping trip, each hike, and each moment spent outdoors keeps our family close together.

We’re instilling a profound appreciation for the natural world in our kids and ourselves. We’re giving them the tools they’ll need to navigate life through all their years.

We’re raising good and capable humans. I think that’s a journey worth taking.

For tips on affordable adventure gear check out this post.