4 Strategies for Adventuring when Outnumbered by Kids

Once upon a time, we had one child.  We did a lot of fun adventures with her. I often say, we put her under our arm and off we went! Then we added a second baby.  Though it was much harder, we still had a 1:1 ratio.  One for Mom, one for Dad, or if one parent was flying solo, we had gear to carry two kids.  But what to do when #3 came along?!

We needed a new strategy when the scale was tipped towards small people holding the majority in our family.  We had 4 kids in 5 years so were very much in a pregnancy/baby/toddler (and repeat) stage for what felt like forever. We then added another little girl into our family to make 5 kids in 9 years.

Many families that I talk with, can’t wrap their heads around how to adventure with multiple children.  We hope to spur your own motivations and creativity with these 4 tips.

1. Do micro-adventures often, and mighty adventures occasionally

Micro adventures are the backbone of our outdoor experiences.  With a focus on playing, rather than moving distances, our kids have developed a deep love of being outside. We think of fun locations we can access by walking/biking from home, or a drive to someplace close.  Throwing rocks into a lake/river, climbing trees, going for a swim in a creek, picnic dinners in the mountains, putting up a slackline someplace beautiful, taking turns cruising around on a SUP, or finding a bank to jump off, are all great ideas for kids. 

As your schedule and energy allows, plan something mighty. This is relative to YOUR family not the one you saw on Instagram!  Be sure to give yourselves a huge high five when you are done (and maybe take a nap!).  It’s a major accomplishment that you should feel immensely proud of.

2. Choose an activity and focus on it.

Before kids, we loved white-water kayaking and rock-climbing.  We made a shift to more ‘family friendly’ adventures that we could do altogether.  Canoeing and biking were our choices. Here’s why:

Canoeing: The kids don’t need to paddle, if they can’t or don’t want to, which means you can take your baby! We love that canoeing allows us to get into the wilderness more easily. We invested in a 20ft canoe that is like a family SUV. We do day trips, but it also handles week long expeditions with our family of 7.

Biking: We can go further distances than walking. Did you know it is the most efficient mode of transport for energy expended?! For young non-biking children, we own 2 wee rides, a rear suspended seat, a trailer and a trail-gator!  The age and stage of our kids depends on which apparatus we need, and allows us to go to some cool places.  And yes, we look like a circus sideshow!

3. Go! Even if your spouse can’t be there

You can still get outdoors with a tribe of kids when there is only one parent available.  We owned single and double mountain buggy strollers that got used like rugged 4×4 vehicles.  We also had a front pack and a backpack, in addition to our biking contraptions.  On any given solo parenting day, I would just decide what combination of ‘stuff’ was needed, to get where I wanted to go.  Because I knew it was all up to me, I found that ‘digging deep’ is a truly gratifying experience.  A little creative thinking and hard work goes a long way! 

4. Go without the Kids

I know it can feel ‘right’ to be with our kids all the time.  But honestly, I don’t think I would be here today if I didn’t find some way to have my own adventures through these intense and draining years of parenting. I whole-heartedly encourage my husband to go kayaking, biking or skiing, and he has done the same for me. 

The only adventure that I have been able to maintain with absolute regularity (2-3x a week) is running. It’s simple, and I need that.  It clears my head to be out on the trails alone in the mountains, and gives me the biggest bang for my buck for the time I have available. 

Individually, we also join adventures with other people as work and family schedules allow.

We encourage you to be mindful that these years with your kids are short.  Don’t shelve your outdoor aspirations because you have a larger family.  Sometimes that means resisting status quo, and the occasional sideways look. But there are also plenty of people that will cheer you on and tell you that you rock!

Our family is motivated by lots of memories together.  Connections through our shared outdoor experiences are an excellent way to fill our emotional tanks.  For parents and kids.

And remember…..you can do hard things!