Kids need exercise. Yet walking for a long time is sooo boring. Here’s how to make three easy walking puzzles to encourage exercise, observation, exploring and using that brain while your feet are moving.
These are all screen-free and can be found in the bumper list of 100 unique, free things to do with kids.
1. The Neighbourhood Spelling Walking Puzzle
To make walking around the block more interesting, create a simple Neighbourhood Spelling Walking Puzzle.
Step 1. Go for a walk around your neighbourhood and write down interesting things at different locations. It might be an interesting garden statue, a number of columns on a porch, a unique decoration on a house front, or a number of tall trees.
Step 2. Write out all your answers. Can you take a letter out of each word to spell a new word? Select the stops and clues that will help you spell out the word you want.
Step 3. Draw a map of the walk and write out the clue questions.
Step 4. Put it all together and enjoy the Neighbourhood Spelling Walking Puzzle.
2. The Market Bingo Card Walking Puzzle
Bingo Cards work well for places you know, and need to spend some time in. It works for shopping malls, outdoor markets, museums or galleries, and even for tasks such as cleaning or homework.
Step 1. Go for a quick walk around your chosen market beforehand. Some markets will have virtual tours online, so you can create this puzzle without even going there in person!
Step 2. Take note of interesting things that you walk past – prices, signs, shop names and logos, how many of each type of shop etc. Write them all down. These become your answers.
Step 3. Decide how big you want your Bingo Grid to be. 3×3 will mean 9 questions. A 5×5 grid will need 25 questions.
Fill out your grid with the questions that give you the answers you wrote down in step 2.
Step 4. Hand it out and watch people go exploring all over the markets. You can play so that a line of answers is needed, or that the whole bingo board needs to be completed. Set a time limit for extra challenge.
3. Museum Paper Escape Room Walking Puzzles
When you want to explore all the galleries in a museum, but the kids are sick of walking around and looking at ‘boring stuff’, use a paper escape room to encourage walking. This takes a fair bit of effort to set up, so it’s worthwhile sharing it around or taking a big group.
Step 1. Go for a quick walk around your museum or gallery beforehand. Some museums will have virtual tours or maps online, so you can create this puzzle without even going there in person!
Step 2. Take note of interesting items that you walk past – artifacts, counting numbers of items, heaviest/most expensive/oldest items etc. These become your list of things to find.
Step 3. Make little cards for each gallery you’re visiting with a list of things to find. Make the clues as cryptic or straight forward as you like. As an extra layer, in each gallery include a clue that builds up to the final answer in the last gallery you visit.
Step 4. Hand it out and set a timer for each gallery. Move quickly to the next gallery until you’ve explored it all, found everything and solved the puzzles.
Conclusion: three easy walking puzzles
Next time you go out, think about making an easy walking puzzle to reduce boredom, encourage walking, and get those brains thinking. It could be a spelling puzzle, a bingo card, or a find-it escape room walking puzzle. Have fun!
Want 5 complete walking puzzles to download?
You can grab the complete versions of these three walking puzzles plus two more by simply popping in your email address. It’s free to download and endless fun! Note: these puzzles were last tested April 2022. Things may have changed since then – let us know!