JB Gill’s tips on getting children out for a walk

“It might feel like you're dragging them and forcing them and torturing them, but it's only going to be good for them.”

Yes JB. Trying to get kids to go for a walk isn’t always the easiest. I am one of the writers here at Parents' Toolkit and in my house the suggestion of going for a walk is met with such grumbling I have been known to give up on the idea altogether.

We all know walking is good for you – you get your steps in and it’s good for your mental health. Going for a walk is also very accessible and cheap - however none of that means kids actually want to do it. Mine are 10 and 12 and walking definitely isn’t their idea of fun.

JB Gill is a farmer, a star of the show Coastal Adventures, a Dad, and of course a member of JLS (although that is a bit less relevant here). Here are his top tips for getting reluctant children outside and walking.

The first thing JB stressed in our conversation is the importance of exposing children to the outdoors at an early age. He said this normalises the environment and makes it easier in the long run to integrate walking it into your daily routine.

JB said he always takes his children out to help with the animals on the farm and he even taught his daughter to count using eggs laid by their hens. He told us the chickens were prolific during lockdown; “She was one and a half, two and she was learning how to count using them.”

Wherever you live it’s about mixing walking with an activity you know your children enjoy and find engaging; “Obviously you've got to get outdoors and there's lots of ways that you can do it to make it fun” he said.

This could be setting a goal like hitting a certain number of steps or spotting and counting things while you’re out like wildlife or yellow cars.

If your children are older you could try looking up maps and trails and getting them to be in charge of following the route. Or think about games and walking treasure hunts that are available online. ‘Pokemon Go!’ has got us out of the front door more than once.

JB said he has built outdoor time into his children’s lives and understands how lucky they are to have such easy access to green space.

“My children have always been outdoors and they're kind of spoilt obviously because we've got a family that does that” he said.

JB grew up in the Caribbean until the age of 5. Like his children he spent a lot of time around animals and nature from an early age “my dad used to keep horses and donkeys” he told us.

However, JB wasn’t always the outdoors enthusiast he is today, especially once his family had moved to the UK; “My parents used to take me on day trips into London, do sightseeing or whatever, or go to places like Kew Gardens. Kew gardens was boring for me as a child. But now I go back, and I love it.”

The point being, don’t be disheartened, as a parent building good habits isn’t always easy and won’t always feel worth it but it is.

JB said the experience of being made to get out and walk has had “a lasting effect” on him and his parenting; “There's that passion and that interest I don't think goes away and in fact, it only gets stronger because you've been exposed to it.”

You may not get any thanks right now – but you never know what might happen 20 years down the line…

As a parent it’s hard to encourage reluctant children to do things – especially now there is so much else to distract them. Gone are the days of five TV channels and a landline that has to function as a phone and an internet access point for the whole house. To help with this JB said motivation is key.

He recommended reframing the walk and finding something that “appeals to them, that they find fun, that they enjoy”. For example, JB said, if he told to his son, “right, let's get out… we're going to get a slip 'n’ slide … he's straight outside, like, he doesn't need to be coerced”. He compared this to saying; “Right, we're going to walk down to some mundane location and you've got to carry all the shopping.”

Think about the framing then, can the walk be to a play area or a friends house? If there are mundane tasks involved maybe make them secondary to a more fun element. Basically, make the point of the outing something other than the walk.

For JB, growing up in London local parks were key to him getting out in the fresh air as a child, with Battersea park being one of his favourites.

JB also says you can easily start to build walking into your everyday family life. He told us when he’s got a list of errands and is looking after the children he often combines the two and makes sure his kids are getting plenty of steps in. He explained “if you go to the shops but you go to park on the way back, then you can work in 20 minutes to be in a playground.”

You can also park a bit further away from where you are headed, get off the bus a couple of stops early, walk to school where you can.

It’s also worth considering how your child could explore local parks, play-out and run errands more independently at times. This might help them recognise the benefits of being outdoors for themselves in some capacity. This could mean you become less of an enemy of their fun and more a facilitator.

Whether independently or as a family, JB said getting out and about is “just a different environment. And it's another bit of excitement that you wouldn't normally have”.

For free walking-based activities, JB was keen to stress how “the countryside is for everyone”, and how easy it is to find walks online to follow.

Additionally, JB recommends getting out near water if you can because it’s “always fun, especially for kids”. He said he’s particularly fond of getting out to the coast because it’s so easy to incorporate a walk along the sea front or beach.

JB has taken his children to the beach all times of year; “They've been wrapped up warm and in ski suits and wellies and they have just as much fun as when they're in swimming trunks or bikini and running into the water,” he said.

To make your seaside walk even more exciting - here's how to find the secret wildlife of the seaside.

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