All the items needed for a few games of tic-tac-toe can be found in nature.

Generally, exploring and discovery is enough for kids, but sometimes even they can grow bored with that and become restless. Remember that they naturally have shorter attention spans than adults.

Fortunately, there are lots of tried and true activities you can do on the trail that’ll keep kids from getting bored. Among them is Nature Tic-Tac-Toe.

As children hike between rest stops, have them watch for and pick up five small stones or pebbles (preferably of similar color), five half-inch high leaves (preferably from the same kind of plant), and four sticks.

When at the next rest stop, cross the sticks to create a tic-tac-toe board. The leaves become the X’s and the pebbles/stones become the O’s.

You now can play tic-tac-toe.

Materials: Five small stones or pebbles, five half-inch high leaves, four four-inch-long sticks

Ages: 4 and up

Learn about more than a hundred other hiking diversions for kids in Hikes with Tykes: Games and Activities.

By Rob Bignell

Author Rob Bignell is an avid hiker, long-time editor, and former infantry grunt. He's scaled summits almost two miles high, crossed America’s driest deserts, and walked beneath trees soaring 15 stories over his head. Now he shares his hiking experiences with you to ensure you and your family enjoy the perfect day hike through his various hiking guidebook series - "Best Sights to See," "Hittin' the Trail," "Headin' to the Cabin," and "Hikes with Tykes."

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