Do you already know the great classics, such as the botanical path from Lavachet, or the orientation tables accessible via the Tovière and Grande Motte ski lifts? Now you certainly want to go further and pass on the joys of mountain hiking to your children.

Here are 4 tried and tested techniques… which you can use and abuse!

The distraction technique

Maëlle Lepoutre, from Vanoise National Park, tells us about her experience: “Often a child who is reluctant to walk is a bored child, and not a child who is tired. So we have to find some tips to break the apparent gloom of putting one foot in front of the other. " To do this, simply choose a walk with many points of interest (a stream, a lake, a geological curiosity to observe, a wild animal to watch through binoculars, etc.). To inspire you, find ideas for walks and lots of information on the points of interest for hikes from Tignes on www.rando.vanoise.com.

The technique of exploration

The Vanoise National Park is a protected area of ​​535 km² (heart of the park), populated by many animals that live there peacefully, sheltered from human nuisance (noise, etc.). We find there in particular the largest colony of ibex in France, but also chamois, hares, raptors (including the rare but majestic bearded vulture, with its wingspan of nearly 3 m!). Remember to take a pair of binoculars in your backpack to observe them from afar, guaranteed success with your children, young and old! Unless the attention of the youngest is attracted by the many marmots that point the tip of their noses around the bends? Even by diligently counting the butterflies fluttering among the flowers, the simplest things often being the best. 

The virtual herbarium technique

An unstoppable technique for budding botanists… or simply Indiana Jones in search of the holy grail! Get a little guide to mountain flowers for this, and set them the goal of finding as many as possible to take pictures of them and then make a virtual herbarium when they get home. A third of the flora of France is found in Vanoise! An exceptional diversity that promises an exciting treasure hunt (without picking the plants): by color, by variety, by level of rarity ... It's up to you to choose the rules of the game according to the age of your toddlers. Some examples of flowers found along the hiking trails from Tignes: glacier buttercup, edelweiss, genepi, houseleek, knotweed, fireweed, gentian, Alpine forget-me-not, bellflower, knapweed, troll, arnica ...
 

Bonus: the reward technique

Maëlle explains to us why it is to be used as a last resort: "I recommend to leave the diagram of consumption, of the reward by a blueberry pie, and to privilege the emotion and the memory, to benefit from the way, the landscapes. ". Even so, that little bit of help can save the last mile of your hike when your teenager is about to protest due to abuse (in other words: starving stomach), or the little girl's mood is turning. in the storm. Many refuges mark out the trails of the Vanoise National Park and Natural Reserves (refuges of Palet, Leisse, Martin, Fond des Fours ...), so do not hesitate to include them in your walk for a break taste well deserved!

Have you tried other techniques successfully? Tell us about your best family walks on Facebook and Instagram.

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