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Walking Chat

On a regular walk together - from preschool, from a market, or to a park - an open-ended conversation about whatever your child notices.

Cartoon illustration of a parent and child outdoors doing Walking Chat.
  • Age2 to 8 years
  • Time5 to 15 minutes
  • EnergyModerate
  • CostFree
  • WhereOutdoors
  • PrepNone

A conversation that happens on a walk the family takes regularly: from school, from the market, to the playground. The child leads what gets noticed and talked about; the adult follows their attention rather than directing it.

How to do it

  1. On a walk your family takes regularly (school pickup, market run, an evening walk), resist the impulse to ask "how was your day?" or direct the conversation.
  2. Let your child walk at their own pace. When they slow down, stop, or point at something, that's the conversation starter. Ask a follow-up: "Oh: what do you think that is?" or "Why do you think it does that?"
  3. The adult's role is to follow the child's attention, not lead it. If your child wants to walk in silence, that's fine: walk in silence. Not every walk needs words.
  4. Accept odd topics. A child noticing a crack in the pavement, a discarded wrapper, a specific colour of a wall: all of these are valid starting points. Go with them.
  5. The walk ends when you arrive. The conversation doesn't need a conclusion; it can just stop.

Signs it is working

Your child points things out and looks at you to respond: they're sharing their noticing with you. Conversations develop naturally from what the child initiates. Over weeks, your child may begin to anticipate the walk as a time for conversation rather than transit

If it is not quite clicking

Child walks in silence every day: That's not a failure: some children process by being physically alongside without talking. Be present without filling the silence. You catch yourself asking questions that probe school or behaviour ("were you good today?"): Redirect and let the child set the topic. The walk has to be rushed some days: Acknowledge it: "We're in a hurry today: next time we'll walk slowly." Siblings are both on the walk and one dominates: Try occasionally walking with each child separately to give each one the full attention.

Make it yours

Younger, 2-3 years: The child may just point and name things: "dog!", "big truck!": the adult echoing and adding one word ("yes, a big truck: loud!") is the whole exchange. Older, 6 years and up: Conversations can grow longer and more complex; the adult can share their own observations too, making it a genuine two-way noticing exchange. Multi-child: Works with mixed-age siblings walking together, though the one-on-one version preserves the quality of individual attention. Lower-stimulation option: For children who find busy routes overwhelming, choose a quieter path: a side street, a building corridor, or an early-morning walk when crowds are thin. The activity does not require visual or social stimulation from the environment; a quiet walk with one interesting thing to notice is enough. Walking alongside (not facing) lowers the social demand and can help children who find eye contact during conversation difficult.

Try this with your child.

Tell PLAI™ about your child and this moment. It shapes the activity to fit.

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