To expect a four year old

[Vellincharm]

To walk for a mile or two without complaining when with an eight year old and two adults. Just that really, although the same with 5 years/9 years and 6 years/10 years again with adults.

1. if used to walking, yes
2. at leisure pace? I think often the pace adults go "to get somewhere" is too fast for younger children to manage over that sort of distance.
3. lots of children would start to grumble a bit in the second mile. I'd usually have a little snack or plan a brief break.
4. walking... for what? The sake of a walk? It can get boring if you're 4 and no one's wanting to stop and play ten mins of hide and seek or let you pick a few blackberries or look at the lambs etc.

As a PP says depends if they are used to it, how fast you are walking, if you are paying them attention, if they get a break in the middle.

It’s a relatively long way for a small child and would need a bit of managing

Isn't the default setting on four year olds, for anything they are required to do, 'complaint'?

Most are capable of doing it if they don't notice because it is broken up with interesting distractions though

No breaks, certainly no snacks or entertainment. Just relentless yomping. Do you remember being four and do you routinely do this with your 4 year old?

no. at 4 my kids would've just sat down and refused to move if it was just boring relentless walking to nowhere

Depends on the child really. Think my eldest would honestly have cheerfully walked without a whimper from John O'Groats to Lands End when he was 4, but our daughter would barely walk more than 10 minutes without moaning to the point of meltdown.

During the lockdowns our daily walks extended further than this when my youngest was 3. However, because we were walking lots daily her stamina had built up to that, plus she had her brother to play with, an interesting walk across a train bridge and through fields and woodland, etc. And always breaks and snacks!

Part of it is definitely attention span: being marched along a road with nothing interesting to do or see, literally just walking and restricted to pavements, of course a 4 year old will become bored and start to complain.

Interestingly she'd probably moan like hell about it now (aged 5) because she's not so used to it because we're doing other things each day so not the same stamina. That distance on a scooter, no problem. Half of that (the walk to school) and back later in the day, no problem.

Also massively depends on their mood and how tired they are when you start...

I think it's quite a long way all in one go for a child that age if not particularly used to walking.

When my DC were small we lived in the countryside and DH used the car for work. There school was about 2 1/2 miles away. DH drove them to school on his way to work. There was a little post office/shop about 1/2 miles away from school on the way home. I walked over to collect DC after school and we'd stop in the little shop to buy an ice cream or sweet on the way back and DC would be looking at the lambs or cows in fields or wild flowers on the way back. When 2 oldest were at school my 3 year old walked with me in the afternoon unless it was really raining then a lady who lived in another cottage close by would take him in her house until I got back to save him getting wet. Up until he was 3 I pushed him in the pushchair. But after that he walked everywhere. He didn't really complain he just saw it as something we did to collect his siblings and he liked going to get sweets or an ice cream. I think if children are used to walking from a young age they can do it but if they are driven everywhere they won't be used to it.

My 5 year old wouldn't do this without a lot of complaining, sitting down, refusing to move, and asking to be carried 😂
Would probably manage it on a scooter though

Depends on the child really

Yeap. My dd wanted me to buy her a pushchair when she was four and definitely did not like walking, whereas my dgd has always been brilliant at walking and never complains.

Mine would definitely complain. We make up games along the way.

Mine would never walk that without moaning but give him his bike and he’d go all day 😂

Depends on her mood! DD has been put through her “we must get somewhere!” walking speed paces, but also countryside walks – she’s much happier with the latter but only if she can also run around. The footpath over a golf course made her furious. Snacks and water definitely help. There’s a lot of complaining about the three-quarter mile walk home from nursery but she’s tired at that point; she’ll happily walk there.

Mine would have no issue with the distance or needed snacks but would have expected it to be fun. So stopping to look at bugs, running around a bit, playing games etc.

Also pace. Would dawdle but an adult style direct walk would have been too fast.