How to make riding fun for a 5 year old

[roseyposeysmum]

My dd has just started with a pony on loan after 9 months of riding, she has him 3 days a week and gets to ride for 30 mins each loan day, she also has a lesson each week as well, when she rides on her loan days I will be walking with her as she is only 5 and can?t be left to her own devices. I have walked with her on a few of her lessons and know the basics of what she does and I can ride myself but her instructor has said to make sure she still has fun and I have never done the teaching/ supervising side before.
Any ideas of what I can do with her riding to make sure she has fun?

Do you go on hacks? I remember walking with DD at that age and we sang all sorts of songs as she rode - definitely helped with her trotting rhythm. We also used to try and spot things on our rides such as a "Gruffalo Wood" etc - whatever she was interested in at the time.

In the school DD used to have lessons at that age that were all about her steering etc. We used to make her go trotting round bollards/cones and if she completed the line there/back correctly she got a Haribo - her instructor's pocket was always stuffed with little bags of gummy bears etc as fun treats.

Tell stories such as walking through the jungle, where she has to swing like a monkey, lift legs a little for snakes, lots for water, duck under imaginary branches. Do standing stuff - round the world, laying flat down, reaching to pony's knees etc. Mounted games at the walk can be good. I wouldn't really 'teach' as stuff - too much toes in, heels, down, hands etc will soon sap the fun out of it. No stirrups and hands, ride sitting backwards, short stirrups like a jockey, closed eyes - anything you can think of really.