Introducing your kids to paddling - What age ?

[geyrfugl]

Aged six and four:



(Carsaig Bay, near Tayvallich) leading to (ages 17 and 15):





Club Wave, White Nile, Uganda

[Ollie5]

My lad was 15 when he started 18 months ago and it scares the crap out of me when he's on the Upper Dart chasing 3rd Arch levels in his small river runner/playboat

[poolebay]

My daughter is 3 and loves splashing about.



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My son is 7 and loves taking charge.

[Chas C]

There's some company from NZ who makes small sit on tops for children, seems they are suitable for kids from around 3 yrs old.

Think Sue's Canoe's stock them.

[simple]

Yep, they are Weenie Waves

http://www.weeniwave.co.nz/weeniespwave.html

The kids love them.

[followme]

For several years now I have taken my son to Chalfont Park CC at Hambleden Weir.
He has shown a complete dis-interest in kayaking but would sometimes grudgingly accompany me in a Canadian for some leisurely paddles down to Hurley / Medmenham Abbey & back (more interested in feeding the swans and ducks) or, more willingly, he would go swimming from the jetty at the bottom of Ferry Lane (we have swum from early April through to September).

Last weekend he asked to have a go in my play boat in the mill stream and just about sussed paddling in a straight line.
Today he insisted on paddling up to the weir & practised breaking in & out (there was 1 main gate open).
He had a swim (despite being a strong swimmer and extremely confident in water I was still surprised at how calm he was and how well he coped) but he wasn't put off in the least (in fact all he really wanted to do afterwards was break in even higher up).

I'm pleased I never pushed him too hard but equally I never gave up on getting him out on the water.
My son is 13 years old and has Downs Syndrome. Words can't express how proud I am of him.

[James G]

My son had his first canoe trip at 5 weeks, but he didn't really get into it until he was almost 2. He's two now and doesn't try much paddling yet, but loves running his paddle or hand in the water, finding riverside blackberries, collecting balls and counting cows. We don't cover great distances, but often get requests for "A daddy row-row on daddy car a dawdaw" (dawdaw = water).

[GOC]

My daughter is 4 in October and got her own Jackson fun last summer and some little light weight Ophion paddles. She just held the paddles last year while I towed her around the lake but she watched others. This year she is doing it her self but only in short bursts but she loves surfing in to the beach on little waves and coming out in the creak boat with me.

She already due to this and coming to the wakeboard lake with me has a heathy respect for water and will always ask for her PFD.

Get them stuck in:)

[Richard Gunton]

My daughter said over the weekend " I swore that I was never going to paddle my own kayak and now look whats happened"
Lucy's been out in her own boat three times in the last week at her own request. kayak mania is setting in. I did get worried though when she said it was the best way to get the boys since there werent any other girls who kayaked. Christ she only 8 I blame the school.

[juliemaragh]

Solomon was less than a year old before we had him in our open canoe. As a toddler, he used to fall asleep standing up at the front of the boat and I just used to lie him down on a picnic mat and he would sleep for a good 90 mins whilst Dean and I paddled on ... He does not sleep now just paddles and loves his canoeing ..

[DJFish]

After a short hiatus I got back on the water today with my two year old, I don't know who was more excited!

Really need to outfit my boat now!

[morsey]

Really need to outfit my boat now!

With a mast, plank and Flag! :-)

[dpround]

My only advice to add to this is be very wary of the kids getting a scare in the water. Two of my kids had incidents and both of them have had their confidence severely affected.

I strongly recommend open boats or SOTs until they need to move on or beg to.

All the best

David

[sinkorswim]

You'll never regret getting the kids involved. One of mine will even stops playing computer games if I suggest a paddle LOL.