Kayaking with Kids
One of the activities that we enjoy in the summer with my family is going to a lake or lagoon; here in Texas, there are many. We like to go on picnics and kayaking to fish or just for fun.
Kayaking or canoeing is a great way to get out on the lake without spending a lot of time, and it’s also good exercise. We also like it because it’s an activity that all family members can enjoy. Something a bit difficult with the very different ages of my children (11, 7, and 3).
You can not miss when kayaking is: life jacket, sunscreen, sunglasses, water bottles, and snacks.
My children know how to swim, but we have taught them that if the kayak “accidentally” turns over, they can return it to its original position. Sometimes my children go alone; of course, we do not lose sight of them from the shore, but they enjoy flipping the kayak.
My children like to jump into the lake, but they have to do this with caution, always with a life jacket; there are some lakes where swimming is prohibited, you also have to be careful with tree branches and animals like snakes!!; This time, we saw a dead snake on the shore of the lake, which was about a meter long!
Some sports stores offer Events so you can try the different types of kayaks and canoes. They also give you some tips on selecting the size of the oars or paddles, paddling techniques, etc., and everything is free.
Anyway, their answers varied when I asked my children what they enjoy most when we go kayaking. The oldest said, turning it over and going into the lake, the middle one, fishing in the kayak, and the youngest told about the water and games because we always try to have a playground or children’s games on the shore. Still, all agreed that they like to walk with the family!!
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Kayaking and flatwater activities are for kids too!
The smallest of the house can and should also enjoy nature and sustainable tourism available in the Aragonese and Catalan Pyrenees. For this reason, Intrepid Kayaks is committed to giving space to activities for boys and girls in its wide range.
In the following article, we will look at the activities for children that we offer at Intrepid Kayaks. We carry out all of them in the calm waters of the Catalan Pyrenees, in areas such as the Pantano de Escales, among others.
What kayaking activities for kids do we offer at Intrepid Kayaks?
The kayak activities for boys and girls are the same as those we offer for adults but adapted to the age of these little ones and young people. Our technicians have considered both the territory where they are carried out and the needs of this exceptional public to organize and carry them out.
Our purpose is to promote outdoor activities, consolidate essential values, such as respect and conservation of the natural environment, and persevere in teamwork and self-learning of each participant.
We understand that this is the best way to enjoy adventure and leisure activities in a privileged environment, such as the Catalan and Aragonese Pyrenees, with the primary objective of promoting environmental education.
In which areas do we carry out these children’s kayak activities?
Intrepid Kayaks offers water activities within an exceptional setting, such as the Escales Reservoir, in Pont de Suert.
For what ages are these kayaking activities recommended?
The activities in calm waters that we offer to Intrepid Kayaks are aimed at students in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th years of Primary Education, ESO, Vocational Training, and Baccalaureate. In other words, for children and young people between 7 and 18 years old.
Our technicians and experts will adapt each of the activities to the children’s level, confidence, and character, making sure that all of them have the best time possible. Intrepid Kayaks is always committed to activities where children can see where they can go with confidence and respect for nature.
Of course, for everyone’s peace of mind, the only condition is that children and adolescents know how to swim, especially in activities such as paddle surfing. It should also remember that they must bring the necessary clothing for each activity, such as a swimsuit, closed water sandals or sports shoes that can get wet, a towel, and spare clothes.
We also offer paddle surfing or SUP for children!
Paddle surfing or SUP (Stand Up Paddle) is becoming more and more fashionable, both in calm and fresh waters (such as the Noguera Ribagorzana river ) and salt waters. Intrepid Kayaks have been offering it for adults and the little ones in the house for a long time.
The Stand-Up Paddle is an inflatable boat, similar to a surfboard, where the child or adult stands on top of it using a single blade paddle to slide through the water and move.
SUP boards can be individual or also for two or more people. Coordination between boaters is essential in boats with two or more people to move through the water correctly.
What to look for when buying a kayak for children
If you want your children to go with you on kayak trips, you must know what to consider when buying a kayak for children. Although they may be similar on many occasions, it is clear that there are differences between a kayak for adults and one for children far from color or style because the size and weight are two significant variables to consider.
Do you want to surprise your child with a kayak? If you’re going to give him the perfect gift, you must stop to take a look so that you can discover what you have to look for when buying a kayak for children. After reading this post, we invite you to go through our children’s kayak section and see the catalog, and, of course, ask us any questions.
Kayak for children, what to take into account?
Many parents prefer to purchase a double kayak over a single kayak for the kids. The truth is that it depends a bit on you, on what you like. Many times, a two-seater kayak does not have a seat adapted for children.
You will find kayaks of many different types, more versatile or minor, with more excellent cargo space and capacity, and ideal for families. The important thing is that you choose the one that suits your needs.
But if you want to buy it and go out with the family, we recommend that you look for an ideal kayak for families, such as the Barracuda tandem kayak. It is one of our most demanded kayaks.
A children’s kayak can be an ideal purchase to share your hobby with your children.
We also have three-person kayaks. For example, some self-emptying models are designed to navigate two people and a child. There are also those designed for three adults and other variants.
But in the end, what prevails is a specific kayak for children, and only for them. Among our catalog stands out the “Aventura” children’s kayak that includes everything for your child to learn kayaking safely.
Kayaking with Kids
In short, you can buy the kayak for children that you want. You will find them of different types, sizes, closed, rigid. Yes, it is always better to start with a kayak for children for quiet crossings to let go and learn little by little.
Kayaking with Kids
PADDLING IN KAYAK WITH CHILDREN
I have been inspired a bit by the topic of kayaking with children. Those little bobbleheads that so many tears and laughter can bring out. Kayaking with kids is a very minority variant of this sport. Let’s think that kayaking is very individual, and for many, sharing your boat with someone in the water means sweetening this sport too much. We must also believe that the sea is a hostile and dangerous element where it is normal for us to avoid putting our most precious treasure: our children.
In my case, the kayak came after the children. The kayaking high came with the birth of my second child, which was probably an excuse to run away from home when I needed more. I don’t know if, as a way to share the good things in life or expand my paddling possibilities, I would consider kayaking with my children. To “train,” spend time with the family, or even take different trips. Like many times in life, it was about sowing, to reap one day. I knew even that the harvest might never come.
FIRST STEPS – Kayaking with Kids
I remember keeping the Rotomod Ocean duo in the garage for two years, hoping it would be our first kayak for short rides on the beach. My eldest son, who was five years old, did not want to know anything the first summer. On the first attempt to climb it, it seemed that he had mounted it on the back of an old donkey because he would not stop crying. To take for granted the vest, I bought him and all the father’s illusions. Luckily the mother was around to get him out of the kayak right away and not let me try it for the rest of the summer.
In the second summer, things got better with a couple of very short walks. We were talking about a 6-year-old boy at the time and a self-emptying kayak with which to cover a kilometer, you suffer. At that moment, we took the opportunity to play dive jumping from the kayak—fun, refreshment, and laughter. In passing, we tested the effectiveness of the vest. Security must be maximum, and children must wear children’s vests with more buoyancy and straps between the legs that prevent it from coming out through the head. You also have to buy children’s clothing, especially paddling in the cold.
If it’s just to test, you can also try carrying it between your legs in the bathtub. It is somewhat dangerous because if the child already has some volume, in case of tipping, you can get stuck.
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WITH DOUBLE KAYAK
At the beginning of the following summer (the year 2008), I was lucky enough to meet my perfect friend Txus Derteano, and I saw that he was going sailing with a Prijon Odysee boat with his boy. That is why I jumped into the pool and bought (not without many headaches) a double kayak: an Oasis Family in one quick move. If you don’t know, I’ll tell you, there is a very little supply of double kayaks, they are much more expensive than the k1, and they are usually giant. This one was available second-hand, and then I calmly sold the Rotomod Ocean duo for almost the same money.
LONGER JOURNEYS – Kayaking with Kids
It was then that a world of possibilities opened up to us and a path to follow little by little. Now that we were going to go on longer outings, the first thing was that the child had his hands full of him, for feeling part of the team and scaring away boredom. That is why I made a shovel for it using two oars from an inflatable boat. At these ages, everything quickly outgrows them, and it is not worth spending money on good material.
THE SECRET: LOTS OF IMAGINATION – Kayaking with Kids
I also saw that you had to talk a lot and tell stories right away. In those days, we passed the “lucky rock,” the “pirate’s pass,” and the “cursed tree,”…..and once we even saw a mermaid’s tail in the distance Imagination to power. Many of those outings ended or made a parenthesis with a stop at the beach bar on duty: rowing makes you very thirsty. But the key was always the same, to forget about oneself, and set up each outing in a pleasant way for the child and wanted to repeat. And that implied and implied, accepting that everything can be a bit chaotic, and having patience. That of «I have pipi,» I’m thirsty,» «is a long way to go ??» we take it at the helm if we sail with a child.
BEGINNINGS WITH INDIVIDUAL KAYAK
Then would come the games with K1 in the pool (or calm waters) to capsize and go out usually. Learn to turn the kayak and even paddle backward. Stand up, fall, and try to re-embark. If your child is gunpowder, it may be advisable to tie him up with a rope so that the Red Cross doesn’t have to go looking for him on the beach. And little by minor, the departures are stretched in distance and time on top of the kayak. You usually always appreciate the safety offered by the waters of swamps or rivers. At that rate, soon the initial blade falls very short.
CHILD’S PADEL RACKETS
There are children’s rackets, but I tried them with good results with a Greenlandic noise of its size. And everything was going well because this type of shovel offers little resistance, and it is cheap to obtain. I didn’t count on children being children, but not fools. With what he soon told me, you stay with the mini-Eskimo, and I with your Werner Camano … «that one runs more .»Impossible to refute it.
THE TRIPS
At this point, we tried a two-day trip, a weekend of good weather. It was about sharing the sensations of sailing with just what was necessary to be autonomous. And to teach them that a day without television or game console is possible. The experience was good, and we repeated another year with another trip down the Ebro river. A father must balance helping and teaching his son without putting him in a bubble. That is why after he had become familiar with what it means to kayak, the time had come to start in a solo kayak.
I signed him up for a kayak course for children to learn by playing and with an instructor’s less passionate but more professional treatment. Shortly after, as a kind of master or graduation, I told him one day: the time has come to take dad’s kayak. I was considering buying a small size kayak, but at the rate that kids grow, I saw it as a bit silly to buy a children’s kayak. Today at 14 years old, when we go for a ride, I go with the Qajaq sea wolf and the Rotomod Yak.
Today, I plan to continue with the cruise. It’s more fun and safer. In addition, we still have a lot to improve paddling together in a double kayak. Paddling in single kayaks should come a little at a time. And if they send me to strip, I’m also doing a similar path to the one I’ve told you about with my 8-year-old daughter. Here are all my (our) kayaking adventures with children.
Kayaking with Kids