Paddleboarding With Kids

While you make plans for spring break or summer vacation, don’t forget to incorporate some time for paddleboarding.

Paddleboarding is an activity for all ages, and using your standup paddleboards for family time can add some fun and adventure to your weekends, vacations, and summer break.

If you think paddleboarding is just for adults, think again. Kids are not only great at paddleboarding, they often outperform their parents after they quickly get the hang of it.

So if you haven’t already purchased the best standup paddleboard for everyone in your family, this post will convince you of the fun you’re missing out on by not getting out on the water together with your kids.

How to Get Your Kids Paddleboarding in No Time

Kids love the water, and if you want to inject some extra fun into your family time at the waterfront, forget buying a boat or jet ski.

A Crossboard or standup paddleboard for the entire family offers more fun at a fraction of the cost with the added bonus that you can bring your ISUPs with you when you travel.

If you want to include paddleboarding as part of your family time getting your kids started on paddleboards can be quick, fun, and simple if you follow these steps:

Get comfortable on the paddleboard yourself. 

You don’t have to be an expert or even have logged a lot of time on the water for this step.

However, especially if your kids are young, you need to have the first steps under your belt before introducing them to paddleboarding.

You need to be comfortable with the very basics so that you can help them on the board and assist them when they fall off the board—because they will fall off at some point!

If you prefer jumping right in and learning with your kids, then do a couple of group classes together. That way, the pressure is off of you to help them while you, too, are learning.

Get your kids comfortable on the board on land

Your kids will be dying to get into the water, but if they go over the basic steps on the board while on land, your water adventures will go much smoother.

Explain the basic idea of sitting on your knees and then carefully standing up on the board. Model how to get up smoothly and let them try to do the same.

They’ll be anxious and excited to get out on the water, so doing this in the backyard on a day before you’ve planned to get into the water will help.

If you wait until you’re standing on the beach, they’ll be raring to go and less likely to want to practice with the water just inches away.

To make this step fun, show them a video of how it’s done and then offer to video them, too.

There is no need to make this a long, tedious teaching session. Instead, this is more like a quick session of just trying out the boards and learning your way around them.

In fact, this is the perfect time to explain safety items like the leash and other parts of the board that might be useful for them to know.

Get out on the water and fall in

Yep, sounds counterintuitive, but you have to teach them to fall in properly. Part of learning how to ride a bike is learning how to fall properly, and the same goes for the board.

In fact, falling off is a fact of life on a paddleboard, and they need to know how to get back up or they’ll get discouraged with this activity.

So practice falling and getting back on for a few minutes.

Start paddling

Once you’ve fallen off a couple of times and even if the kids don’t quite feel comfortable standing yet, start paddling.

They can paddle on their knees at first, but kids have a lower center of gravity and tend to get the hang of standing and balancing pretty quickly on their boards.

So just give them some time to paddle around and get comfortable with the process.

Tips for Paddleboarding with Kids

Kids of all ages take to paddleboarding pretty quickly and easily.

If your children already spend a lot of time on or in the water, paddleboarding is a natural next step, but regardless of how comfortable your kids are on the water, you can kill the fun pretty quickly if you’re not careful.

To ensure your kids enjoy their paddleboards and want to spend some family time on the water with you, follow these tips:

Keep them on a board with you for a while if they’re uncomfortable

If you have kids who are really young or very timid on the water, let them experience paddleboarding with you on your board. They can sit and take it all while you model how to handle the board.

Make it fun

No matter what process you follow, make every bit of it fun. While safety is no joke and must be taken seriously, when it comes to using the paddleboard, barking orders or constantly criticizing what they’re doing will kill the joy of family time and paddleboarding pretty quickly.

Stick close to the shore

When your kids are first learning how to paddleboard, stay close to shore. Sticking to shallow waters close to shore prevents you from getting out too far before your kids are ready to paddle that distance and back again.

Plus, kids can have an easier time getting on and off their boards in shallow water.

Follow the lead your kids signal to you

As exciting and fun as a paddleboard is, don’t schedule a long-distance touring session when you first get your boards.

Your kids need experience, and you need to watch them and gauge their abilities so that you avoid pushing their limits.

If you want to do something beyond their abilities, have them ride with you.

Giving them more than they can handle prevents them from enjoying their time on their paddleboards.

Having fun with your family on the water means getting them paddleboards from someone you can trust. Hydrus offers the best standup paddleboards for your family in a wide range of sizes.

With Hydrus, you can trust the quality and construction of your boards so that you can confidently get out on the water and make some great memories with your family.