Growing up in this 21st century tends to attract even the youngest kids to surfing. We’ve seen some petty young kids having fun while surfing! As long as your child is physically and mentally prepared to surf, it’s never too late to start. Surfing for kids is essential as it introduces children to taking lessons.
Do you want to bring your active, water-loving child to the next level? Take surfing lessons together! Although many schools may teach balance and coordination to boost confidence while enjoying some thrilling waves. But as the kid ages, it’s essential to play around and explore the world of surfing together.
Meanwhile, teaching a child of any age how to surf can be extremely tricky. This is because; it requires endurance, fearlessness, confidence, and appetite to explore unfamiliar territory. As the instructor, it’s up to you to be patient while teaching. Besides, your kids need to approach surfing on their own to be completely comfortable.
Get them intrigued, introduce them to water, allow them to practice on land, and create a game. With this in mind, the kids would show deep interest in surfing. Also, when your child is ready to give surfing a shot, ensure you hold him/her on the surfboard throughout the time in the water and ride the wave.
In this article, we will walk you through the safety tips for kids when surfing. Besides that, you will understand how to encourage your loved ones to surf in today’s world. In addition, we have compiled the benefits of surfing for kids in recent times. Would you love to know more? Read further to get the details.
Safety Tips for Kids Surfing Today
Are you constantly worried about your kid’s safety when surfing? If you’ve been wondering how to go about it, we have the answer in this article. Keeping your kid safe at all times means constant adult supervision. It also implies changes and rules that ensure your kid’s well-being. Below are the safety tips.
● Know the Waves to Handle – Sometimes, knowing the waves to handle is essential for beginners. Moreover, beginner surfers can’t just look to catch the same waves as experienced surfers. So, knowing the waves the kids can handle contributes to their safety while surfing.
● Understanding the Ocean Landscape – Knowing the ocean landscape is also a crucial factor. If an area is devoid of all surfers, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a good place for beginners to start. That’s why it’s essential to know the ocean landscape before you explore surfing with kids.
● Knowing How to Swim – Knowing how to swim is another paramount to staying safe. Take swimming lessons with your kids to enable them to swim in the ocean when there are high waves. Aside from that, swimming makes the whole experience of surfing far more enjoyable for kids.
● Avoiding Currents – Rip currents are dangerous; therefore, they should be avoided. Sometimes, it’s good to teach kids how to surf in shallow water where there are very short and non-powerful rip currents. This will later give your child a feel for what rip currents are and how they work today.
Encouraging Children to Surf
Many water-loving parents want to pass their passion to their kids. But in their head, they can ask different questions such as; what is the ideal age to start? How will the children surf if they don’t swim well? We have the answers here! So, let’s get you to begin to how you can encourage your child to surf.
a) Learning While Playing
One of the first things to know about surfing is that sometimes the process might be boring. In this case, teach them that learning while playing is the key. As already mentioned earlier, playing is the basis of learning in children. So, adopt different methods and focus on improving different skills in your kids.
b) Rely on Surf Professionals
Sometimes, your children may practice what they are being taught alone. Besides, teach the kids to focus on professional surfers. This will help them get started surfing. At that moment, they can create a feeling of competitiveness which is very positive during the time of learning. Does that sound right?
c) Have Fun before Surf
Before your child wades out into the water independently, you must play games. Make the game slightly more difficult by challenging them to tag the water before it turns around and comes back up the beach. So, doing this often will allow the children to have fun before and even after surfing.
d) Let Children Make Mistakes
Just like life, we all make mistakes to learn more. Surfing, on the other hand, is all about making mistakes and learning from them. As a beginner, it is okay to make mistakes while learning to surf, just as long as you as a parent provide helpful feedback to them afterward. So, allow your kids to enjoy surfing while making mistakes.
Benefits of Surfing for Kids
It’s vital to keep your children active early with surfing. Finding something your children love to do boosts different skills. If you’ve ever been on a surfboard, you’ll know how much of a workout paddling and surfing can be. Without further ado, here are the benefits of surfing for kids in today’s modern world.
1. Surfing Is a Sport
Surfing is a sport that your kids will never grow out of. It is something they can continue doing throughout their teenage years. Unlike other recreational activities, like football, surfing can build different skills, and at the same time, introduce your children to a lifetime sport.
2. Teaches Balance and Coordination
Surfing is a fun and exciting way to teach kids balance and coordination skills. In fact, this skill will help your children not only to maintain healthy development but to become better athletes. This can help them maintain proper posture and coordinate different activities wherever possible.
3. Stress Reliever for Adult
As much as surfing can be anxiety, it can also provide the same value for children. At a tender age, children can experience a lot of stress due to school things they are exposed to in life. However, surfing frequently can be a great way for children to channel their anxiety and stress. It’s also a great way to burn off excess energy that could be converted to stress.
4. Strength Building
It’s no doubt that strength building is one of the benefits of surfing for kids. Surfing is a full-body workout, and it combines aerobic exercise to provide a unique body posture. With surfing being about development, it builds your children’s confidence organically. Also, as kids become more competent, they become more self-assured.
5. Nature Engagement
Obviously, surfing gets kids to participate in outdoor activities. Also, it entails that your children must be able to read the waves and the tides. Moreover, it instills a love for the outdoors in kids but doesn’t offer anywhere near the same deep level of communion. This way, your children will be able to explore nature.
Best Surfing Toys for Kids in 2021
1. Kkones Sprinkler Pad & Splash Toy
This is a great summer activity and is fun & large enough to host family and friends. It has no harmful chemicals while playing. Besides, it’s a perfect birthday gift for your children. Buying this toy allow your kid to know about surfing before it becomes a reality. The item’s weight is 2.33 pounds.
2. 4 EVER Inflatable Surf Body Toy
This inflatable surfing toy is used to engage the kids with swimming drills. It is made of high-density buoyant fabric and double anti-leakage nozzles. With this toy, your children can develop a love for surfing at an early age. The package dimension is 10.98 x 7.48 x 1.38, while the item weight is 10.9 ounces.
3. Windeck Finger Surfboard for Kids
The windeck finger surfboard for kids is a unique toy that delivers hours of play with real skill to use. This toy is similar to the mini fingerboard skateboard, allowing children to practice tricks before they surf. Also, it’s a perfect gift for shredders, and the package dimension is 7.36 x 2.87 x 0.35 inches while the item weight is 0.317 ounces.
4. Poolmaster Swimming Underwater Toy
The poolmaster premier collection features high-quality materials. For underwater surfing, your children need to see this product. This is because; it’s a lightweight toy that unveils different on-the-water play for kids. Aside from that, it comes with durable foam that helps to resist cracks and breaks. The product dimension is 29 x 10.5 x 2 inches, while the item weight is 7.02 ounces.
Conclusion
Kids love having fun, socializing, but there are many ways to engage them. Surfing for kids is one of the best methods. If you have a passion for sports, it’s high time you engage your kids today. To avoid your child being boring or dull, you can check out the guides in this article. If you choose to do so, congratulations.