Kayaking is a great activity that can bring you and your family together. Not only does it give you guys some much needed fresh air but it is also a rather entertaining activity. After all you are floating on water right!? Below are some tips on how to kayak with your kids safely and effectively.

What are the Best Kayaks for Kids?

When it comes kayaking with kids, here, according to the experts at Outdoorplay, are the most common types of kayaks that a parent might have for a child, which include:

Tandem
Kids' kayaks
Inflatable
Sit on top

Tandem Kayaking

With most tandem kayaks, they will fit two adults and a small child. Tandem kayaks are great vessels for traveling all together in one boat. Depending on the tandem kayak you choose, they typically have a lot of storage room available. A tandem kayak does have the disadvantage that it doesn't turn as easily. Usually, you want the child in the center. Especially the first few times going out. Under the age of eight, you want the child as the buffer. This means that the child sits in the center of the kayak, and they won't participate in the paddling. As they get more comfortable in the kayak you can start to teach them to get involved by letting them paddle and getting them involved.

Kid Kayaks

Kid kayaks will usually offer more stability so that parents don't have to worry as much about them overturning. Still, parents should always supervise a child on the water because of the potential dangers. With kids' kayaks, they will steer and maneuver more easily because of the shorter length. Many of these kayaks will also help kids learn how to paddle. Especially when younger, this lends several advantages like teaching them how to kayak on the water.

Inflatable Kayaks

Inflatable kayaks have many advantages for children as well. The key benefit of this kayak for kids comes from its stability in the water. For someone who will paddle their first time on the water, an inflatable kayak offers that stability. In particular, the inflatable kayak turns into the ideal choice when the family wants to do a day paddle on the lake.

The other key advantage comes from the ease of storage. With an inflatable kayak, you don't have to lift a heavy kayak after you get done paddling on the water. Instead, you can deflate them and store them inside the storage bag. This turns the trip into a more relaxing and enjoyable trip because you don't have to worry about lifting the kayaks at the end of it.

Finally, an inflatable kayak feels more comfortable for kids. They don't have to sit for hours in an uncomfortable plastic shell. The soft materials cushion the human body for those long hours in the kayak.

Sit on Top Kayaks

Sit-on-top kayaks have a couple of distinct advantages over the more traditional kayaks that adults use. The design is simple and straightforward. Not to mention, more durable, which a person wants when dealing with kids. Simplicity is the advantage because of how the child can get on and off the boat easily without a problem.

The other advantage comes from how parents don't have to drain it. Because no place for water buildup exists, the water goes away on its own easily. Instead, parents only have to pick up the boat and load it onto the trailer or truck to take it back home. It is simple and ready to go quickly. Most kayak experts say that this choice is superior to the other options for kids because it’s ease of use on the water.

Things You Will Need

Towing rope
Food/snacks
Hats
Sunscreen
PDFs or Life Jackets for Everyone
Paddles
Recommended clothing

Towing Rope

Especially important to bring with a child for a variety of reasons. If you won't go kayaking in tandem, this can take you out of a tricky situation. You will find some kids kayaks with an automatic towing rope, but other times, they won't have one. You will have to install it.

Towing ropes are good for pulling them along when they feel half tired or even if they happen to fall asleep. Don't underestimate the value of this little piece of equipment. Sometimes kids will also find it more fun to get towed along in a kayak of their own.

Food/snacks

If you plan to kayak out on the water for more than a couple of hours, you will want to take along some food and snacks. As any parent knows, your child gets grumpy when they are hungry. You want to be out on the water and have as positive of an experience as possible. Some of the foods that make for a good snack include:

Fruits
Sandwich
Wrap
Salad

Don't forget to bring along plenty of cold water because when out in the hot sun, this can take a toll on you and your child. Hydration is perhaps one of the most important things you can do when paddling for the day.

Hats and Sunscreen

We put this into the same category because both of them serve the purpose of getting you out of the sun. For sunscreen, you will want SPF 30 at a minimum for your child. You want to take measures to avoid irritating your child's skin, and you can do this through sunscreen without titanium oxide or zinc oxide, which can be irritating in the water. You also want to bring along a hat to protect his skin because this can provide some protection to the top of his head. Not only that, but it serves a double purpose to keep the sun out of your eyes. Most experts recommend that you wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from ultraviolet rays.

Life Jackets for Everyone

It doesn't matter how good your child swims, life jackets save lives out on the water in the event of an emergency. Knowing how to swim won't keep you from drowning. Make sure that the life jacket fits properly on your child because of how this can endanger the life of your child as well. You also want to use the right type of life jacket for your child. Here's the life jacket sizing for children:

Infant PDFs for children between 8 and 30 pounds
Child PDFs for children between 30 to 50 pounds
Youth PDFs for children between 50 to 90 pounds

For infants and small children, you will usually want padded head support, a crotch strap and a grab handle to pull the child out of the water.

Paddles

Most kayak paddles will begin at 210 centimeters. For a child between five to 12 years old, that will be the perfect length. Anyone under 5 feet will usually get the most advantage from this, even adults.

Recommended Clothing

If you live in colder climates wetsuits are a good idea. However, You don't necessarily have to have a wet suit but don't wear cotton pants because it absorbs the water, and it doesn't dry as quickly as other materials. You also don't want a bulky top because this can wear you out faster. Swimsuits can be acceptable pieces of clothing if it is warm out and you care close to shore.

How Long are You Paddling?

Sit-on-top kayaks don't work as well for long kayaking trips. They are heavy and slow, and they will be a pain to paddle for more than a couple of miles. You don't want to go more than 5 to 10 miles in a kayak like this. Instead of doing one long trip, you might plan your trip as a loop. You would cut it down to about one-third of what you might do with your friends. Children enjoy kayaking, but they may not have the patience for a long-term trip, depending on the child's temperament.

Conclusion

Some of the factors when you take your child kayaking include coordination level, familiarity with the water, physical strength, swimming ability, and level of maturity. Nevertheless, kayaking with mom and dad can be one of the fondest memories that your child has out on the water. You simply have to do it in the right way to where they will find it fun.

About The Author

Derek is the owner of FloatinAuthority.com. When he is not out and about exploring the waterways of British Columbia on a kayak or paddleboard, he can be found working on his blog.

What Are The Best Kayaks For Kids?