As soon as they can swim reasonably well, children can join a kayak club !
this post was submitted on 22 Jun 2023
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On the photo they are 10 - 11.
For an introduction (meaning being in the kayak with you on calm waters, or paddling a bit next to you) it can be done very early.
I have noticed through that young children may have trouble understanding the body-paddle-kayak-water interaction : sometimes try to move with the paddle out of water. This needs patient explanation, and after that they learn fast !
To start kayaking "for real" what is really mandatory is an ability to swim. When a kid as young as 6 is able to swim (like 15m, with no fear of putting heat underwater), he or she can start learning kayak. And I can say that when you see a 8 y.o. who can roll and playboat in class 3, it's impressive.
Another problem is the size of the equipment, since kayaks, paddle, vest... all tend to be too big. Around 9-10 is the usual age to start.
Thanks. Yeah we go together with him on a double seater quite often. We are a family of three so it’s 1 double and 1 single when we are together. When we talk or when he mimicks paddling, he seems to understand what’s going on. That’s why actually I was wondering if he can handle it himself for short sessions at the canal. But in any case; when I checked the available options for children’s kayaks it looks like our main limitation right now is gear. There are not too many kayaks for someone who is 100cm :)
I just started putting my seven-year-old in his own kayak this summer. Down a pretty decent creek with some moving water. He did great and we're going again tomorrow, I'll post some pics if I can get any good ones.