Pro kayaker and father of two, Nick Troutman, breaks down teaching your kids to kayak into 5 easy steps. This is the first part of a 5-piece mini-series on the topic of getting your kids into kayaking.
This first episode (your first step) focuses largely on making the experience as enjoyable as possible for your kid. Obviously, this step will vary from child to child, depending on their comfort level with water.
As an example, Nick explains that his son was having a hard time with going underwater and getting water up his nose. To eliminate this barrier, they gave him some scuba-style goggles to practice with. This made the experience more fun while also giving him the ability to see underwater and not worry about congestion.
“Make sure you’re not overwhelming them with the mountain of the goals of what you’re trying to accomplish with them in kayak”, said Nick’s wife and mother of two, Emily Jackson.
Emily comes from a long line of professional kayakers and is currently active on the competitive circuit. She reiterates that the “goal” should actually be about asking yourself, “what would be fun for my kids?” and making a plan from there.
In the video, both parents share more tips and tricks of ways to break down any barrier to entry. You can catch the next step and the rest of the series on Nick Troutman’s YouTube channel.
