PADDLER 40
Happy Robyn ! Photo : Kate Wilkinson
Harry leading the way .
PADDLER 40
All aboard the Wilkinson Express ! Photo : Kate Wilkinson
Having plenty of toys with you can also really help . Particularly with young children , as they may not be able to paddle when they ’ re young . Dan keeps his children feeling involved by often throwing a toy ahead of the craft and then letting the children collect it as they pass by . Having an active role makes it much more fun for them than just being a passenger .
4 . MAKE SURE IT ’ S NOT TOO SCARY
In my article about introducing adults , I highlighted the importance of not making it immediately off-putting . Imagine the most scared you have ever been whilst kayaking . Now imagine being in a child ’ s sized body for that experience . Paddling might be incredibly scary for a child , especially on white water . They are closer to the water and more likely to be splashed in the face . Ensuring that the environment is safe and not scary will help improve a child ’ s experience of it .
As Dan says , “ It ’ s about the experience that they get . I ’ m always trying to work out different ways for them to be on the water safely . Safely at the moment , to me , is NO capsizes or accidental immersion .” If a child chooses to enter the water , that is one thing . On the other hand , an unintentional swim is a different story and could be enough to put them off paddling altogether .
5 . CONSIDER EQUIPMENT AND CLOTHING TO SUIT THEM
As you may have picked up from the article so far , a lot of the paddling experiences that Dan and Chris ’ children have had have been in a canoe or SUP with their dad . From paddling parents that I know , a huge number of them have introduced their children in a similar way . It ’ s nice to share the craft with your child , and there is plenty of space to store all of the extra
Happy Robyn ! Photo : Kate Wilkinson
Harry leading the way .