Sailing is a great activity as it allows us to enjoy the open water. Most kids who ride a boat express that they would want to learn how to sail it. However, they may lose interest if they don’t have a proper teacher. As a parent, it is your duty to keep your kid’s interest alive until they master this incredible watersport.
Sailing a boat is an educational sport. Kids have to learn and remember a lot of things and then utilize their knowledge when they are on board. You want them to bring out their full potential; both mental and physical and they will do that only when they are absolutely in love with the sport and also with the learning process.
Teaching young ones requires creativity. You should make an active effort to keep them involved in what they are learning. Here are a few tips on making your child a pro sailor successfully.
Understand that Every Child is Different
It is utterly impractical to teach every child exactly the same way. Young kids are individuals and have distinct personalities. You have to keep the strengths and weaknesses of each kid in mind and give lessons accordingly. Some children like to learn by observing for a lot of time before trying themselves, others can’t wait to try to do things themselves. Similarly, some kids hate to race, others are competitive and love it dearly.
In order to keep all of the children engaged, give special attention to every one of them. As a teacher and even more importantly, as a parent, you must not forget that you have to stay patient if your child is taking too long to learn a simple thing; it might sound very obvious but must be mentioned here because a lot of people forget to follow this very basic rule.
The legal age limit for the children to start sailing is 8 but it is not necessary that your child would be totally ready to learn at the 8-year mark. There is no harm in waiting until your child is actually excited about sailing and is willing to learn.
Safety First
For many kids, sailing is far too risky to ever be tried. They are intimidated by water and can’t dare to step in the boat. As a parent, you can make things less terrifying for your child by explaining how she can protect herself when she is on board. Explain the use of protective gear used when sailing. Show them everything that is designed to protect them. Teach them to always wear lifejackets when riding a boat. The best safety tip is to teach them swimming before sailing so if they fall off the boat they can easily swim to the dock.
Baby Steps
Don’t overwhelm the children by telling them all the concepts of sailing on the first day. Introduce small bits of knowledge periodically. For the first day, showing them the boat and explaining its various parts is enough. While keeping your boat safely parked on a drive on floating dock, show them the parts and explain their functions.
Some kids are totally the opposite; they take this watersport as a challenge and can’t wait to master it even when they are not suited for the sport yet. In such a situation, you have to step up and tell your child what she can or cannot do. If you are not willing to let your child in water because they have been sick lately, don’t change your decision before consulting the pediatrician.
Make Sure Your Kid is Happy
This is an important one! You don’t want to force sailing on your child. If you really want your kids to spend some quality time outdoors and away from screens; start preparing them for it well before they reach the legal age limit for sailing.
When your child is beginning to learn and gaining interest, do all you can to keep her away from all the negative aspects of this sport. I am talking yelling, being angry, and indulging in the fierce competition (caring too much about surpassing other sailors). It is very important that the new learner is not exposed to all those aggressive emotions. Keep it fun and easy for her.
You can offer treats for every lesson effectively learned. This will give them a sense of achievement and joy. Another fun way to make your child feel great is to make little mistakes intentionally and allowing them to correct you. Such practice builds confidence in kids and makes them feel important.
Conclusion
Sailing is an incredible family sport. It can accommodate members of all age groups and lets everyone spend some refreshing time on the water. As a parent who loves watersports, you have to make sure that your kids come with you to sail because they want to and not because they have to.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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