It could be said that if the boating bug doesn’t bite your kids before the age of 13 they will never love the boating lifestyle. The quickest way to make kids fall in love with the water is an exciting adventure filled with fun new experiences. Here are a few ways to ensure your kids love being on the water as much as you do.

Fishing

Not many kids can resist a fishing trip, unless they have been on a disastrously boring one. Encourage them to have fun and let them discover fishing themselves by limiting the circumstances instead of giving them rules. Take them out to pick a cool kids fishing pack complete with hooks, line, and sinkers. Worried about them falling in? Find a cool kids life jacket with some bright colors and a neat design to keep them safe. This lets them explore fishing without telling them what they can’t do. And since all kids want to catch a fish go to a local dock or an old tree stump, small fish love to hang out in those areas. Nothing is more exciting to a child than catching that first fish with mom or dad right by their side.

Sailing

Kids love Pirates, and pirates sail on boats. That might be just enough to get kids to step on board. And once they feel some wind in their hair, they will never turn back. Sailing is also a great bonding experience and exercise in teamwork. While your boat is cruising down the waterway they know they played an important role.

Power Boating

This is a great option for speed lovers. The thrill of speeding down the waterway, and the view of the shore flying by is something you will always remember. One thing to help make your child more comfortable for his/her first trip out is to give them a secure ride in the beginning. Ease away from the dock and take it easy for a few minutes. Chances are they will be yelling “faster before you know it.

Water Sports

Following directly from Power Boating is water sports. Water skiing, wakeboarding, and tubing are extremely popular in lake communities. A great way to introduce kids is through knee boarding or a slow speed deck tube ride. These are fun and thrilling intros into the water sport world that anyone can enjoy. With deck tubes mom or dad can easily ride beside to boost their courage.

Let them Drive

So you have followed the above tips and your kids want to drive. Let them, often the most important memory in a boaters’ life is the first time they took the helm, often well before they took the keys to the family car. Check local laws on the legal boating age, and take a course with them on safe boating. This way they can be safe during this great family moment.

Hopefully, we have inspired some fantastic ideas to take your kids out. Let us know how it went in the comments, and tell us your story.