You want to buy a paddle board for your children? No problem! Stand Up Paddle Boards are also suitable for kids. Hardly any other water sport is as suitable for families as Stand Up Paddling. This trend sport promises family fun and is very easy to learn even for smaller children. The little ones enjoy it just as much as we do.
Have you ever seen your children observing other stand up paddlers on our lakes and rivers enviously? It doesn’t have to stay a remote dream for them.
Our Premium Paddle Board Set for children:
The perfect paddle board for children
The paddle board manufacturers have also jumped on the trend and now have children’s boards and child-friendly material in their offering in addition to their mostly sport-oriented race boards. We can summarize the crucial pointss to consider when buying a paddle board for your little ones or even your nieces or nephews.
There are boards especially made to be used by children. These boards are shorter and somewhat narrower adapted to the low body weight. These boards offer a higher agility & great fun factor – ideal for kids.
Practice, tour paddling or just splashing fun in the water -Children Paddle Boards combine everything that is important for young paddlers.
Inflatables (inflatable SUP boards) are robust and your kids have to be less careful with stones or low ground. Also the risk of injury in case of a fall from the inflatable board is much lower. They are therefore generally better suited for children than hardboards.
The perfect paddle board for kids – agile and light
There are 3 important points to consider when buying a paddle board for children:
- Board length
- Board width
- The paddle size
We have selected three fitting boards as recommendations for you:
The length of a paddle board for children should be approximately between 2 and a maximum of 3 meters.
A paddle board for children should be much thinner than an adult paddle board – about 4″ or 10 cm. This ensures much lower volume than a paddle board for adults. As paddle boards are usually maneuvered by shifting weight for fast, targeted turns, a lower volume board also enables this technique for children. Due to their lower body weight, boards with high volume do not respond in the same way and are not easy to maneuver.
The general weight of the board needs be adapted to children – more or less around 4″ boards should be able to carry the child easily. Due to the smaller volume, inflating the board is then also quicker. In addition, the inflated pressure does not have to be high as the boards carry lower weight.
Please note, the material on the board surface and middle part needs to be non-slippery and ensure maximum stability for your children to stand up safely. The inflatable stand up paddle board for children includes all of these features.
Due to the smaller volume, a paddle board designed for children may often not carry an adult. The boards are designed for much lower weight and smaller paddlers.
Choose the right paddle for your children
For children a light, short and adjustable children’s paddle is mandatory to adapt to their strength Children have difficulties using adult paddles due to its size and length. The size of the paddle blade is important and needs to be much smaller. Therefore, we have selected three paddles specifically for children who meet all of the criteria:
The right paddle length
We strongly recommend to buy a height adjustable paddle for your children. With an adjustable paddle you can adapt to:
- the size of the child: the paddle grows with you.
- different stance and paddle positions: the preference of your child
- whether you’re kneeling or standing, paddle.
The correct paddle length can be tested as follows: pick up the paddle at the handle and point the blade to the floor. The extended arm holing the paddle upright should not be completely stretched out but slightly bent – and you have the ideal length of your paddle.
The right paddle blade size
To accommodate the lower strength of a child, the paddle blade must be much smaller than that of an adult. The size of the paddle blade is important, as otherwise your children need to use too much power to move forward in the water and loose interest quite fast. 450-550 cm2 is a good size recommendation.
The right paddle material
The material is less important for paddles for kids. It does not necessarily have to be an expensive carbon paddle, they are rather too sensitive for children. Paddles made of an aluminium-plastic combination are perfectly adequate. Also, it does not have to be the heaviest paddle. Even plastic paddles can be light. More information about the paddle selection can be found in our paddles buying guide.
Parents with children – Paddle Boards for families
For parents who would like to practice the water sports with their children and ride the water and waves together, there are some all-round boards for adults that also fit to children. Mind you, these boards should still be relatively stable in the water and also approved for higher weight (>260 lb).
A parent and one child can be carried by these boards without any problems, as the boards have high volume. And by the way: Children love to be on the board while you paddle! You can find more information about the right board selection in our Buyer´s guide for paddle boards.
Safety with children
Children must be able to swim before going out on the water with a Paddle Board. When touring on your own board we strongly recommend to use of life jackets for children. If you do not want to use life jackets on shore in lower water, this is something you can decide for yourself. However, it is not recommendable that younger children should be able to swim or play on shore completely unsupervised.
Leashes for children
As with adults, leashes are also a must for children on paddle boards. The danger that the paddle board is drifting away quickly is simply too big (based on wind, waves, currents…). When playing in the water this may be of minor importance, but open water without a leash to attach the board is too dangerous.
We have yet to try going an tour with a child e.g. on a river. However, we can imagine that depending on the water, this can be slightly dangerous with strong currents. We think one should know the water, current and wind circumstances fairly well beforehand and the children should be of appropriate age and ability before venturing from the lake onto a river.
It does not always have to be a paddle board for children
An adult paddle board is only suitable for use with children based on their age. However, if there is a shorter adult paddle board in the family, tuned with a short and smaller fin fitting for children can effortlessly turn a family board into a paddle board for children. The smaller fin makes it easier in maneuverability and therefore more attractive for children to ride with its smaller range of motion. Premium adult paddle boards usually offer a US fin box where you can purchase a small complementary US fin.
Paddle Boards for children – Conclusion
Paddle boards for kids are our TOP summer pro tip. The kids enjoy a great summer in and on the water and can even join longer tours with their parents.
Note: This test reflects our own experiences and opinions with these products. It is not an official product test.
