Here are some basic techniques and suggestions.

You can start any child by having them in a swimming pool and or a lake (assuming they already have had swimming lessons). Have them practice standing up on a boogie board or surfboard. By doing this will teach them the basic way from going in the prone (laying down) position to standing up. Once your child is standing up on either a boogie board or surfboard by themselves they now have learned the basic parts of foot placement and balance. See how long the child can stand on the board before falling down (make sure to keep the child in the middle of the pool so when they fall they will not hit the sides). Once the child has gotten the feel of getting to there feet over and over they are ready for the ocean.

Any beginner surfer needs the right surfboard. Have the board a minimum 2 feet taller then the child. So if your child is 4 feet make sure the board is around 6 feet. A fiberglass surfboard is not the right board, but a softfoam surfboard is. You do not want a fiberglass board in the beginning as these can hurt the child if hit by one.

Let the child play by themselves with the board along the shoreline. This will help them get introduced to the surf and the motion of the waves. The last thing you want to do is bring them out into the surf to soon and they can have a bad wipeout and then chancing them of being scarred and not wanting to surf anymore.

Once you feel your child is ready to go out towards the bigger waves ask them. If they say no then don’t go. Again you don’t want to force it. With time as they see other kids going out they will eventually want to go. Once they are ready (wearing a life jacket) gradually make your way out. You want to walk out until the water is to your waist. Place them on the surfboard and or boogie board and direct them over the waves and whitewater. You will be wading in the water on the side of them. Always have a grip on the board and make sure the child is centered and laying more towards the back of the board and not towards the front. Being out in the whitewater area does not mean you need to push them onto any waves just yet. Let them adapt by just being out there and going over the whitewater. We cannot stress enough to take your time on getting your kids onto waves.

Once your child is ready to catch a wave/whitewater you are now wading in waist deep water. You see a wave coming and once it crashes then the wave has now become whitewater this is what you want your child to catch. At this time your child should be facing the shoreline and their body is centered and towards the back of the board. As the whitewater comes to you go ahead and give the tail end of the surfboard a sturdy push (not your child). Now they are going on there own in front of the whitewater. The whitewater will eventually catch up to them and will push them as far as possible. We suggest the other parent on the inside of the child towards the shoreline so when one parent pushes the child from outside the other parent will be inside to retrieve them.

Once your child is riding the whitewater in the prone position let them do this over and over again. They do not need to try to stand up right away. Let the standing part be decided by them. When they are ready and willing to stand up they will do it on there own.

If your a parent and do not know how to surf yourself we highly suggest a surfing teacher. There are basic techniques that a surf teacher will know in return your child will be surfing much faster with time. In the end we suggest not forcing your child onto any waves and or into the ocean if they do not want go. BE PATIENT with them and they will want to surf at there own will.

A father assisting his child out into the surf

There going to take some spills and this is why it is important to be in the shallow end so when they fall they can touch the bottom

She’s surfing!

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