John,
Good questions. We live on Puget Sound, and have kids out on/in the water all summer. Here's my take on a few of your questions. I'll insert my comments with your original questions below (I'VE PUT MY COMMENTS IN ALL CAPITALS)...
-John D.
: Now that I have a thread started about where to find kid-sized kayaks,
: paddles, and gear I thought I’d start a separate thread about teaching
: kids to kayak. I’d be willing to bet there’s a lot of good, first-hand
: experience out there and I’d like to hear what works from people who’ve
: done it.
: So far, the two over-riding goals I have used when kayaking with my nephew
: are: 1) Make it safe and, 2) Make it fun. I figure if I can continue to
: meet those goals, then there’ll be plenty of time in the future to teach
: him more about the sport.
YOU HAVE THE THESE IN THE RIGHT ORDER. SAFETY IS ALWAYS FIRST...
: Anyhow, here are a bunch of questions I’d like to pose (in no particular
: order). A few have obvious answers but I figure I’ll ask them all anyhow
: for the sake of discussion: 1) What are some good games to play on the
: water to teach kids boat handling skills?
: 2) What rules or limits have you set for your kids while they’re kayaking?
THEY CAN BE OUT IN THE KAYAKS IF THERE'S A RESPONSIBLE ADULT OUTSIDE WITHIN EARSHOT, BUT THEY MUST IN THE AREA IMMEDIATELY IN FRONT OF OUR BEACH AND NO FURTHER OUT THAN ~50FT. AND, PFD'S ARE ALWAYS MANDATORY.
: 3) What distances have your kids been able to paddle (at different ages)?
WE'VE EASILY DONE A COUPLE OF MILES IN CALM CONDITIONS WITH A 7-8 YEAR OLD.
: 4) Did they ever run out of gas enroute to a destination? (i.e., have you
: ever over-estimated how far they could go?) What did you do to help them?
YES, AND I'VE ALWAYS HAD A TOWLINE AVAILABLE, AND HAVE HAD TO USE IT A COUPLE OF TIMES
: 5) At what age should kids start using spray skirts?
SPRAYSKIRTS ARE A GREAT ENABLER. WET LAPS CAN MAKE KAYAKING MISERABLE, AND MISERABLE KIDS GENERALLY PREFER TO NOT BE MISERABLE. I'VE MADE SPRAYSKIRTS FOR THE KIDS BOATS, AND I MAKE THEM WITH THE BUNGEE FAIRLY LOOSE SO THEY WILL EASILY COME OFF, EVEN IF THE KID JUST PUSHES OUT OF THE BOAT. BUT WE ALSO SAY THAT THEY CAN'T USE THE SPRAYSKIRTS UNLESS THEY HAVE PRACTICED A CAPSIZE THAT INCLUDES SPRAYSKIRT REMOVAL. AND, THEY ARE FREQUENTLY REQUIRED TO REHEARSE THE EMERGENCY SPRAYSKIRT REMOVAL DRILL -- IN THE MIDDLE OF DOING WHATEVER THEY MIGHT BE DOING, I GIVE THEM THE "TAKE OFF THE SPRAYSKIRT", AND THEY HAVE TO IMMEDIATELY POP IT OFF. WE HAVE ALSO PRACTICED THE DRILL WHERE THE CAPSIZE AND WAIT 5 SECONDS, THEN TAP THE BOTTOM OF THEIR BOAT FOR ME TO ROLL THEM BACK UP -- GOOD PRACTICE IN FENDING OFF THE PANIC OF A CAPSIZE.
: 6) When did you introduce them to assisted-rescue techniques?
OUR RULE IS THAT IN ORDER TO GO FARTHER FROM THE BEACH, YOU CAN ONLY GO IF YOU GO WITH DAD, AND THEN ONLY IF YOU HAVE PRACTICED A WET-EXIT AND ASSISTED RE-ENTRY. I THINK THEY DID THIS AT 7 OR 8 YEARS OLD (I THINK OUR 4 YEAR OLD JUST MIGHT MEET THIS QUALIFICATION CRITERIA THIS SUMMER, AND I THINK HE MIGHT JUST HAVE ABILITIES TO PADDLE A COUPLE OF MILES IN HIS LITTLE BOAT BY THEN TOO -- DIFFERENT KIDS OBVIOUSLY DO AND LEARN THINGS DIFFERENTLY)
: 7) When did you introduce them to self-rescue techniques?
IT TAKES A LITTLE MORE STRENTGH TO DO A SELF RESCUE, HAVEN'T WORKED MUCH WITH THAT YET, WE SHOULD THOUGH
: 
When is a kid ready to get a taste of river kayaking?
: 9) When is a kid ready to get a taste of small surf?
: 10) When is a kid ready to learn to roll? OUR 11 YEAR OLD DID HIS FIRST ROLL THIS SUMMER. A BIG PROBLEM WITH TEACHING KIDS TO ROLL IS THAT VERY FEW KAYAKS FIT KIDS WELL ENOUGH FOR THEM TO LEARN TO ROLL. A KID CAN'T LEARN TO ROLL IN A KAYAK HE IS SWIMMING IN.
: 11) How many readers on this BBS have taught kids to kayak and how many hope
: to do so in the future?
TEACHING KIDS THE FUN OF KAYAKS IS GREAT. A LOT OF THE PROCESS SIMPLY INVOLVES GETTING THEM IN A BOAT, THEY'LL COME WITH FUN THINGS TO DO, AND LEARN ABOUT BOAT CONTROL IN THE PROCESS. TO A POINT, IT NEEDS TO BE DONE ON THEIR TERMS TOO -- IF IT IS SOMETHING YOU TRY TO MAKE THEM DO IT THEY PROBABLY WON'T LIKE IT.
: 12) What resources (books, videos, courses, etc.) are available for teaching
: kids to sea kayak?
: I’m sure there are many, many more good questions that could be discussed, so
: feel free to offer your own questions and/or answers. Thanks, John
