6 Notable Advantages That Come With Learning to Surf at an Early Age

Learning a new skill is an important thing to continue to do throughout your life, but how important is it to learn, or master something, from an early age? The answer is obvious, but to some, it may be surprising. Retaining knowledge of something is much easier through repetition, especially over a long period of time. This is just as true for surfing.

When children learn to surf from a young age, they have some advantages that make it clear that it is better to teach a child early on. Surfing is a sport that requires patience and skill. These 6 advantages are notable for any child (and parent) that wants to learn the art of surfing young.

1. Save Money On First Time Gear

One notable advantage of teaching kids to surf at a young age is that they will not be sucking money out of your wallet on expensive gear. Getting into surfing at an older age means more expensive gear because it is intended for adults. According to Cheap Surf Gear, children’s beach and surf apparel can be good quality, but also significantly less costly than some big outdoor and surf brands. Starting young means quality gear, without the uncertainty of dropping a lot of money on it!

2. Developing a Good Sense of Water Safety

Kids love to be outdoors and swim, but they are not always keen on being safe in their play. Scrapes and bruises are par for the course, but water sports and swimming comes with more danger as water can be hard to master. Kids who learn surfing at a young age learn a good amount of respect for water safety, which only benefits them as they grow up.

3. Promotes Healthy Living

Another obvious advantage for kids in any sport, especially surfing, is the promotion of healthy lifestyles. Surfing is a taxing sport once you start hitting bigger waves and stronger water. While that might be years away for a child, they still learn that sports and exercise are good ways to maintain a healthy life. This is especially important as kids gravitate towards less healthy indoor activities like video games in today’s age.

4. Improves Physical Health

Promoting a healthy lifestyle is one thing, but actually being healthy is another. Surfing is a great sport for muscle building and cardio. Not only does it help a child get outside, but their overall health will be improved. This advantage goes without saying, but it should be noted that it is not entirely similar to the idea of promoting good lifestyles. Building good physical health makes it easier for kids to stay healthy later in life. Once a child is in elementary, high school, and eventually college or university, they might want to get more seriously involved in sports. Surfing at a young age is a great way to help them start building the foundation that allows them to excel physically in sports later in their lives.

Gives a Kid a Sense of Belonging

One underrated aspect of any sport is the community that forms when people are passionate and engaged in it. Surfing is an excellent example of a sports community that really bands together and helps people feel welcomed. Children always want to feel included, and surfers are a great group of enthusiasts that can take young learners under their wings. Not only is this good for their sense of belonging, but the help of experienced surfers will help them improve their skills, while also having fun too.

Builds Confidence and Self-Esteem

Surfing, like any sport, can help children find a sense of belonging (as mentioned previously) but this is also beneficial for their confidence and self-esteem. When they stick with surfing, they start to see how their improvements are becoming more noticeable. From paddling to standing, to slowly riding more and more waves, a kid’s confidence grows even more. The confidence and self-esteem, they build carries over into every area of their life, and they will feel much happier knowing they conquered fears, gained new skills, and are having fun doing it.

Doing anything from a young age comes with its benefits. The ability to retain knowledge and skill of something is evident when it is done repetitively over time, and surfing is no exception to this. Surfing is a great sport for physical activity and mental improvement, and it can be even better if it is done from a young age. Starting the journey to growing as a surfer and sports enthusiast is only helped when it begins from an early age.