Summer Kid Friendly Activity 101 - Have you ever met a child who doesn't like fishing?
I haven't. Putting the worm on the hook? Yes, definitely. LOL.
I have to admit though, as a child, I was NOT one of those kids.
What you may find is putting a worm on a hook can be challenging for young children. BUT, why are you even using worms? You aren't. With young children I find a bag of old bread works wonders.
I remember taking my boys fishing during the summer months all the time. Back before they got old enough to use worms, I would bring a bag of old hamburger or hot dog rolls I always had on hand for that occasion. We would roll the bread up into a tight ball.
Using bread instead of worms is a lot easier for young children. Besides, until they are old enough to understand, do you really want to have that conversation with children about hurting the worm by putting them on the hook?
Be be prepared for that conversation though. Depending on the child and the age of the child that conversation may come up. Don't tap dance around the conversation, be honest, respectful of the information you are giving them and make sure it is age appropriate.
Fishing with young kids and be fun, enlightening, and challenging. You might find one child catches all the fish, while the other doesn't. You might find the children get restless, while waiting for the fish to bite. During these times, come prepared. Have a game plan for these times. Talk to your child about the scenery. Where they are, talk about schools of fish, types of fish. Bring a another activity or snack to bide the time. And always know when it call it quits.
Here's a topic for conversation: My boys always liked to know what happened to the fish during the winter months. The reason they always liked to ask is, we live on a pond during the summer months, and every winter the pond is drained. It is part of the Department of Environmental Management protocols. It has to do with the damn as well as the surrounding pond/lakes resources and the water intake/outtake of each.
We simply explained to our boys that nothing really happened to the fish. They just went down stream when the damn opened and live in another part of the pond during the winter months. We made it an educational time for them, and they didn't even know it.
Today, every summer, my boys can be found at that same pond fishing. Sometimes with friends, sometimes by themselves just relaxing and reenergizing their batteries. They have become life long fisherman!
Remember, practice what you preach, because little eyes and ears are listening, and paying attention!
Enjoy the moments! Cherish the memories!
Until Next Time - Cynthia
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