A sailor’s joys are as simple as a child’s. – Bernard Moitessier
When you think of things to do with the kids, sailing might not be the first thing that crosses your mind. But there are some amazing health and relational benefits of sailing with your family! I partnered with Discover Boating to tell you about the benefits of boating with your family!
5 Benefits of Sailing With Your Family
1. It’s Great for Relationships
If you sometimes struggle to relate to your kids, there’s hardly any bonding activity more enjoyable and powerful than sailing. When you’re out on the boat, there are no distractions from television, mobile phones, or even an Amazon delivery. You’re all working together towards a shared goal, and you have plenty of time to joke, teach, and just enjoy each other’s company.
2. It Builds Work Ethic
Sailing is no joke, and it takes some hard work to do it right. Some of the chores you ask your kids to do, like cleaning their room, don’t always have immediate, tangible benefits that the kids can see. Sailing is hard work, but you can immediately see the results of that hard work. Instantaneous results work to build a strong work ethic in your kids, even if they have limited attention spans.
3. It’s Good for Balance
In our digital world, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by one thing when it grabs and holds our attention. Whether it’s a parent putting in too many hours at work, or a child who can’t be torn away from a gaming console, we could all use a little practice at building a healthier work-life balance.
It doesn’t hurt that sailing also develops great physical balance, too!
4. It Helps You Concentrate
Our world is one of constant multitasking. We’re always being pulled from one task to another and often trying to do several at one time. Even when we’re resting, we’re multitasking; chatting on IM while watching TV, or keeping up with our news feed when we’re having dinner.
Kids need to learn the skill of intense, focused concentration. One of the benefits of sailing with your family is the chance to show the kids how to stay focused on a goal and see it through to the end. Even when there are multiple sailing tasks to be done, they are all working towards one, clear goal.
5. It’s Great for Your Health
Sailing has moments of rest and relaxation, but it also includes moments of intense physical labor. Learning to sail, and teaching our kids to sail, builds muscle strength and endurance. It also offers the sort of cardiovascular workout you might otherwise get from running or playing a sport like basketball.
Regular sailing protects adults from hypertension and obesity while helping children develop physically to their fullest potential. It also teaches kids how important and enjoyable physical activity is.
More Great Tips for Life With the Family
There are many benefits of sailing with your family, and many other activities that can bring you together and improve your relationships even as you improve your health. For more great ideas, meet us at Faust Island, where we’re working to raise happy, healthy, good people.
Read more about our other boating adventures here.
Discover Boating is the world’s largest online resource and guide to recreational boating. Learn about boating safety, renting boats and dream big with their boat buying guide!
