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Getting good kids surfboards isn’t that different to finding a good surfboard for beginners. You want to find something that is easy enough to balance on, will be quite firm in the water and won’t hurt the poor kid if they happen to wipe out and it hits them.
So we’ve rounded up some of the best kids’ surfboards on the market for you.
What To Look For In A Good Surfboard For Kids
Your number one consideration first and foremost will of course be your child’s safety. And that will mean choosing a board appropriate for their size and current skill level.
Given that the term child can encompass anyone from newborn baby up to late teens, it’s useful to know what sort of board to look at for a few different age ranges.
Up To 5 Years Old
Up to this age – and bear in mind that I am writing this as someone who doesn’t have kids – I think that getting time on the water and more time working on paddling would be wise. So a good soft, fairly cheap body board would be best.
Admittedly it isn’t a proper surfboard and doesn’t have fins so it is a bit restrictive, but I think it is the best balance between safety and getting their feet in the water (pun intended!)
Up To 12 Years Old
For pre-teens, I think a good option would be a soft shortboard. The softness again means that safety comes to the forefront, but as well as that, it is a proper board and your kids can start to seriously catch some waves!
As a shortboard it is a bit more difficult to turn, and to get your balance, but it is easier for a kid to carry around and to control in the water.
13 And Older
For teenagers, you can start looking at proper adult sized boards. Obviously teenagers still cover a pretty broad range of shapes and sizes and ability levels, but you will get a lot more usage out of a full sized board.
To be honest though, unless they have moved on to an intermediate or advanced level quickly, I would probably still go with a good, long soft top surfboard, aka a foamie. It is still safer, and the larger size means it is easier to keep balance.
The Best Surfboards For Kids
As with our recommendations above, we have broken this down into different age ranges so you can get something a bit more specific to your child’s age.
Best Surfboards Up To 5 years Old
As mentioned above, for up to 5 years old we would recommend a bodyboard so your kids can get used to spending time in the water more than anything else. And these are the best bodyboards for kids that age:
Bodyboard And Full Beach Pack By BPS
The BPS beach pack comes with a bodyboard, a board leash and swim fin tethers, giving you everything you need for your kid to safely spend time in the water.
They come in 33 inch (perfect for kids), 37 inch and 41 inch, and in 3 different colors – blue, grey and pink.
It is extremely light, making it very easy for your kids to handle and control it themselves.
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Little Tikes 33″ Bodyboard
There isn’t a huge amount for me to say about this one. It is a very solid, and very reasonably priced bodyboard, specifically designed for kids up to 5 or 6 years old.
If you are looking for a good entry-level one at a good price, this is probably the one for you!
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Slick Lizard High Performance Bodyboard Pro Series
The Slick Lizard series is a well built, high quality, sturdy bodyboard and the bright color options mean it will always be visible in the water!
It is a bit more expensive than the other two on this list, but you are paying for excellent quality that will last.
If you know your kid is going to start to get serious about surfing, you’ll want to start them off on the right path and the Slick Lizard is the perfect bodyboard to do that.
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Best Surfboards 6-12 Years Old
Now you can start looking at “proper” surfboards. While the longer boards are definitely easier to balance on in the water, a lot of younger kids will have a hard time carrying and handling them due to their sheer length, so a shortboard would be better.
North Gear 6ft Foam Surfboard
An extremely good quality 6ft foamie, with detachable fins and perfect for kids to experience their first surfboard. It is light, and quite soft but it can hold up to 3 or 4 foot waves quite easily, which is great for getting started with!
It is a great budget option, and good value for money. Expect your kids to have hours of fun with this one.
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Liquid Shredder Soft Surfboard
The Liquid Shredder is a bit more pricey than the North Gear, but it is much more sturdy, and reinforced with wooden stringers for a bit more firmness. It is also 6 feet.
However it is still soft enough overall that if the rider does fall off, they won’t get hurt. It doesn’t come with a leash, so you will need to get one of those as well, but as far as surfboards for kids go, this is very much the real deal.
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BIC Sport Dura Tec Fish Surfboard
While the BIC Sport is still great for kids, it is probably not the best one for an introduction to surfing. Really you’ll be looking at this if your child is closer to intermediate than a beginner at surfing.
It is more expensive, but you are paying for quality from a very well renowned brand.
It’s short fat design actually helps make it more stable and durable, and it comes with an integrated traction pad.
For your intermediate surfing groms, this is the one!
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Best Surfboards 13 And Older
Now you can start looking at “proper” surfboards. While the longer boards are definitely easier to balance on in the water, a lot of younger kids will have a hard time carrying and handling them due to their sheer length, so a shortboard would be better.
To be fair, a lot of kids in their early teens will still get by just fine with their shortboards, but mid-teens onwards, once they go through a bit of a growth spurt could probably do with an upgrade.
Remember that buying a board at this age could be one which they use for years afterwards, so choose carefully.
We have picked out the best from our recommended beginners surfboards.
Greco Surf 9′ Performance Soft Top Longboard
This was our top pick for beginners and it is also our top pick for teenagers and older.
It is long, making it much easier to balance on, it doesn’t bend or flex when you’re popping up so it is sturdy, and Greco Surf themselves provide excellent customer support so you can buy with confidence.
It comes with a leash as well.
The price tag might put off some new surfers, but if it is something you’ll be using for years, you want something that you know will last for that long!
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Greco Surf 8′ Performance Soft Top Longboard 2.0
Pretty similar to the 9 foot Greco above, of course being 8 feet long instead, the 2.0 is another we recommend very highly.
It is stable and firm in the water, a bit more manoeuvrable due to its slightly shorter length and also a little bit cheaper!
As your kids get more advanced, they may enjoy this one more due to its shorter length, so definitely worth checking out.
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Bodyglove Soft Surfboard – 7, 8 Or 9 Feet
I like the Bodyglove because you get the option of 7, 8 or 9 feet. And with the textured surface, you don’t need to spend too much time learning how to wax a surfboard at the same time as actually learning how to surf. One less thing to worry about.
My only gripe is that the leash attachment goes in the center of the fins, so if you fall off, the leash could end up knocking the fins off and you could end up losing them to the sea gods!
Apart from that it is a sturdy, light, fast board that is easy enough to control, and has something for most beginner and intermediate surfers.
