(Giveaway!) The Thrill of the Draw: Introducing a Child to Archery with the Right Equipment

November 5, 2015 · by Tiffany Merritt · 88 Comments

This post brought to you by Genesis Bows. The content and opinions expressed below are that of Stuff Parents Need.

A few weeks ago I sat my 6-year-old down in front of the computer and asked for her to become a designer. Specifically, I needed her to design a bow and arrow that she would like to have as her very own. Darah, at this point, knew absolutely nothing about the sport of archery, but she had a wonderful time playing around on the Genesis Bows website and using the Genesis Build-a-Bow section to create one by herself.

Yes, Genesis Bows offers custom designs and they make the process so easy that a 6-year-old with no knowledge of archery can build a bow online. This was such a great way to introduce my child to this sport and to pique her curiosity as we waited for the bow to arrive (which, by the way, took less than a week!). We ordered the kit so that we could also have the arrows we needed, an arm guard and a really nice target for practice.

We talked some about Merida and about Robin Hood, as those are the most famous archers in her world (while an older child might be drawn into the sport thanks to Katniss Everdeen). She was quite excited to give it a try.

Breaking in the bow turned into a family affair, as we all wanted to learn together about how the Genesis Mini Darah selected worked with her arrows. Dad watched some Genesis Archery on YouTube to better understand some basic techniques, and he got to shoot the very first arrow. The speed and intensity of it definitely scared Darah a bit, as she realized just how powerful her bow really was. Honestly, we were all a bit taken aback by it. A Genesis Bow is the real deal! She actually shed a few tears because once she realized the power of her bow, she felt intimidated by it because she is a beginner. So we plopped down in the grass and had a talk about what makes archery so wonderful for kids, even from their very first time shooting a bow and arrow.

Benefits of Archery

Over 13,000 schools in the United States have picked up on the great skills kids can aquire through archery. The Genesis Original is the official bow of the National Archery in the Schools program, and is being used to help millions of kids build confidence, practice focusing, develop discipline, improve hand-eye coordination, enhance balance, and also value being outdoors in nature. We also explained to Darah that archery takes practice just like anything else in life, and that by following some basic safety rules, she can feel comfortable with her bow and arrow.

As a family, we set some rules about practice time and about where observers should stand during practice sessions. We also adjusted the bow so that she could more easily pull it back on her own. Once she felt comfortable with the safety of others and herself, and comfortable with her bow, I was floored to watch my child go from scared and uncomfortable to positively glowing with pride. Friends, this transformation seemed to happen in mere seconds. I will never forget this moment!

As you think about holiday gifts for your kids this year, I want to encourage you to think about a Genesis Bow. Children can’t outgrow the Genesis Original because there is no specific draw length. So it is a gift that can be played with for years and years, and that grownups can play with, too! You might also be introducing your child to a sport that will bring them a lot of joy, and that will certainly help them develop important life skills. And if your child does become truly passionate about archery, you can feel confident now that his or her introductory bow was of the highest quality and fit correctly, so that bad habits aren’t formed with an ill-fitting bow.

Win it!: Oh my word!!!! Genesis is giving away a build-a-bow voucher to one lucky Stuff Parents Need reader! Enter for your chance to win below!

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Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the right sidebar of the blog.