Our 8YO tried to use their teenage brothers paddle and found it was unwieldy and too heavy. To make sure they didn't get put off paddling we bought this smaller, light-weight paddle. It was much easier to control and no chance of them hurting themselves. They can paddle with the other children and having their own paddle, suitable for their size is the cheapest way to keep them included. Couldn't find another firm doing this and at what was a snip of the price of an adult paddle.