I am not always that keen to go paddling with a complete beginner - my days as an outdoor pursuits instructor are long gone, but as I have been nagging Tim to get his daughter out paddling, I could hardly refuse. In the event, it was a very pleasant trip along the Menai Strait. Elin used a shortish Anglesey Stick to paddle a 'WildOne' from Wild Things. If you don't know the boat, it is about as close as you can get to a general purpose kayak, but still on the large size for a 9 year old.
Very interesting to watch someone with no paddling experience take so quickly to propelling a plastic kayak so efficiently with a piece of wood - basically, she just got on with it, managing about 4k with a little help from the tide.