Training a Kid- Pre Rifle Age

[WinstonSmith]

Alright folks. I have a 2 and 1/2 year old toddler. Looking for things to teach him, or activities to do with him, that will help him when he gets to the age he can begin marksmanship training.

The one thing I do now is, I have him hold a ballpoint pen and breath deeply and coincide the "click" with his trigger finger with the bottom of his breath at his respiratory pause.

Any other thoughts or suggestions? Might seem silly, but it would be cool if I can do things now that give him an easier time being successful, and therefore more interested, in later years.

What say the brain trust?

 

[yardboss1]

ewww....Let him play on his own. You keep doing what you have planned and he will get kicked out of pre-K on the first day.

 

[Radar363]

2 and a half? Are you starting your own Treadstone Program?

 

[steviesterno]

I started talking about gun safety at that age but no real training. Let them grow up a bit. My kids know even when they are using sticks as guns that they don’t point at people and keep their finger off the trigger.

Also the “if you see one don’t touch and get an adult”.

Now that my oldest is 7 we’re working on BB guns. Probably airsoft next. Then real deal

 

[streetroc]

Start slow and work with hand eye coordination first

 

[WinstonSmith]

I don't see a problem with doing things with a focus as long as he has fun with it. Even as simple as activities that will improve eye/hand coordination. Not telling him he is learning to shoot a firearm or anything. We also take the 4 wheeler down to a bench in the woods to "listen for deer". He has a blast doing it. Attention span is all of 10 seconds but it's fun and gotta start somewhere. Besides, the boy must grow to be a warrior

 

[Ex313]

I kept my stuff in a gun locker when my kids were little. If they asked me to show them something inside, I would try to stop what I was doing if it were feasible and show them. At the age you're talking about, they weren't very interested. When my son got older he started asking to go in the locker a bit more.
When he turned 5 I took him to a range with a .22 rifle and all we did was make noise and empty brass for an afternoon. He like it. There were also guys blazing away with other kinds of firearms so he started to learn what to expect at the range. When he was old enough to sit and listen, we talked about aiming and marksmanship.
When they were old enough to understand, I started the "Stop, Don't Touch, Leave The Room and Tell an Adult" lesson that Eddie Eagle repeated in the training videos.

 

[Farmer 2]

I started my kids and now my grandkids at 5 with BB guns then went to 22s at 7. My youngest grand son turns 7 next week and I don’t know who is more excited me or him because he knows it’s his turn with the 22.

 

[Boogar Presley]

We wouldn't train children under 5 in self-defense. Their little minds are attracted to shapes, colors and sounds

 

[C'mon man!]

My boys are 2, 4, and 6. The 4 and 6 year old could recite the rules of firearm safety for at least the last two years, plus the rules of "if you see a gun, don't touch it, and tell Mom/Dad". I tell them that if they want to see a gun, all they need to do is ask. This has worked out well to keep them from being "curious". They will ask every so often to see a rifle. So I'll pull one out and they like to practice aiming, and then we go over all the parts of the gun. It pretty cool when a 2 year old knows more about firearms than most of my acquaintances.

FYI, as for holding a rifle, even the smallest cricket is too big for a 4 year old to shoulder. The LOP is still too long, and the weight is a bit hard for them to hold up for more than a few seconds. I built a 22lr AR for them, the stock collapsed has a shorter LOP than the cricket which is easier, and you can also have a much lighter trigger for them.

Be sure to work with him to understand how open sights work, then it will come easier when he starts target shooting.

Also, if you don't have suppressors, get one now to have when they're ready. I caught myself telling my older boy to be quiet while the younger one was shooting a couple weeks ago, like we were golfing or something, lol.