If you’re motivated to teach fly fishing to kids, it is imperative to keep it fun.
Sure, we’d like them to perfect the cast and find joy in matching the hatch and catching fish, but in the end, it’s all about making them want to come back to it. If lessons keep coming at them at warp speed, they’ll quickly lose interest.
Make it fun by turning over rocks and looking at bugs. Bring a magnifying glass and teach them about macroinvertebrate life cycles or identifying characteristics.
Practice “fishing” by not fishing.
Throw rocks for distance and accuracy or practice landing and photographing fish with a stick.
Keep them entertained by searching for signs of other wildlife. Deer prints, snakes crawling through the grasses or hawks flying overhead create experiences that are hard to forget. Same goes for hunting for mushrooms or berries. (Obviously only allow them to eat them if you are 100% sure they are edible).
Whatever you do, keep it fun and varied, and they’ll ask for more before you know it.