Self Defense Products for Children

Even breaching the topic of self defense for children can set off the wrong kind of alarms. We don't want to think about the possibility of harm coming to children, let alone having to teach them to avoid it.

For those with a fear of talking about safety with children, considering the alternatives rarely helps. Instead, it is best to consider how training a child in confidence and self-awareness can benefit.

A child taught to assess risks has lifelong advantages. Knowing how to react in a life-and-death situation is only one. These same tools assist with other challenges in life.

Remember that the most important way to arm a child is with knowledge. When knowledge needs a little extra kick, consider the following products designed with children in mind.

A Guide to Self Defense for Children

Situation awareness protects more children than any other tactic or tool. We already work to teach children to avoid out-of-the-way places and strangers.

When it comes to being in trouble, plan for tactics that don't rely on strength. The following products use a combination of surprise and attention. This lets children leverage other advantages instead of strength.

Gear for Impact

These items provide the best advantages for small frames and low strength. They rely on a child knowing how to and most importantly, when, to use them. We recommend working with children to learn the advantages of any self-defense tool you provide them.

Pay careful attention to any restrictions and zero-tolerance rules at play in your schools. Sending a child to school with a weapon creates problems for you and the child.

The first three shouldn't be an issue. The last two offer significant damage and defense potential.

1. Keychain Alarm

The most effective tools for a child to use coincide with the best tactic a child can use: to be seen. Being seen and getting attention drives most assailants away.

Devices like a keychain alarm work well for creating noise and drawing attention. Instruct a child to hit the button while it is in a pocket or dangling from a backpack. The sound is likely to drive away assailant that don't want to be noticed.

The noise also makes for a handy beacon for a lost child. You may face some issues using it in a shopping mall without glares. In a wilderness situation, it can be a great way to find a child in the dark while also driving away predatory animals.

The whole family can benefit from these kinds of devices. We went into other uses for the elderly over here.

2. Aerosol Alarm

Along the same lines as an alarm comes the aerosol alarm. This tiny device represents one of the best self-defense items to carry.

The horn holds up to 20 short blasts and doubles as both a call for help and a weapon. Like a keychain alarm, it certainly draws attention. When aimed in the direction of an attacker it makes a powerful deterrent.

Equipping a child with an air horn gives them an advantage in situations against strangers and animals. A worrisome dog found on the street can be repelled before biting.

Both of these tools also provide an element of surprise and don't count as weapons for school carrying.

3. Tactical Pen

This product creates more of a gray area for school carrying. It is an actual writing instrument. It can be viewed as nothing more than a mechanical pencil.

The construction is sturdy. Children can target soft tissue and nerve clusters for quick damage. It is concealable and provides an element of surprise.

The end-caps are strong enough to bust glass. This can help a child escape situations such as being locked in a room or a car.

To use a tactical pen wisely, a child needs training in zones to attack. You will also want to teach them how to strike subtlety.

Running at an assailant with a weapon makes the child a target. Teach them to use this weapon as an advantage, not a deterrent.

4. Keychain Kubotan

There is a reason that the kubotan is becoming one of the most commonly used self-defense weapons. While easy to conceal and hide in plain sight, it has a surprising number of uses.

Several martial arts become enhanced with a kubotan. The weapon provides weight to a thrown punch to give a subtle improvement in damage.

Striking at pressure points and vulnerable soft tissue can help disable an attacker. A child can use a kubotan to break free from a grapple or hold.

Like the tactical pen, they serve to break glass to help a trapped motorist or escape a room.

Again, the kubotan occupies a gray area for weapons. Others may view it as nothing more than an ornament for a bag or keys. Some may perceive it as a type of knife.

5. Slingshot

Definitely a no-go for school policies, the slingshot is a time-honored weapon for children's self-defense. A child in danger can unfold an easily stored slingshot and set up with an ammo pouch or improvised rocks.

The damage of a slingshot is no joke. While other items fall mainly in the non-lethal category, a slingshot can go beyond.

Slingshots take practice. Take a child through more than a few sessions to learn accuracy. We recommend training to time a solid release and build up the strength to hold a target.

Give children an idea of how much damage one of these can do by providing targets of different densities. Remind the child that a slingshot is a weapon, not a toy.

Slingshots make excellent self-defense weapons against an identified attacker. It provides range, power, and control.

Don't forget to get some slingshot rubber bands as replacements when they get worn out.

Get Equipped!

Hopefully, you feel more confident about the subject of teaching self defense for children. Products designed to help protect and defend give confidence and safety. One of the worst issues to address is the idea of lethal force in the hands of a child, so we like to offer alternatives.

Looking for some more defense for the student or yourself? Check out our list of bestsellers and keep yourself ready for any adverse situation.