Wondering how to teach a kid to ski? Read along!
Spending quality time on the mountain with your kids sounds perfect. Every ski enthusiast parent wants to see their kids sliding down the snow-covered hills with the same passion that they once did. If you want to be the one teaching your kid how to ski, you need to have patience – a lot of it.
How to Teach a Kid to Ski
Before we share the skiing learning tips with you, here is something you should know: Your kid’s first experience of skiing will either make them fall in love with it or hate it – with a passion. So, make sure that your first family skiing trip goes perfectly smooth.
What You Will Need
- A proper skiing outfit, including jacket, pants, top, goggles, mittens, and warmers.
- A resort with a magic carpet surface lift
- Correct equipment (you do not have to introduce poles until they have mastered the blue slopes)
- A lot of patience
Tips to Teach a Kid to Ski
People who love skiing understand how thrilling it is to glide over the snow. If you are wondering how to teach a kid to ski, here are a few tips to get you started:
Start Them Young
Most ski schools teach kids as young as 3-4 years. That is exactly what you need to do. Kids learn to ski much faster than adults, so make sure you get them started young, but do not overburden them with information in the initial days. Make the first few sessions fun!
Introduce Them to the Snow
Before introducing them to skiing, you need to first introduce your kids to the snow. If you reside in a snowy city, you would already know how your kids feel about snow. However, if you do not, introduce them to snow the next time you take a skiing trip – because to fall in love with skiing, they first need to fall in love with snow.
Let them play with the snow, and if they can’t stop throwing snow at you or each other, take them to a ski resort to introduce them to skiing. They might take some time to get used to the mountain, so do not force them to get started on day one. Day one on the mountain is all about getting familiar with the location and being able to comfortably walk in ski boots.
You Can Also Start at Home
It is not necessary for you to start the sessions on the mountain. To make it less overburdening, you can let the fun begin at home. Get them familiar with walking in ski boots and wearing goggles. You can also introduce toddler skis that strap on the snow boots with Velcro. Let them wear them in the house and run around like little mountain babies.
Make Sure They are Properly Dressed
Rule number one of skiing is to never underestimate the weather. Beginner skiers can take time to get down the mountain. A clear sky can be filled with grey clouds in a matter of minutes. You need to make sure that your kid is wearing a proper ski outfit, consisting of:
- A warm jacket
- Ski or snowboard pants
- Wool top
- Ski or snowboard socks
- A ski helmet
- Neck gaiter
- Goggles
- Mittens
- Warmers
Skiing outfits can cost between $200 to $1000, depending on where you are getting them from.
Let your kid enjoy cotton candy punch or a cup of hot chocolate after a ski training session. (not always, but maybe when you think the day did not go as expected)
Practice One Thing At a Time – Do Not Overburden Them With Information
If you have already introduced your kid to the mountain, they must have already warmed up their ski legs. If you started off with training them indoors, give them a few days to get used to the snow.
The key is to never forget you are training a kid, which means you need to ensure that you do not practice several skiing drills at once. You want to make sure you teach one thing at a time to let the kid thoroughly grasp the information.
The first thing you need to teach your kids is to get on and off their equipment and glide around the snow. When they have learned how to slide, you can teach them how to stop. If the ski resort you are visiting has a magic carpet surface lift, you should take the first few ski sessions there. A magic carpet surface lift transports beginners up the bunny hill. All they have to do is take a step onto the moving belt and step off when they have reached the hill.
You can then slowly introduce them to other skiing drills such as turning and playing with the wedge on a beginner’s slope.
Keep practicing and appreciating!
Teach Them That Falling Is a Part of Learning
Before your kids get on the ski hill, teach them how to get up when they fall. Tell them that failing and slipping are parts of learning and there is nothing to be ashamed of. Many instructors teach kids how to fall safely before they start teaching them the basics. This helps children understand that there is nothing wrong with falling.
Do Not Stop Appreciating the Little Mountain
It is super important to finish the sessions on a high. Get your kid a cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows floating on the top, or show pictures of them skiing. Appreciation would encourage them to do better. Do not wait for them to zone out to end the session. Keep one thing planned for the day and end as soon as you think they have grasped the lesson.
Our Final Thoughts
We hope that this article will have helped you understand how to teach a kid to ski.
You do not necessarily have to enroll your kid into a skiing school to teach them how to ski. You can do it on your own. However, you need enough knowledge about skiing and a LOT of patience. Your kids will not turn into professional skiers overnight; the process is slow, but it is worth it.
The most important thing is to have fun together. You do not need to always wear your instructor hat. Take it slow and enjoy every bit of the journey.
