Parents, there are various opinions on how to start a child skating properly. This is just one more version that had success from a parent's point of view, and many smiles and laughs from my child's point of view. He probably won't enter into the Olympics, but he loves the time we spend together in the rink. That to me gives it an "ok" seal of approval.

What I did to introduce my son to skating at age 3, was to get some knee pads, elbow pads, and a piece of foam to stick in his pants for his bottom. I put a helmet on him, (any helmet is fine, obviously one with soft padding is more comfortable and a padded chin strap to protect the chin and teeth is a bonus) a thick pair of gloves and then held both hands as he wobbled around. A pair of rain pants or snow pants goes a long way too, because the more comfortable and dry they are, the more apt they are to enjoy the experience. At that age, 30 minutes to an hour, max, is what they enjoy.

You teach them to walk on the ice first. Very small steps. Eventually they will learn to glide a VERY SHORT distance (an inch or two) and progressively that distance will increase.

Skating is also NOT done standing straight up. Knees should be slightly bent and the waist slightly bent forward also. This will help them lower their center of gravity and avoid falling backwards, which is always the worst kind of fall. Also, get their arms UP in the air. Children tend to want to skate with their arms down, so when you start them off by holding their hands, be sure to hold them up in the air, shoulder high and out to the sides if possible. As they go off on their own, encourage them to bend those knees and get those arms up.

Once they let go of your hands, they will fall, which is fine. With pads, they should think it is funny. Don't dote over them, just smile and teach them how to get up. Depending on how they land, get them to roll over onto their hands and knees. Then put one foot up and then slowly work to the second foot. They don't have as far to go as an adult, so it's not that bad for them.

Skating is really done on one foot (alternating back and forth) if you think about it. As a child learn to "glide" they will look like a penguin wobbling back and forth very slowly gliding on one foot and then the other. At first as they shift their weight, both skates will be on the ice, but support weight will only be on one foot. Eventually, they will begin to pick up one skate as they shift their weight to the other foot.

When they are young, they won't really have to cover much distance at first in order to master the skills. So it is easy for mom or dad to instruct them without having to put on skates also. Pick a corner of the rink away from others.

Lots of encouragement and praise as to how well they are doing and ... boom, you have a little superstar. The key is to make it a fun outing. I get them dressed at home and even put the skates on there as well, because it is a comfortable environment for them. A pair of inexpensive skate guards goes a long way. As they walk around, their ankles are getting used to the sensation of being on skates.

Not every child will relish the thought of skating. Some try it and aren't exactly thrilled. Some come back to it a few years later, completely obsessed. As a parent, there are few things more enjoyable than seeing a child take to something with a passion. Skating in the "South" is a luxury! Our little rink my not have the glitz and pizzazz as the bigger rinks, but you won't find a better environment for teaching a child to skate. What makes it work is that a child can come and skate for 30 minutes to an hour and get enough. The fact that you don't have to pay for individual ice sessions is ideal. The mastery of skills is proportionate to the number of times your child puts a pair of skates on and off. In skating, there is almost an endless stair of skill levels to climb. Something to keep us all entertained.

Good luck and have fun. Have ice, will skate!

About the Author:

Loree Siermachesky is a mother of three boys, one with a developmental speech delay and has been introducing ASL as a method of communication. She is the web mistress of All About Moms and Empty Cradles.

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Copyright © 2001 Loree Siermachesky, All Rights Reserved Reprinted with Permission