How To Bring Play and Fun Back Into Your Ski Program
Learning to ski can seem intimidating, scary, or difficult to little minds and new learners. Play allows them to explore and become more comfortable in this new environment.
Why learning to ski should be fun.
Children learn through meaningful hands-on experiences—through touching, doing, and moving, as well as through seeing and hearing. Lessons—Experiences that encourage play and fun give students the opportunity to become more involved with their learning experience, as well as actively engage with the environment around them.
After all, what do you consider success? A student who chooses to come back to a lesson with a smile, has enthusiasm for "what's next", and develops a further love of the sport, or a student who becomes overwhelmed with emotion and information, frustrated by not meeting their expectations?
How to encourage play during lessons.
Fun and play help take the focus off getting everything right, the discomfort and uncertainty of new surroundings, and the overwhelming nature of processing all the new information.
Whether it be playing a game like follow-the-leader or simply playing in the snow, the opportunities for play and fun are endless. Provide cues that spark their imagination while learning. Like "making pizza" wedges in the snow, asking "Can you make this sound?" by pushing snow with the edge of your ski, or "did you know we can walk UP the hill?" by side stepping and herringbone tracking. These are only a few ideas for adding play to new skiers' learning experiences.
For more ideas or to share your own, join the conversation in our Facebook Group Ski Best First.
How can SkiRing® help?
When SkiRing® is in their hands, their hands are out front while the focus is on the footwork while having FUN! We know that SkiRing® will make your students eager to hit the slopes with new excitement and confidence!
INSPIRES IMAGINATIVE PLAY
TAKE PLAY TO THE NEXT LEVEL
DISCOURAGES ARM FLAILING
ENCOURAGES PROPER HAND POSITION
SUPPORTS PROPER ATHLETIC STANCE & BALANCE
MOTIVATES DOWNHILL FOCUS
MOTIVATES DOWNHILL PROPULSION
QUIET HANDS ENABLE THE SKIER TO FOCUS ON FOOT/ANKLE MOVEMENTS
SIMPLE & INTUITIVE
DECREASES ANXIETY
SKIERS’ FIRST SKI POLE
PREPARES FOR LATER INTRODUCTION OF SKI POLES
