Plan on purchasing ski lessons for your kids - and make sure that it is from a qualified (and certified) instructor. - It is simply not a good idea to teach your own child how to ski. It will not be fun for you and neither will it be fun for your child. There is too much ego involvement to do the teaching yourself. It is the same reason why you should let someone else teach your teenager how to drive the car. You will significantly decrease the likelihood of passing along your less desirable habits to your son or daughter - and keep a semblance of family harmony.

There are some venues that start skiing lessons for children as young as three years of age. One of the things that the young kids learn first is how to fall - and how to pick themselves up from a fall. This is taught in fun ways with games and with peers involved. The lessons for kids are usually done with one or two instructors, in very small groups. The children are safe in this small group setting because the instructors will structure each lesson so that there is little free time. During free time, kids will do the ‘unexpected’ - and it never fails to surprise. And some of the younger children are absolutely fearless.

The games become progressively more difficult but they retain a strong element of fun. It is not unusual to hear laughter from the area of the kids lessons. It is really essential that they enjoy the activity. The fun and laughter mitigates any fears that the kids may have.

The instructor will give the kids games and exercises that are brief and develop their skills. The kids make excellent progress with such instruction. The ski lessons are really a terrific investment for this lifetime sport. It is highly recommended over ‘do-it-yourself’.

Catherine Forsythe

[tags]skiing, lessons, children, games, instructors[/tags]