How to get your kids into skiing

How to Get Your Kids into Skiing

Children marvel at the snowfall. Playtime in the snow leads to a great time for both the kids and their families, so it’s no wonder skiing is an attractive family holiday. However, it can prove difficult once your children move beyond the initial bout of excitement and set off on their skis.  

It’s too cold. They’re scared of falling. They don’t want to do it anymore. 

A selected few from the barrel of complaints heard by many a parent, getting your children into the activity can be more difficult than expected. But it’s not impossible, by any means. 

Below are a few steps to keep in mind as you embark upon you first family ski trip. 

Build the excitement!

While your children may already be enthused by the snow outside their front door, they may become less enthused when they see the slopes. Help to build and maintain the excitement from home in the lead up to the holiday. 

Show them some ski related media online; for example, show them videos or pictures of people skiing, so they can view the activity in a way that paints it as fun and exciting.  

To make them feel even more involved, print out a map of the ski resort or (if available) show them an interactive one online.  This can help the kids visualise the resorts and even pick out what they want to do before they get there. The personal involvement can work wonders. 

Another approach would be to take them to an indoor snow centre. Give them a feeling for the environment and the terrain and show them how much fun the overall experience can be. Since it’ll only be one or a few standalone sessions, there’s no pressure to perform. Instead, they can let loose and have fun in the snow! The idea of the real thing can only exacerbate the excitement further. 

Get them prepared!

Preparation is crucial for any holiday, but especially one that involves a brand new activity for your children. For a first time skiing holiday, make sure that your children’s outfits and equipment are all sorted in advance, alongside your own gear.This is standard procedure, of course.

The importance of this is making sure that the actual day itself runs smoothly, and isn’t marred by any unnecessary hiccups. Tension and impatience, as a result of missing equipment and running behind schedule, can paint the whole experience in a negative light for your children. The last thing you want is for your child to associate the activity with stress and irritation. 

In addition to the physical preparation, it’s useful to take them through the events of the day in question, so they’re not completely overwhelmed. Taking them to the snow centre and showing them skiing related media is helpful, but there’s no harm in reminding them about the more routine aspects of the day.  

Let them know what it will be like, how many people there will be, what the environment will look like, how it will feel, and what to expect. Mental preparation is just as helpful as physical preparation. Alongside letting them know what will happen, also make an effort to clear their minds of any personal doubts.Let your children know its ok to make mistakes. Make it clear to them that they’ll fall over from time to time and so will you!  

Normalise the mistakes. 

This way they’re less likely to be put off by both the idea of slipping up or the actual mistake when it happens. Children may feel embarrassed or ashamed for not nailing the activity on the first attempt and how you react to those feelings will have an impact on how they perceive the activity.

Don’t teach them yourself!

While it may seem tempting for a parent who’s also an experienced skier to want to teach their kids, this approach has a high risk of backfiring.  

The best approach is to send them to a professional skiing school, even if just for a one off lesson. You can do this prior to or during the holiday. 

The benefits of professional teaching versus parental tuition are that your children will be in the hands of well skilled and highly trained instructors and helpers. These people will take full care of your kids alongside showing them the ropes, and will put them through a structured routine. 

You and your children have a deep familiarity with each other, so there is more leeway for them to give up if your lesson doesn’t go to plan, and a higher chance of you getting frustrated and impatient. An instructor has less familiarity with your child and less chance of becoming frustrated, and vice versa. An additional benefit is having other children in the lessons, which can add to your child’s motivation to learn and excel. 

The Chalet Experience

A lot of factors affect how your children will embrace skiing. A large factor involves how they feel during the holiday as a whole. Therefore, it’s important that they’re relaxed and content even when they’re not strapped into their ski equipment.  

If you’re visiting the Meribel or Courchevel resorts, then it’ll be worth checking out the chalets on offer in both. The reason for these in particular is that they provide top of the line, luxury experiences that can be beneficial to both parents and children. 

With catered meals throughout the day, private transfer to and from the airport, alongside other 5 star quality services, your holiday can run smoothly and become extremely memorable.  

Keep your kids feeling content, positive and relaxed throughout the holiday, and they’ll embrace skiing with even more vigour than before! 

So get them prepared, get them excited, and book your family a luxury chalet to make this a memorable first skiing trip for your kids!