Is your big family ski trip coming up? Is it the beginning of your season and you want to make every trip count? Is it your first time skiing with kids and you want to make sure they have the best possible time? Here are some activities you can do at home to prepare your kids for the ski season. When kids are strong and confident, they'll be safer and the experience will always be better!
Do Fun Ski-related Exercises. Ok, ok, exercise, I know. If you’re anything like me (meaning you like to be active and fit and do fun things, but the thought of a gym or treadmill makes you want to run for the hills- literally) you heard the "E" word and thought, “Nah, we’ll just get in shape while we’re skiing. That’s the FUN way!” Well, I can speak from experience when I say that skiing with kids doesn’t EVER work out that way. You’ll get half-way down your first run and have a kid that wants to be done for the day. However, there are some fun ways you can get some exercises in at home with the kids that will get everyone ready for the slopes without feeling like you’re doing formal exercises. Read on for some of our tried and true ideas.
1. Pretend to go skiing. Really. You can find some great POV videos on youtube. Put it on the tv or tablet and mimic the motions of skiing. Bent knees, feet straight and hip width apart, keeping arms in the right position. This is a good one for your basic warm up that will help the kids get in the groove of flowing turns- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nv0R2gmMS2M or this one for when they want to have an adventure- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0FMrjsYAzc Have fun picking fun videos to mimic. Doing this a couple of times a week and you’ll not only have kids who are mentally ready and excited to feel the powder, but their muscles will be stronger.
2. Build obstacle courses. This one can be super fun! Switch it up so it’s never boring, but try to incorporate motions that strengthen the legs and core. Think forward and side lunges, squats, planks, etc. But the fun of this is they don’t have to know they’re doing “exercises”. Place items across the floor and they have to bend on only one leg to pick them up (lunges). Put feet on a skate board and “walk with your hands across the floor dragging your feet (plank position). Get creative. The point of this is to create strength and agility while having fun.
3. Practice the basic ski positions (especially for beginners). A wonderful resource is www.skitipsforkids.com to see the basic positions and show your kids the proper form. Practice the motions of “french fries” and “pizzas” with their feet. Remind kids about the edges of their skis- leaning feet inward for the inside, out for the outside. Hands out front, knees bent. You can play a version of Simon Says where you have them move into basic positions. Your kids will be safer on the slopes if they're comfortable with the basic positions before even getting to the mountain.
4. “Ski” around the house. Make your own skis https://playtivities.com/skiing-home-homemade-skis/ or check out Haus Skis https://hausski.myshopify.com/ and have a great quality set of practice skis to get your kiddos excited all year long.
A few weeks of prep work will make a huge difference in your first days on the slopes. Have fun with the pre-ski season and you’re guaranteed to have an amazing season with your kids on the slopes!
