Talk for Maine Adaptive Sports and Recreation on using games to teach kids to ski.

1. Deb Walther
Maine Adaptive Sports and Recreation
November 6, 2013

2. “Trick” kids into learning how to ski
Reinforce what was taught
Repetition is important but it gets boring
Just to have fun!

4. Use their imagination
Engage them by making their bodies or the
equipment into something they can relate to
Use the mountain
Engage curiosity
Features: stopping, starting, point towards
Fun: Snowball fights, snow angels
Keep them moving
Kids don’t want to hear us talk…

5. Keep it safe
Kids are easily distracted during games
Set up boundaries
Let them be in charge
Where the hands and eyes go, the feet follow
Use games/tricks to get the first turns
Don’t emphasize the turn until it happens

6. Ages 3-5
Pay attention to EVERYTHING!!!
Wear emotions on their sleeves
If angry, then they are totally angry
Moods change on a whim
Play learning and imagination work best
May not understand competition
Higher center of gravity
Movements are large

7. Ages 6-12
Socializing through school
Can listen to and follow directions
Keeping it fun = keeping their attention
Competition
Growth spurts during season can result in changes
in skiing ability

8. Teenagers
Social is everything!
Sensitive
Be yourself
Rapid growth spurts cause balance and
coordination issues
Revisit fundamentals
Competition, challenges
Introduce adult movements

9. Cognitive
Ability to process information
Affective
Social/emotional development
Physical
Explains how children move
Body shape, physical ability, age
Rate of development varies

10. Learning style
Readiness
Doer
Interest in play
Culture
Cognitive development
Hungry
Thinker
Tired
Fear
Anxiety
Physical Condition
Mom
Weather distractions
Age
Social
Maturity
Success
Confidence
Feeler
Dad
Visual
Can-Do Attitude
Disabilities
Kinesthetic
Equipment
Motivation
Pleasing others
Sister Athletic ability
Physical development
Self-doubt
Auditory
Analyzer
Brother
Physical limitations

11. Core Concepts
Balance, Edging, Pressure & Rotation
Teach a concept
Talk about it (Auditory)
Show it (Visual)
Do it (Kinesthetic)
Practice it
Use games to teach and practice
With imagination, anything can become a game

12. Consider your speed vs. the child’s
Use smaller skis
Skid more on your turns
Consider turn shape
Kids make smaller turns
Look for them “shortcutting” the turn
Use a visual concept for left and right
Lion= left
Rhino= right
Pizzas and French Fries

16. Getting used to ski boots seems so boring
We need to give time to let kids acclimate to
boots
Big movements on skis can be made smaller in
boots
Don’t be afraid to take the skis off to teach a
movement in boots
Makes the movement less scary
Learn to get up

17. Astronaut
Walk around in slow motion like you are an
astronaut on the moon
Hopscotch
Draw a hopscotch course in the snow
Movements: hopping, individual leg movements

18. Tag
Set up boundaries (Frisbees, cones, paper plates)
Explain the rules
Tap a kid and say “Tag your it”
Play for 2-3 mins
Teaches kids movement in many directions
Use this learning for rotation

19. Duck Duck Goose
Use the normal rules
Gets kids used to movement in the boots in one
direction
Play sitting down or standing up
Chasing Bubbles
Blow bubbles and have the child chase them
NOTE: Make sure you are in a protected area as
the child’s focus will be on the bubbles, not on the
other skiers in the area

21. Perform on flat terrain
Don’t rush
These exercises gets the skier used to the sliding
movement
Repeat 1 ski movements on both feet

22. Have the child ski around a cone/Frisbee on
inside edge
They will lift the ski to turn
Promotes inside edge and early rotation
Advanced: have them do the drill without lifting
their ski
Flat surface then slight incline
Obstacle course (flat surface)
Set up cones/toys
Have the child go around the cone to pick up a toy

23. Pretend the ski is a scooter
Hands out in front (helps balance)
Use boot to propel
Have them slide as far as they can go
Flat surface then slight incline
Use competition
They will fall
Use this opportunity to teach them how to get up
Change feet and repeat

24. Relay Race (performed on a flat surface)
Have the child traverse to pick up a toy and bring it
back
Advanced: race
Obstacle course (flat surface)
Set up cones/toys
Have the child go around the cone to pick up a toy
Can be done in boots, one ski or 2 skis
They will fall: use this opportunity to teach
them how to get up
“Gorilla knuckles”

25. Use this game when the skier is having difficulty
making the wedge shape
Ski a gliding wedge with a balloon between their
legs
Imagine a basketball between the legs

27. Use for teaching walking up the hill
Uphill leg is designated banana
Put a yellow ribbon or sticker on that leg
The other leg is gorilla
Keep the banana away for the gorilla and have
the gorilla catch the banana

28. Have the child put their feet in the shape of a
penguin
Have the child walk up the hill like a penguin
Make noises (batman’s penguin works)
Do in boots first, then skis

30. Follow me
Ski backwards with your hands in the air or a toy
Have the child follow you
Where the eyes go, the feet follow
Be energetic
Let them catch you
A chance for hugs!

31. Big Pizza/Little Pizza
Refer to the wedge as a pizza (makes it visual)
Small pizza’s go faster,
Bigger pizza’s go slower
Biggest pizza stops
Works movement of legs: rotation of the ankles
Hands making pizza shape also helps
Add a “hop to stop”
Have them hop to make the biggest pizza

32. Red Light/Green Light
Red Light to stop, green light to go
Freeze
Yell “Freeze” for the child to stop in place

33. First turns are J-turns
Make the letter “J”
Skiing up the hill controls speed
Have the skier ski towards you and have them
reach for your pole
As they approach you, rotate the pole behind
you
The skier will turn trying to catch the pole
Where the eyes/hands go, the feet will follow

34. Terrain: Beginner to Green
Objective: Put pressure on the inside edge of
the outside ski, making the wedge turn easier
Ask the child what kind of bug would they squish if
they saw it
Provide a list: make the bugs disgusting & scary
Have them imagine a bug is under their big toe
Squish the bug with all of their weight

35. Variation to get more edge: Tell them to show
folks the bottom of their outside ski
Sometimes results in transferring weight to the
other ski
This “game” works will all kinds of skiers

37. Use Simon Says to get the child to perform
movements and to keep their head up
Left/right turns/Stopping
Go slow/control speed: “make 3 turns”
Hop (balance and overall movement)
Lift one leg out (independent leg movement)
Wiggle your behind or other non-skiing movements
(balance)
Be silly: use “Simon” and “non-Simon” calls to be
outrageous
Clean the dishes
Pretend to brush my teeth

38. Talk about sports they play and where their
hands are (athletic stance)
Football stance
Lacrosse
Hockey
Tennis
Riding a bicycle
Throwing/hitting a baseball
Off skis, have the child stand tall
Push their shoulder with one hand
They may fall backwards

39. Have them assume the athletic stance
Hands out front
Flex ankles
Make your boots squeak
Push then with 2 hands, slightly harder
Make 3 turns standing straight up
3 turns in the athletic stance
3 turns with their hands all over the place
Gets them off balance, may fall
3 turns with the athletic stance

40. This games helps to initiate the turn with the
inside ski
Introduction to wide parallel (French Fry) turns
Show the child the game on the ski lift
One ski is the cat, the other the mouse
Don’t let the cat catch the mouse
Move the mouse first
Note: Child will ski with their head down to
watch

41. This game gets the hands out in front (balance),
the turning of the steering wheel gets the feet
to rotate, applying the brake provides pressure
Helps to keep their head up: don’t want to drive
the car into the ground
Many times leads to wide parallel turns
Use imagination to get the child into the game:
What kind of car/truck do you want to drive?
What color?
Hard top or convertible?

42. Use a Frisbee as the steering wheel
Where the hands go, the feet will follow: rotation
will start to happen
Instead of squishing a bug, we are now applying
the brake
Have them follow you

43. Enhance the game:
Make car/truck noises when braking
Honk the horn
Make deliveries and pickups
Police car: pull me over
Adds control of where to stop
Advanced: Set up a road course using cones
Adds control of speed and the need to turn on demand

44. This game can be used on many levels of skier
ability and terrain
Great for balance, independent leg movement and
other skills
Have the skier follow you, mimicking your
movements
Stick left arm out
Ski on one ski
Hop
Wiggle behind
Wiggle whole body
Make short/long turns
Hockey stops
Hands in the air
Hands down low
Airplane wings

45. Once the child knows the “course” (stopping
points), let them lead from one stopping point
to another
Challenge and Imagination sets in: they will want
to be more outrageous than you were
They must decide where to turn: terrain
management

46. Ski Coach makes “railroad tracks” on the slope
Child follows the tracks
Considerations:
Your turns may force the child to go faster than
comfortable
Observe if child is “shortcutting turns”
Use long and short turns

47. Beginner
Coach skis backwards waving hands or a toy
Child skis towards the coach/toy
Let the child catch you
Promotes “where the eyes/hands go the feet will follow”
Advanced
Rule: Kids have to go where the coach goes, no
shortcutting
Ski large turns up hill, different directions
NOTE: Exhausting for the coach, but a great energy
builder

48. Use this game throughout the day
Works to keep the child’s head up
Have them “Hi Five” you as they go past you
Variation: “High Five” followed by a “Low Five”

49. Use the Banana-Gorilla game again
The banana is on the downhill ski
Skis are erasers
Use your skis to “erase” the snow
Gets them to use the flat part of the ski

50. Teaching a child to ski backwards promotes all
four actions
“Cool factor”
Great for older kids with attention issues
Great for Hyperfocusing

51. Use breaks to have FUN!
Throw snow
Snow Angels
Tag
Wax skis
Use you imagination
Think like a kid by becoming a kid
Don’t be afraid to be silly
The more tricks you have in your bag, the easier
it is to respond to the child’s ability

52. The Children’s Skiing Games Reference by Jeff
Kennedy
Children’s Instruction Manual 2nd Ed. PSIA
Vail Resort’s Alpine & Snowboard Teaching
Handbook by Carol Levine & Linda Guerrette
Perfect Turn Manual System 5th Ed. By Ed Joyce
Captain Zembo’s Skiing and Snowboard
Teaching Guide 2nd Ed. By John Anderson PSIA
Core Concepts for Snowsports Instructors PSIA