Mastering movement skills on ice and snow

starter guide to mastering movement skills on ice and snow

Embrace the cold and enjoy outdoor activities (safely)

By Sarah Parker

Living in Canada, to stay active outdoors for a good chunk of the year, it’s necessary to learn how to navigate the slippery and slushy white stuff. It’s all about building on the foundation of movement skills already learned on solid ground. If you can run, hop, throw, catch, jump, and balance your body in various ways, then you can learn to push, glide, and stop on ice, as well as slide, jump, and climb in snow.

d Getting started

There are many activities to do on ice and snow, but the most common that likely come to mind are skating, skiing, and hockey. But before you can fully participate in these activities, you need to first develop the fundamental movement skills specific to moving on ice and snow.

We break down what those skills are for you: d Push-glide

These are the basic movements of ice skating, but they also apply to skiing, as well. Before you even strap on skates, you can have your child mimic these movements on a smooth floor while wearing socks. Have them lean forward slightly and push their feet across the floor. Then once you get to the rink, they’ll be better prepared to move on ice. Have them hold onto you, or a chair, for those first sure-to-be wobbly steps on ice skates. d Stop-turn around

Once you get moving on ice skates, the next step is learning to stop. While moving, stand straight with your feet side-by-side and then push them out to one side. This hockey-stop movement works for both skates and downhill skis. Once stopped, step carefully and turn around to push off in the opposite direction. d Slalom slide

Once pushing, gliding, and stopping are learned, kids can practice a more advanced move: the slalom slide. This is the key move to skiing smoothly downhill, but the movement can be done on ice skates, as well. Once you have forward momentum, stand with legs shoulder-width apart, lean forward slightly and bend your knees, then turn both ankles to one side, then the other, making a swivel pattern. This move also helps with balance and coordination. d Step-climb-play

Snowshoeing, hiking, building a snowman - all of these are fun winter activities that don’t require as much specialized equipment or a trip to a recreational facility. You just need outdoor space and some deep snow. Taking big steps and learning how it feels to move and balance in deep snow are essential skills to navigate our snowy country and the earlier kids learn these skills, the better.

So, strap on a pair of winter boots and get moving in the snow! Of course, you may feel that some of these skills are best taught by a professional, in which case it’s a good idea to find a skating or skiing program to join.

When kids learn to master these movement skills on ice and snow, winter no longer becomes an excuse to stay inside; instead, it opens a whole world of fun activity for the whole family. We are lucky to live in a country with vast and wonderful wintry landscapes, so it’s essential to embrace the cold and enjoy activities that can lead to a lifetime of fitness and fun!

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Active for Life is a national initiative created to help parents raise physically literate children. At activeforlife.com, parents, educators, and coaches will find fun activities, engaging articles, and free resources to get kids active, healthy, and happy. CCM

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