Benefits Of Teaching Your Child To Ski
The idea of sharing a passion such as skiing with their children is something many mountain-loving parents eagerly anticipate. Whether you are proficient on the slopes or are mastering the basics, encouraging little ones to learn a new skill provides many benefits both physically and mentally.
Why Skiing Is A Great Choice For Children
There are many sports parents can encourage their children to try, so why should skiing be one of them? Skiing can be a great choice of activity for little ones; from spending time with the family, to making new friends and boosting cardiovascular health.
While skiing isn’t really a team sport, the learning process is actually very social. Lessons are done in a group setting, which is a great way to maintain confidence and create a bond between the children. Throughout the week, as the skiing ability of each child progresses, the positive encouragement from the others is an important part of the development.
Ski holidays with kids also gives families the opportunity to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life and enjoy the glorious snowy scenery, indulge in some freshly prepared cuisine and maintain an active lifestyle.
What Are The Benefits Of Teaching A Child To Ski?
Making New Friends At Ski School
September means the start of a new academic year for youngsters, so as well as getting prepared for the back to school routine, it is a nice idea to give the little ones something to look forward to. With long days at work and busy timetables, a ski holiday for the 2019/2020 season is a great way to spend time together as a family.
Before pulling on your salopettes, it is worth booking your child into ski lessons to prepare them for their first time on the slopes. Not only will they receive the very best tuition with a fully qualified instructor, but they will also make new friends and broaden their social skills. Children can often find it easier to learn a new skill with their peers which makes group lessons a great choice to encourage the love of the sport.
Skiing and snowboarding have various etiquette rules including correct ways to pass fellow mountain users on the slopes and respecting the natural surroundings. These are aspects of skiing that can help teach children a range of new social skills while making new friends on holiday.
Helps Improve Mood
It is no secret that exercise helps reduce stress levels in the body and encouraging your little ones to have an active lifestyle is one way to help boost the body’s natural mood lifters, otherwise known as endorphins, which can keep stress at bay.
Ski holidays give children the chance to maintain an active lifestyle abroad as well as giving them the chance to accomplish a new skill. Parents will enjoy seeing their little ones thrive on the slopes as they hone their techniques, and in turn, children will be able to revel in their new accomplishments as they experience the exhilaration zipping down the pistes on the mountain.
Helps With Physical Health
Snowsports involve a great deal of exercise which helps enhance cardiovascular health. Skiing and snowboarding are both fantastic options to help with flexibility and strength, what’s more, children won’t even realise they are ‘doing sport’ because they will be having so much fun.
Skiing will also help improve a child’s balance and coordination they need to learn to be aware of each part of their body to help with movements, to stay balanced on the slopes and execute turns.
Helps Boost Confidence
Attempting anything new can be a daunting prospect for a child, but little ones learn quickly, which is why skiing is a good sport to encourage them to participate in. There’s nothing quite like making it down the nursery slopes for the first time without a stumble!
The Esprit Ski approach is to work closely with local ski schools to select the best English-speaking children’s instructors to run classes exclusively for Esprit children, and we have classes suitable for little ones as young as three-years-old. There are several ski classes to choose from depending on your child’s age and ability including Spritelets, Sprites, Sprite Xtra Classes and Sprite Guided Ski Fun, so you can rest assured that your little one will be well looked after. Parents will enjoy seeing the sense of pride on their children’s faces when they accomplish a turn or when they start to gracefully glide down the slopes with ease.
Learning From Mistakes
Skiing takes time to learn, and mastering the technical aspects including how to safely execute turns and stops are all part of the learning process. Undoubtedly, there will be times where your little ones will fall on the powdery snow, but this process will help teach your child to get back up and try again.
Making mistakes and learning what to do differently next time is a big part of learning to ski. Snowsports give children the chance to experiment and to not be afraid to try new things, and most importantly, to keep going.
Skiing is also a fun way to instil the values of perseverance in a child because the sport takes dedication, patience and time to master.
Appreciation Of Surroundings
The glorious scenery of a resort filled with snow-capped chalets and hotels mixed with the breath-taking views of mountain ranges is undeniably an amazing part of a family friendly skiing break.
Being on a mountain gives little ones the chance to marvel at the natural beauty of scenery we don’t get in the UK. Youngsters will quickly forget about the television and their smart devices when there is so much to see in the great outdoors. Parents will be pleased to see their children appreciating the wonders of the snowy world around them as well as honing their newly acquired ski skills.
A Good Night’s Sleep At The End Of An Action Packed Day
A day on the slopes means that your little ones will be learning new skills and being active, and as parents know, this equals a content and worn out child. As well as learning to ski, children can have hours of fun building snowmen, whizzing around on a sledge and enjoying a tasty hot chocolate. All this fun and excitement means they are guaranteed to be worn out by the end of the day, so parents can relax and have a peaceful night’s rest too.
Esprit Ski has a variety of family ski resorts to choose from so you can start planning an amazing winter escape for the 2019/2020 season and your child can reap the benefits of skiing.
