I am a assitant caoch for my club and I help teach the little ones how to skate. I was wondering when the kid should be alowed to skate. It is very annoying when a parent brings a 2 year to the ice and expects the kid to want to go out with the protection of thier parents and learn to move on blades 1/8 the width of a balance beam. I also think that at such a younge age the child probly does not even have the ability of walking down pat yet. I know this is true because after i taught a kid on the ice and then i saw the kid in the lobby. He couldn't take four steps without falling over

So what do you think is a ideal age for skaters to start.

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Lets Boogie!

I'm no expert, but I think that by the time that they have walking down pat, it's a good time to go skating with your child and get them used to the ice. They have those things that help them keep their balance at almost any arena, so I think that helping your child get his or her ''ice legs'' by the time they have walking down to a science is a good age to start..

_BladeGal_

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AARON MCCULLAGH KICKS ALL YOUR A***S! YAY FAKE FALLS!!

~Do you ever feel alone standing in a crowd? There are tons of people around, and yet, I only see you~

I agree with you about starting them as soon as they can walk. However, I would not sign them up for lessons until they are at least 4 or 5 years old. Until that age, most don't have the ability or attention span to follow directions.

As far as using the "ice walkers", I think young skaters are better off just holding a parent's hand. The walkers throw the skaters balance forward, so later when they try to skate without it their balance is wrong.

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Many go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. - Henry David Thoreau

Our club has it split. To start Canskate you have to be 4 and otherwise you are put in the preschool program. (which also only lasts half as long) so all the little kids are together and there are fewer kids with more coaches

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Hurrah for Desert Skaters! YAY for Jeff Buttle and Virtue and Moire!

If the child has some motor control, then two years old is not too young--we've had a few at the rink I teach at. I have also taught five year olds who can barely stand up on their own. It depends on the coordination and maturity of the child (and the maturity of the parent). I have also seen parents practically push their two and three year olds on the ice and it's not a pretty sight.

I started when I was four, and I have a friend who started when she was two (her mom was a skater though, so she knew what she was doing), but most of my friends started when they were 7 or 8.

In the later years, it really doesn't seem to make a difference level-wise when you start, since you really don't pick much up at that age. The kids who started younger, however, are more likely not to quit because they can't imagine/remember life without skating.

My daughter was on the ice for the first time at 2 1/2 and liked it well enough that we decided to try lessons at 3. At that age, I think skating should just be something fun to try and lessons should just be fun games on the ice that coincidentally introduce proper technique.

I think its more one of those all kids are different so there is no pat answer.Some kids even at age six fuss and dont want to, and some 3 yos do just great.My kids both started young but I do think they seem to be an exeption, not the norm.
I dont think my kids remember not skating either.Its just what they do kwim?

I started skating in Ukraine, where there is no "recreational" skating. It's serious stuff. I started when I was about 2 and a half and that is normal. If you are 4 and want to start figure skating, they usually recomend hockey because you are too old to start figure skating.

5.5 to 6.5 years old if a "solo" class.
if moms can let the kid just have fun, a tot and parent class could work.
moms (or skatedads) can cause real problems with the preschool/early elementary skatekids if started too soon and pushed too hard.

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life's not fair. don't whine, work harder. f.carroll
you have to run as fast as you can just to stay in the same spot. l. carroll

Back layback, Oksana is from Ukraine, started skating after she was 2 and she succeeded.

I guess it's stupid stuff like that, that helps the Ukraine stay off the podium year after year. I don't think a single one of America's champions started at age 2, especially not in serious lessons. What a waste for Ukraine, and all like-minded associations.

I teach tots six days a week in the winter. If the child has good muscle tone, good balance, and wants to skate, he/she can start at any age. I've seen two year olds get on the ice and march around having great fun. I've seen five year olds who are like wet noodles and cannot stand up. I've also seen kids who obviously have talent, but are not interested in "learning" and do not pay attention to anything anyone shows them or asks them to do.

For the vast majority of children, skating will be no more than having fun. For a few others, it will become something they want to work at, achieve profiency at, and maybe even compete in. For the exceptional few, it will become a way of life and all absorbing. Whichever way a child is headed, their early experiences have to be pleasant and fun.

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I agree. its not an age thing, its a every child is different thing.Some kids do great young, and some hate it.

Our rink has a snowbabies class, average age 2-4 years old, this has lots of toys on the ice so the little ones are more concerned with getting to the next toy to worry about the skating, so without even knowing it they are skating!!

I took my 3 year old (just turned 3 this week) to a public session yesterday.

Well, she loved it, but was a "wet noodle". I pretty much held her up the whole time. She did a little "marching" holding my hand and we moved around the rink a few times, but she kept wanting to fall backwards.

Should I re-think the lessons or will they be able to teach her to stand up?

I/m thinking about Mommy and me again, because the idea of her going out there by herself is giving my chest pains

At my club, the child must be turning 5 sometime within the session that they're signing up for. However, the city's policy for it's learn to skater program is different. They have pre-school programs for very young (usually around 3-5) children. In some cases the kids can handle it but usually it's best to wait until the children are around 5.

It just kinda depends.there is no way of knowing.As a mom of two kids who skated at age 3 and now skate daily, I would give it a shot. If your child is crying, screaming or really unhappy, then I would wait a few more months and try again.Kids do different for other adults than mom and dad.
They can teach her things the right way if she is ready. If not just try later. All kids do this different and there is no magic number.

I teach part time at my rink and I love teaching the tots. To sign up for ISI group lessons at my rink you have to be 4 years old. Last January, they did have a USFSA class for 3 year olds. I think the instructors found this slightly challenging.

However, I have taught 2 1/2 year olds in private lessons and they are super cute and funny. I personally feel that at that age, private lessons are the best because the attention span is limited. I also learned that my drawings on the ice needed to be expanded because of the limited vocabulary. The younger kids were pretty good one on one and my favorite response was, "I glide, I glide."

I think like most sports, it just depends on the child.

Hmmm... there is no real way to teach a child to stand up on the ice. One of the rinks I teach at requires them to be able to do so to take lessons. Young 3's often just don't have the motor skills yet. My initial thought is to try taking her once more on your own. If she really can't even stand on her own, I'd wait a few months and try again. Don't worry about marching on her own yet- that they can teach her- but she really should be able to stand up on her own. If you do decide to put her in lessons now, I would definitely do the Mommy and Me.

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Shae-Lynn and Victor: We knew you were champions, and on 3/28/03 the whole WORLD found out! Thank you for twelve wonderful years!

As has been said, every child is different. My daughter decided she wanted to learn to skate, right after she turned 3. I signed her up for group lessons, and she was happy to go every Saturday morning. She didn't want to step on the ice any other time of the week, but come Saturday morning she was as happy as a clam. Slowly it snowballed... 5 years later she is on the ice 5 days a week, and STILL as happy as a clam - when she's not beating herself up over a jump or 2.

So, even though she started young, she still enjoys it tremendously!