At what age can you start figure skating?
If you’re thinking of starting your kids in figure skating, Skate Canada has a program called CanSkate that’s focused on a child’s long-term development in the sport. No matter whether your kids are learning for fun or planning to skate competitively, the program will teach them fundamental skills that they need for figure skating as well as other sports that involve ice skating, such as hockey and speed skating.
Here’s a six-year-old girl performing an artistic program, and the same skater two years later.
How old do you have to be to learn to ice skate?
Kids can start skating lessons as early as three years old, but keep in mind that children at such a young age may not be ready to be away from you or have the attention span for a 20- to 30-minute lesson. By five to six years of age, they’ll have the balance and coordination needed to master the more complex movements of figure skating.
Another way to begin is by taking your kids down to the local rink and skating together as a family. Warm them up by letting them walk on the ground in their skates before taking them onto the ice. Let them know that they’ll fall – everybody does, even Patrick Chan! – and that falls are just a part of skating.
Many facilities will rent skates – and helmets, which are mandatory in many jurisdictions – that you can wear to start. When your kids start bugging you to go to the rink every day, you can find good skates at your local sports swap.
The skills they need for figure skating
Figure skaters need to be able to glide, spin, turn, jump, hop, skip, and stop. They also need to develop agility, balance, coordination, flexibility, and the speed that comes from the explosive “quickness” of muscles. Understanding rhythm – being able to skate to a beat – is also important for figure skaters.
Activities your child can do now
Here are some activities you can do at home with your kids to help them develop these skills:
Again, whether you and your child are interested in figure skating for fun, or to eventually look into the world of competitive figure skaters, starting with basic skill development is a great idea. Once kids have developed fundamental movement skills, the confidence to participate in different physical activities, sports, and games will follow!
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Wow great you can see how much she has learned her personality came out i hope to o see her someday in the Olympics good luck
I would like to know more about Ice Skating lessons for my 6 year old.