AfL Mini-Games: How your kids can ski moguls at home

It’s fun when you have a real ski hill nearby where you can ski real moguls, but you might not live close enough to a ski centre to go regularly in the winter. So introduce your child to mogul skiing indoors at home.

Similar to the snowboard Slopestyle Mini-Games [link], there are ways to transform your home into a mogul run with a few jumps without bringing snow inside.

• Gather all the pillows and cushions you can find and create a mogul obstacle course by scattering them around a large open floor space.
• Carpeted floors are best. Make sure there are no dangerous pieces of furniture in the way.
• Arrange the pillows and cushions into a zig-zag path with approximately 30 cm between each.
• Create two “jumps” using low benches or ottomans. (Make sure they are stable!)
• One at a time, have your kids hop, jump and skip around the pillows and cushions in a zig-zag pattern and pretend they are freestyle skiing moguls at the Olympics.
• When they get to the jumps, encourage them to leap high and do a “trick” in the air (click their heels, form a star, do a full turn in either direction).
• Encourage them to “stick the landing” by landing without falling.
• Remind them that a good landing is quiet. A heavy, noisy landing can hurt the knees and ankles.
• Award points for good landings, spins, and rotations.
• Award points for the fastest time going thru the course. (Time each run.)

If real snow arrives in your area, find a nearby hill (e.g. public park, school yard, or golf course) and take a shovel so you can make a small snow jump. Get your kids to try the jump on their skis!

Start with a small jump, but progressively add snow as your kids get comfortable jumping with style and landing quietly. No need for moguls–you simply need an inclined hill for the in-run and an inclined landing area below the jump. The kids will have so much fun that you will have to tear them away for bed time!

Be forewarned though! Skiing is highly addictive and your kids may wish for endless winter!

We want to see your kids being active and having fun! Tweet, pin, and Instagram your pics using #AfLKids or email them and your kids could be featured on our site or social media channels.