Nine tips for happy skiing days with children
Skiing for son and daughter is like other educational cardinal topics: Mum and Dad want to go, but the child wants to go less. It's helpful to let go of certain ideas - even during the skiing holidays. For example, that for one or two weeks a year, children should enthusiastically place themselves in the arms of a complete stranger and dutifully line up with other, unknown children to learn stem turns and parallel turns.
Afraid of ski school and the slippery things? Quite normal!
This has to do with child development. Experts call this neophobic, we call it conservative. Obviously, it has proven to be a developmental best practice to prefer the familiar and treat the unknown with scepticism. Children know how to perfect this maxim elegantly. And of course they have the right to reject things. But it is my right as a mother or father to keep offering things to the child.
Try, offer, repeat - so that it works at some point
So the rule is: try everything. That includes skiing. You might love it at some point (I say: almost certainly). For parents with an affinity for winter sports, it's important to persevere. After all, skiing, snowboarding and tobogganing are some of the best leisure activities for families - because you can do them together. Even until the children are grown up and have long outgrown ski school. Then they take their friends with them or go skiing with their mates, but they are guaranteed to come for lunch in the hut.
How to have fun skiing? We have put together nine tips for you for relaxed days in the snow.
1. skiing - from what age?
Most children are ready for their first attempts at skiing at the age of four. Depending on their strength, curiosity and motivation, it may be earlier or later. The important thing is that the child should enjoy skiing, be able to get dressed and undressed at least partially on their own and ideally be nappy-free. A small survey of friends and acquaintances shows that At the age of five, almost all children enjoy skiing and find ski school great. Unfortunately, it is true that most children learn faster and better when they ski with other children.
2. how do I recognise a good ski school for my child?
It is difficult to judge this from a distance, i.e. on the Internet. It's better to ask people you know. In many ski resorts, bears bouncing around or other plush figures in XL format are already standard. However, this is very nice for smaller children: they tire quickly and breaks with stories or songs narrated by these cuddly toy figures are helpful. Which can also be useful: Watching the ski courses one morning. How do the ski schools work? What is the atmosphere like? Are the instructors committed and caring? And what are the children like when they come back? Also important: look out for hidden surcharges in the prices: Are lift passes or lunch included?
3. the heavy ski boots and the horror of the equipment
Who doesn't remember the countless times when you slipped onthe super-slippery floors in your heavy ski boots? Often in the toilets, by the way, and even more often at lunchtime in the restaurant, plate of chips in hand. For smaller children, it is therefore an advantage to carry comfortable shoes in your rucksack. Some ski resorts also have lockers where you can store skis and everything else for a rental fee. If the children are older, they want to and can dress themselves - including ski boots. But this means: allow time for this! And a quick check before you leave the flat: Thermal underwear on? Do you have a helmet, balaclava, gloves and (possibly) a back protector? Ski bib in your jacket? Ski socks pulled up? Didn't smuggle the soft toy in your ski trousers? Don't laugh, it's all happened before.
4 «I don't want to go to ski school!» says the child. And now?
However, mum or dad can also teach the first «Pflügli» («ploughmans») on the flat hill - provided they have the necessary extra patience and take it slowly until the child is ready for ski school. Ski instructors doubt the value of parental ski didactics - with good reason: howling children, mums shouting «Talski belasten, Taaaalskiii!» and dads preaching pedagogical sermons about the forces at work when skiing - you know the drill. But it takes years before you can race down every piste with your own child. So don't forget: Lower your expectations. Children need time to overcome negative experiences. Therefore: It's better to slide down the blue piste once more than to have to constantly pick up an overtaxed child on the red piste. And postpone lectures on normal force, ground forces, weight force or downhill force until the child is considering majoring in physics.
Mum and Dad are mainly Sherpas during the ski holidays.
5. someone is always hungry, cold or has to go to the toilet
Children cool down faster than adults. To prevent them from freezing outside and sweating inside, several layers of clothing on top of each other are ideal. And because skiing is strenuous, children need plenty of breaks. Short intermediate stops and several toilet stops as well as a snack on the chairlift are therefore recommended. It's best to take a rucksack with you containing tissues, spare clothes and provisions including drinks (the child could lose weight!). Yes, mum and dad are one thing above all else on a skiing holiday: Sherpas.
6. children (and parents) in moth mode
It's familiar from home: the jacket isn't hung up, the dirty washing is lying around and practising the violin, no thanks. Children are sometimes on strike and parents fall into grump mode - even on holiday. Because two worlds collide: parents want maximum relaxation in just a few days. For keen skiers or snowboarders, this means: boarding until the dopamine bubbles. Children, on the other hand, pursue the secret design principle of modern life, especially on holiday, which means playing around and having fun. It is therefore important to clarify interests in advance: Who wants to go on holiday today and how much? Who doesn't want to go at all, who would rather go sledging? We then vote democratically and everyone sticks to the agreement (according to the principle: the exception proves the rule). Those who still grumble are distracted with manipulative tricks: «Look at that man over there, he's a funny skier. You drive much, much better, do you know that?» Naturally, this only works to a limited extent with older children. There may be something else behind the bad mood. A desire for attention, to be heard or something similar. Sometimes it's just the need for a little time alone with their parents. Or even more mundane: a good night's sleep. Chocolate. Playmo. TV. Mobile phone. Gaming. Allowing this has an exorbitant advantage: parents can drive alone. Alone! This word cannot be emphasised enough.
7. ski holidays should be relaxed
The child no longer wants to ski? Then maybe tomorrow. They don't want to go to ski school for a whole week? Then book just one, two or three days, which is what most ski schools offer. Or half days. Forcing or sticking to resolutions or supposed parental expectations only leads to frustration for everyone involved. Instead, why not take a sledging day, go to the indoor swimming pool, go ice skating or play hockey? Or simply do nothing for a day. It's the holidays, so no more thoughts of optimisation.
8. skiing with siblings
It takes a long, long time before all the children in a family can ski at a similar level. Parents therefore need to be patient and even more flexible. Normally, this means splitting up. One parent goes with one child in the morning, the other in the afternoon, and maybe they all ski one or two runs together. Because children usually love it when the whole group is out and about.
This is how we do it - on days when there is no ski school: my five-year-old is allowed to choose two slopes a day in the morning where he wants to ski. He is allowed to ski ahead of his older brothers (but don't worry if you don't do it - then the little one won't know what to do) and is a little bit the king of the slope. And each of my other children is allowed to choose at least two runs a day, including deep black pistes, and produce as much as they like until their legs feel creamy and the rest of the family gets envy pimples. Because we know: nothing is better than a run!
If this piste is too difficult for you, or if you don't feel like it anymore, you can ride with the others, go home earlier, go sledging or take a break in the restaurant. My two older children can ski on their own without any problems. If the little ones' favourite slopes are too boring for them or the average speed is too slow, they can ski without us - one, two or three times. Until one of us is down with the little one. We then agree a meeting point for a stop, a break or lunch. They love this form of authorised exercise.
9. why it's worth it: holidays are great!
The first bite of a Grisons nut cake, the first sip of a Kafi schnapps in the mountain hut or the first gondola ride into the blue sky. The self-built igloo, the speedy toboggan ride or the first gentle fall into the down-soft deep snow. There is a lot to winter and often something different for everyone. Sharing it with your children makes up for all the effort and all the sacrifices.
Picture: Fotolia
