How to teach your children to ski

And we mean really slow! Day one of teaching young children to ski might involve nothing more than having them get used to their ski gear. Let’s be honest, it’s not the most comfortable. Get them to walk around in their ski boots, show them the different parts of their skis (bindings, tips, edges and so on), and then try progressing on to making small movements on skis.

They can try gliding on a flat surface, one ski at a time, bending their knees, side stepping and perhaps sliding down a gentle slope as you hold their hands. Be patient and don’t push them faster than they’re comfortable with, it’s all about gradually building confidence. Take things one step at a time Literally.

Once your child is getting used to their ski gear, you can move onto introducing them to basic ski technique. Again, take it slow and don’t force them to do anything too scary.

•  Sliding – start on the gentlest of nursery slopes and run along with them, holding their hand if needs be. Progress to letting them glide alone and catching them at the end if they want you to.

•  Stopping – the most important skill to get them nailing first. We love the ‘French fries to pizza slice’ analogy for this, teaching children to make a pizza-like wedge shape with their skis when they want to slow down or stop. Let them get confident doing this all by themselves, so that you no longer need to run beside them.

•  Turning – once they are happy gliding and stopping in a straight line, it’s time to get them turning. Start with wide, gentle turns, explaining how to gradually shift their weight from ski to ski. Kids love playing follow the leader for this, so let them follow in your tracks as you curve down the slopes. As their skills improve, make the turns tighter and tighter.

As adults, we love skiing because it’s fun – and it should be the same for kids. Try and avoid the temptation to get caught up in progress and technique and just enjoy being together in the snow. Lots of little rewards and encouragement go a long way too.

Here are a few of our favourite ways to keep children engaged and having fun:

•  Set up a mini slalom course using ski poles – if your kids love a bit of competition; why not turn it into a race?

•  Get creative on the slopes. You can pretend to be aeroplanes, superheroes, animals, knights fleeing from dragons - anything that sparks their imagination! 

•  Play the traffic light game – red means stop, green means go!

•  Adapt their favourite playground games, such as tag, follow the leader and dodgeball, to skis and snow.

Learning to ski inevitably involves taking a few tumbles. Luckily for kids they don't have as far to fall as adults, and snow usually provides a nice soft landing, but it does help to let them know that falling is no big deal and just part of the learning process.

Share a few funny stories of your own falls and they’ll hopefully see that it’s fine to make mistakes along the way. After all, it’s how we learn.

Nothing will put children off the idea of skiing quicker than feeling cold, so make sure you’ve got them fully kitted out from their thermals to their gloves. We’re big fans of making a morning kit list to avoid accidentally forgetting anything vital in the morning chaos.

Make sure you take plenty of breaks so everyone can warm up and stay comfortable. Nothing will keep them smiling better than a mug of hot chocolate (with cream and marshmallows, obviously) by the fire. A maximum of two hours on the slopes at a time is most kids’ limit, depending on their age and the weather.

At the first signs of boredom or frustration (or ideally before they surface at all) take a break. Go, make snow angels, build a snowman, grab a snack or try an activity like sledging or ice skating.

The same goes for calling it a day. Children can’t manage the long days that adults can, so don’t stick it out until the bitter end. End the day on a high, when they’re still having fun and you all have the energy you need to make it back to your accommodation and they’ll be raring to hit the slopes again tomorrow.

With this in mind, it can make a huge difference to your holiday if you choose a resort with easily accessible nursery slopes and accommodation close to the pistes. Carrying your own skis as well as your tired little ones gear is no joke! El Tarter in Andorra, Les Deux Alpes in France and Livigno in Italy are a few of our most family-friendly destinations.

Teaching your children to ski is great if you want to take it on, but ski school is super fun for children too. It gives them the chance to make new friends and learn to ski from expert instructors.

This also gives you some time to hit the slopes for some adult-only runs. Spending your mornings apart and then coming together for lunch and skiing as a family in the afternoons can strike a fantastic balance. It’s your ski holiday too, after all.