Teaching Your Child to Snowboard

Unless you've been living on a deserted island in the South Pacific, you probably know that snowboarding has become the winter sport. In fact, it is one of the fastest growing sports, period. Snowboarding has had a huge impact on the culture of an entire generation of young people, from music to fashion and lifestyle. If you have kids that ski, they may already have asked if they can learn to snowboard. Whether you are a snowboarder yourself or not, if you want your kids to learn the sport from a young age, you probably have lots of questions about kids and snowboarding. This article will provide some of the answers.

When Is Your Child Ready to Snowboard?

While a child may be able to first get on skis as young as three, snowboarding should be started a couple of years later, around age five. This is because snowboarding requires more muscle strength and coordination than skiing. When 3 year-olds are put on skis, they often are just getting used to standing on them, then learning to slide short distances, which requires only the ability to stay over the skis. Because you cannot simply slide straight on snowboard, a child must have the muscle development to start turning the board.  Snowboarding is also a harder sport to learn. Learning to snowboard requires more focus and a longer attention span than skiing.

The development of all children varies, but here are some questions to ask in determining when your child is ready to learn to snowboard:

• Is he comfortable in a school environment?
• Does he have the strength and endurance to be physical for up to one hour in adverse conditions, such as cold, wind and snow
• Will he wear proper clothing without argument?

Does My Child Need Snowboarding Lessons?

Absolutely.

Most parents of aspiring snowboarders have never tried the sport, and because snowboarding is different from skiing in so many ways, such as where your weight should be distributed, it would be very difficult to teach if you haven't done it yourself. Even if you are a snowboarder, it is in you child's best interest for them to take some lessons from a professional youth snowboard instructor. Professional instructors are trained to teach your child in a safe and fun environment that will insure a positive experience and instill the desire to keep learning.