Ice skating/hockey courses for kids
Ice skating may encompass freestyle skating or competitive sport in the form of figure skating (performing various jumps, spins and dance movements) or speed skating (racing on skates). Ice hockey is the most well known team sport that involves ice skating, although figure and speed skating competitions also occur in a team format.
The origins of ice skating have been traced back to Scandinavia as early as 1000 BC although it wasn’t until 1850s that the all-steel skate replaced the wooden footplate and 1870s that the first refrigerated ice rinks began to appear, leading to a rise in the popularity of skating sports and recreation.
These days there are four ice skating sports that are well attended Winter Olympic events including figure skating, speed skating, short track speed skating and ice hockey. Figure skating is the one event that is contested at both the Summer and Winter Olympics.
Popularity of skating sports across Asia is still most prevalent in China, and boosted further by China’s 2022 Winter Olymusually start to learn to ice skate between the ages of 3 to 5 yearspics hosting obligations that require investment in relevant infrastructure. China boasts plentiful Olympic Game podium finishes in figure skating and short track speed skating. In ice hockey, China, South Korea and Japan have the strongest teams and infrastructure, and the Philippines is also notable of the ASEAN countries.
Children can start to learn ice skating between the ages of 3 to 5 years when they’ve developed a sense of balance, flexibility, muscle endurance and body co-ordination. Your child should also demonstrate the emotional resilience to be able to fall down and get back up again. Typically a child needs to be at the upper end of this age guidance to start to play ice hockey in order to be able to appreciate what it means to be part of a team.
The benefits of ice skating for children include
- encouraging an active lifestyle for now and into adulthood
- enhancing cognitive development
- improving social skills and team work particularly in competitive ice hockey
- increasing confidence and engagement
- building strength in core, leg and abdominal muscles
- improving balance, posture and joint flexibility
- protecting against future cardiovascular disease, cancer and metabolic diseases
- higher quality sleep which improves a child’s resiliency and concentration