Family Winter Activity: Ice Skating

by Mom It Forward on December 14th, 2017 | No Comments »

One of my favorite winter activities is ice skating. When I was a young girl, I remember taking my skates out to my friend's pond and work on my techniques for hours. My friend was always better than I was, but I didn't care. I loved the feeling I got from being on the ice, and had the same dream as any other 14 year old of going on to the Olympics.

I have tried to pass on my love of ice skating to my own children. One way I do this is by going ice skating on Christmas Eve every year with my sister's family. It is a family tradition we have been doing for over 5 years. We have skated at indoor and outdoor arenas. Both are fun, but this last year has to be one of my favorite. We took the kids to the Galavan Center in Salt Lake City Utah. This venue is an outdoor arena. We skated during the day , and it was so much fun feeling the warm sun on our faces as we skating around the rink.

Ice Skating

Here are a few of the reasons I love ice skating with my family:

Builds Teamwork - When my youngest was little, I loved watching the older siblings and cousins help him skate around the rink. He could barely stand up so he needed a lot of help. This year, my youngest child skating all by himself. It made me a little sad to think that he didn't need any of our help anymore. I have found memories of everyone helping each other out.
Creates Family Tradition - I remember one year we gave the kids the option to do something else for Christmas Eve. I was surprised to hear how much the kids wanted to keep the tradition of ice skating alive. They wanted to go ice skating and there was no if ands or buts about it.
Exposes Family to Different Hobbies - My kids only ice skate once a year. If one of them came to me and told me they wanted to take lessons, I would sign them up in an instant. I love that my kids get the chance to do something I did as a kid and they enjoy it.
Get's Our Family Moving - My family is really active during the spring and summer months. We really are a warm weather family. Ice Skating gives us something to do when the weather is cooler. It keeps us active and moving when we would normally be indoors more.

If you or your family haven't tried ice skating, you should. It is not only fun, but a great way to create family memories.