Why hobbies are important for your children

If your kids are looking a bit bored or you’re struggling to get them interested in new things, then consider skiing! Skiing with children is super fun and a great way to spend some quality time together as you both learn on the slopes. Continue reading to discover why hobbies are important for kids and how to build children’s confidence enough to tackle challenges.

Importance of hobbies

Hobbies for adults and children are important for our social, mental and physical skills. They’re essential for developing as a person, so are extremely important for children. Hobbies allow children to explore their passions and interests at the same time as understanding what they’re good at. Furthermore, it helps them to learn more about themselves as a person too.

Hobbies that require social interaction can also produce friendships and relationships, which helps to build social skills and confidence. Depending on the hobby, it could also provide physical stimulation to your little one.

So, try to get them off the couch, away from their games consoles and heading outdoors to take part in something interesting. What type of activity could you do, though? Well, walking through the park and taking in the sights is something that may interest some children. Possibly even a spot of tree climbing? They may take well to the climbing and this could lead you to taking them to a climbing centre near you.

How about skiing with children? You don’t have to live in mountainous regions of Europe to go skiing. In fact, you can find it at Chill Factor^e in Manchester. We have the longest real indoor snow slope in the UK, so bring your little one here for some hobby-inducing fun.

Skiing with children

The first thing to consider when skiing with children is not to take them too early. Most ski centres will offer training sessions for youngsters, but will typically start from the ages of four or five. For children any younger, you may have to think of a different hobby for now!

At Chill Factor^e, we have a Kids’ Ski School where children can learn at their own pace how to master the slopes. Lessons are fun, productive and are structured into different age ranges. So the five-year-olds aren’t learning with the 12-year-olds - because that would just be unfair on everyone!

Ski lessons for children at Chill Factor^e allow learners to start from just four years of age with others of the same ability. The aim is to get your little one adjusted to the snow, get to grips with the equipment and learn to move around comfortably on a flat surface. From there, they should progress into more advanced skill development, helping them to build their confidence.

Skiing with children can often be difficult as it may take them a while to get used to the environment, the equipment and the skills required to excel on the slope. It’s important to always keep your composure and remain supportive of your little one, who will more than likely want to give up at several stages. Persistence and support are a great way of selling the idea of skiing with children.

The key to making sure your little one is loving skiing, or any hobby for that matter, is knowing how to build children’s confidence.

How to build children’s confidence

Confidence and self-esteem are incredibly important in children because if they have low levels of either, they tend to be self-critical and hard on themselves. This can lead to them doubting themselves before going into a task. Children with low confidence also only tend to think of times when they failed rather than when they succeeded.

This type of attitude to any task can lead to a defeatist mentality before starting out, which can prove to be a challenge when trying to teach them new skills. This could be any hobby, like football, crafting and skiing. The key to making a child interested in a potential hobby is to build up their confidence from the start.

Take skiing, for example. Skiing with children can be testing at times and some sessions may not be enjoyable at all, especially if they’re low in confidence. Here’s how to build children’s confidence:

• Praise effort and achievement, but don’t overpraise - Try to offer praise and encouragement not only for achievements, but for effort too. This builds confidence in a child and leads to them attempting more things. Be careful not to overpraise, though. Praise that doesn’t feel earned often doesn’t work well and can feel hollow.

• Provide a good example - A child is unlikely to want to try new things and learn new skills if their example (you) is struggling and showing clear frustration. Keep your emotions in check, even if you’re struggling, and show them that perseverance is the way to success.
  
• Focus on their strengths - Pay close attention to what your little one does well and build them up from there. Focus more on their strengths than their weaknesses because this is likely to push your child to want to do more.

Kids’ skiing lessons at Chill Factor^e

If you’re not quite sure how to get your kids started on the snow, take a family trip to Chill Factor^e and experience the largest indoor real snow slope in the UK. For just £15 per person, you can spend hours on our slope, honing your skills.

Skiing with children can be fun at Chill Factor^e, especially after some ski lessons. If skiing with children isn’t quite what you’re after, what about snowboarding? We offer a wide range of snowboarding lessons for adults, groups and children of all abilities.

So, what are you waiting for? Head to Chill Factor^e in Manchester, pick up a Lift Pass and enjoy our real snow slope to develop your child’s new hobby.

If you have any questions about what you can do at Chill Factor^e, don’t hesitate to contact us on 0161 749 2222 or email us at info@chillfactore.com.