How to Ice Skate Tots Class – Games With Markers (Kayla Johnson)

Tots expert Kayla Johnson shares some ideas of how to use on-ice drawings to engage and inspire the skaters in a tots class. Initially, Kayla discusses the marker itself and recommends caution when using permanent markers. (Water soluble markers are a better choice because when it gets on clothes and skin it is easier to remove. See below in the comments for ideas on where to get these markers.)

Kayla uses a marker to create a game she calls “Obstacle Course.” She simply draws obstacles on the ice that represent skating skills the class is working on. She typically uses a hockey circle to represent the path of the obstacle course, but you can draw any path you want. You can see Kayla is creative about what pictures she makes to associate with a given skill. For example, she suggests a rainbow drawing to represent a dip and parallel lines to represent a two foot glide (or marching). A spiral might mean a spin or marching while turning around, and a bunny might represent jumping in place on two feet. Kayla also offers ways to keep it interesting and challenging by using different arm positions or making the skaters balance a Beenie on their heads.

The next game Kayla recommends is the “Scraping Game” where the skater has to use their inside edges pushing away to scrape off the marker. This is a great game for preparing to learn stops. Kayla recommends using the kid’s initials or pictures that the kids can relate to such as seasonal images. She notes it is not necessary to be a good artist as the skaters understand the “spirit” of the game. The biggest challenge for the game is that young skaters will try to drag their skates to scrape off the marker rather than push their skates. It may be necessary to have helpers to “enforce” proper technique as skaters like the game but realize it’s much easier to drag. Kayla recommends actually putting hands on the skater’s skates and making the pushing movements to help build awareness and confidence.