How to Ice Skate Tots Class – Using Toys (Kayla Johnson)

Tots expert Kayla Johnson offers a number of ways to use Beanie Babies or “Beanies” in a tots class. Using toys is a great way to shift the focus of young (and old) skaters away from the details and mechanics of actually skating. At this level, maintaining attention and having fun are extremely important, largely because just being on the ice and moving around helps automatically develop skills. In this video, Kayla shares a number of creative games that develop specific skating skills. Notice the focus on edges (bubbles), posture, and balance that these games provide. The last few seconds of the video may seem out of place but they were left in during editing because they highlight the concept of using the kids’ imaginations and current events (holidays!) to create new games that the kids will relate to. This was part of an “off-camera” discussion Kayla was having with Trevor but the camera was still rolling and we included it for your benefit.