Getting Started: Teaching Kids to Snowboard
Enjoying the sport you love with your children can be an extremely gratifying experience but teaching kids to snowboard is both an art and a science that requires equal parts patience and tact. Fortunately, Burton has been helping parents get kids out on the mountain for decades and we put together our top recommendations so you can learn from our mistakes and instill a lifelong passion of snowboarding in even the littlest of groms.
As with teaching kids anything, there is literally an infinite number of different approaches for teaching kids to snowboard, but our system is based on years of refinement and centers around five main concepts.
We’ll walk through each concept and tie it back to some specific recommendations that all parents can use. Feel free to jump around if any of the concepts don’t seem relevant to you and your family.
A few notes on safety: There are inherent risks involved with snowboarding and parents should always supervise small children whenever they are on a board, indoors or outdoors. Also, it is important to educate kids about what to do in an emergency at a ski resort (how to get help, where to find ski patrol, when to contact parents). And finally, Burton always recommends wearing a helmet when snowboarding.
1: Keep it Fun
Snowboarding is fun. Enjoy the time together as a family and focus on the fun, not the activity. Children learn at different speeds and first impressions can have a lifelong impact on how a child perceives an outdoor activity. If a parent is even slightly irritated about *another* bathroom break or pushes too hard to progress a child to more advanced terrain before the child feels comfortable, the fun level goes down. The goal is to find the comfort zone, and then gradually expand it at a pace that maintains enjoyment for everyone. Let snowboarding be a self-guided discovery and they will love it for life.
Key takeaway: Equate the mountain with fun, no matter what.
Burton recommendations:
- Keep all of the kids' gear on one place so you don't forget anything and have the kids help get the gear together and load the car in the morning.
- Get excited at the sight of the mountain (regardless of the conditions, parking, or crowds).
- Take your time getting geared up. Frustration in the morning can set the mood for the whole day.
- Play games on the hill (follow the leader, ball pass, ride like an animal) to keep kids engaged.
- Take lots of breaks. Take lots of breaks. Yes, we said that twice.
- Mountain = hot cocoa. The worst days on the mountain can usually be fixed with hot cocoa and if you’re struggling to gain traction with on-hill activities, teach your kids that every trip to the mountain comes with cocoa (or another snack they prefer) and soon they’ll be eager for weekend adventures. Remember, a hungry kid is a cranky kid.
- Display genuine happiness about the day’s activities from the moment you leave the house to the moment you get back home.
- Ask a lot of questions—before the day starts, during riding, in the lodge, on the lift, and back at home at the end of the day—and really listen to the answers. Find out what your kid likes and dislikes, what is difficult or easy, and what is scary or intimidating, and then incorporate this feedback into future days.
- Come to terms with the fact that you will have good days and bad days. But always make sure to highlight the fun part of the day, even if it was just the 10-minute walk back to the car.
2: Start Indoors; Finish Outdoors
One of the less intuitive lessons we’ve learned over the years is that teaching kids to snowboard indoors is a great way to ease into the sport. Not only is it a nice safe environment, the sense of security that comes from being in a familiar space can actually improve the retention of snowboarding basics. As an added benefit, you avoid the typical distractions of on-hill snowboarding like weather (“I’m cold”) and other riders (“Why does that man have a beard?”).
To make this even simpler for parents, Burton has developed a line of youth products that are ideal for beginners, including The Handlebar/Burton Riglet Snowboard/Burton Hover Cover combo.
Once kids have a basic comprehension about the mechanics of snowboarding, transition them to the outdoors. And instead of a completely new and foreign feeling of standing sideways, the fundamentals learned indoors can now be applied outside.
Key takeaway: Teach the fundamentals in the comfort of your nice warm living room then progress to the outdoors.
Burton recommendations:
- Watch beginner snowboard videos together.
- Teach kids how to fall off a snowboard indoors, using pillows and blankets.
- Build an indoor Riglet park so kids can figure out the basics and gain confidence.
- Construct an outdoor Riglet park so kids can build on the skills they developed indoors.
- Spend some time on the snowboard in the yard at home just playing around.
3: Stay Warm
The fastest way to ruin a day on the snow is being cold and wet. As a parent, one of the easiest things you can do to remove friction in the process of teaching kids to snowboard is ensuring that they’re safe and comfortable while spending time out in the cold. Fortunately, this concept is pretty straightforward and really comes down to proper planning with weather and gear. So, when you’re ready for a full day on the mountain with your kids, make sure you’re prepared.
Key takeaway: Warm = fun.
Burton recommendations:
- Make sure the kids have properly fitting outerwear, including youth jackets, youth snow pants, and gloves/mittens.
- Don’t underestimate the importance of handwarmers, even on mild days. Use two handwarmers per mitten if necessary.
- Check the weather and don’t feel bad about postponing outings when the forecast calls for subzero temperatures (which usually means icy conditions anyways—not very kid-friendly).
- Pack and carry a bag that includes extra dry clothes, socks, and gloves/mitts (and snacks, and sunscreen, and tissues) to make sure you can layer up or down depending on how everyone is feeling throughout the day.
- Plan to take a lot of breaks. Even with total preparation, it’s important to note that you’ll still probably spend a lot of time not snowboarding so just make peace with it beforehand and no one will be upset.
4: Invest in Lessons
Professional snowboard instructors are trained to develop the skills that form the foundation for proper technique. And while parents who have been snowboarding for years may feel qualified to instruct their kiddos, the psychology of learning from someone else has been proven to increase the “stickiness” of lesson material.
Additionally, for a family day at the mountain a lesson can offer some respite for parents who want to go explore some steeper terrain or grab an adult beverage in the lodge. And when you meet up post-lesson, don’t be surprised if your kid wants to “show off” some new skills they just picked up.
And finally, one of the most important benefits of investing in a snowboard lesson for the kids is that it allows them to meet other kids of the same age and skill level. These friends can turn into regular riding partners after the lesson and beyond.
Key takeaway: Lessons are worth it.
Burton recommendations:
- Once your kid is comfortable with some snowboarding basics, schedule a group lesson with a certified professional instructor. Look for package deals that include a lift ticket.
- Don’t hover. Trust the instructor and permit your kid to experience the lesson on their own.
5: Allow Room to Grow
In general, we recommend spending most of the first few days on the mountain just playing around—no lessons, no agenda. Allow them the opportunity to figure out a few things on their own and establish a rhythm that feels good. Once they’re hooked, your primary roles as a parent are to continue inspiring them to push themselves and provide them with the tools they need (gear, access to the mountain) to continue advancing their abilities.
Key takeaway: Support your kids as they progress at their own pace.
Burton recommendations:
- Let the kids pick the trails. Even it means the same tree trail. Every. Single. Run.
- Do laps on the lift that goes over the park to show them what they could do in the future.
- Go riding together as often as you can and let them branch out and ride with friends when they’re ready.
- Upgrade gear as needed while they grow. Check out the complete line of youth snowboard gear from Burton and get involved with a community swap to make sure the gear you grow out of continues to live on.
A Sample Lesson Plan for Beginner Snowboarders
For parents who are interested in developing more robust skills at home in the backyard or without professional lessons, this six-week lesson plan that focuses on incrementally building necessary fundamentals is a great place to start.
Week 1: Balance
Using a Burton Riglet Reel, pull your kid around the living room or yard and use obstacles that encourage on-board movement.
Week 2: Skating
An underrated skill, skating with one foot strapped in and one foot unstrapped is great for building board confidence and will help kids build other skills later on (like getting on and off a chair lift).
Week 3: Stopping
In week three, focus on some downhill basics like stopping. Use a small open area with minimal slope and focus on larger board movements that influence starting and stopping.
Week 4: Turning
Now that your kid understands how to stop, move to a slightly steeper hill and work on toeside and heelside turns or the falling leaf.
Week 5: Weight Transfer
New snowboarders sometimes struggle with shifting their weight incorrectly from foot-to-foot while riding, this shift causes the center of gravity to change and can make it difficult to hold an edge. Help your kid start, stop, and make turns while keeping their body low and centered over the middle of the board.
Week 6: Edge Control
Put all the lessons together.
Teaching Kids to Snowboard FAQs
Teaching your kids to snowboard is extremely rewarding and fun and the good news is that there's no right or wrong way to do it. But if you have additional questions about the process, review these FAQs for more information and suggestions.
Q: When should I start teaching my child to snowboard?
A: You can start teaching kids to snowboard whenever you as the parent feel they are ready. Generally speaking, four years old is the youngest age group that riding schools offer lessons for. Usually, at this age, kids have developed enough physical coordination and cognitive abilities to begin learning the basics of snowboarding. As Burton says: if they're old enough to stand, they're old enough to stand sideways.
Q: How do I start teaching snowboarding?
A: When teaching kids to snowboard, keep it fun and simple to start. Begin by familiarizing your child with the snowboard by letting them stand on it. Next, help them get accustomed to the sensation of sliding on snow. Then teach them how to balance on the snowboard and how to fall safely. Finally, put all the skills together at the bunny hill (or in the backyard).
Q: Are lessons necessary for snowboarding?
A: Lessons are not mandatory, however, both children and adults will benefit from taking lessons from a certified professional snowboard instructor. Lessons can help prevent the development of bad habits and ensure a more enjoyable learning experience.
Final Thoughts on Teaching Kids to Snowboard
As you’ve probably realized, our recommendations focus on patience, preparedness, and fun. But there’s one more super important factor that threads all these recommendations together: be creative. Only you as a parent know what will resonate with your child and motivate them to enjoy snowboarding. Try different things and focus on what works for you and your family; but remember, sometimes things just won’t work out and you won’t even make it onto the hill at all.
And that’s okay because there’s always a next time. Just stick with it and teach your kids how to connect with the mountain and someday soon you’ll hear those magic words: “Can I do one more run?!”
