First laps on the ice · Ages
First laps on the ice in Mint Hill for 5 year olds
What works brilliantly at one age is a shrug at another. Here is how it lands at this one.
A first lap is mostly about the wall. Children hold it, let go of it, grab it again, and somewhere in the third lap they forget it is there.
The nearest of the two centres to Mint Hill is the one to aim at - Concord Mills in Concord - and the drive is the ordinary sort rather than an expedition.
How it lands at this age
Twenty minutes is a long first session. Confidence grows faster over three short visits than over one long one.
Falling is part of it and is less dramatic than parents fear. Ice is slippery at walking speed, which is the speed a beginner moves at.
What to plan for
The advice that helps most is the least technical: bend the knees, look ahead rather than down, and take short steps instead of long glides.
Weekday afternoons in term time are the quietest slot in the week. Weekend middays are the busiest.
What parents notice
Warm layers matter more than anything else. A cold child asks to leave long before a tired one does.
A first lap is mostly about the wall. Children hold it, let go of it, grab it again, and somewhere in the third lap they forget it is there.
Worth knowing
Twenty minutes is a long first session. Confidence grows faster over three short visits than over one long one.
Feed them first. Every attraction in the world is improved by not being hungry in it.
Questions parents ask
What age can a child start skating?
Children start at very different ages. What matters more is whether they are willing to hold a rail and shuffle.
How long should a first session be?
Short. Twenty minutes of trying beats an hour of being cold and frustrated.
What should they wear?
Layers, long sleeves, gloves. Gloves are the item most often forgotten and most missed.
How do I get in touch?
By phone on +1 (424) 387-6232 or +1 (615) 968-4925, or by e-mail at info@newlife-entertainment.com.
Where is New Life Entertainment?
Two centres: 433 Opry Mills Drive, Nashville TN 37214, and 8111 Concord Mills Blvd, Concord NC 28027.
Planning your visit in Mint Hill
For a Mint Hill family the trip works best folded into something else - the shopping that was happening anyway, a birthday that needed a venue, a Saturday that needed a plan.
Warn a nervous child about the noise before you walk in. Knowing what to expect is most of the difference between anxious and curious.
The quietest hour of the week is the first one on a weekday morning in term time. The busiest is Saturday around midday.
A Mint Hill school holiday runs out of ideas by about day three. This is a day-three answer rather than a day-one one.
The practical details
- XCAV ZONE — 433 Opry Mills Drive, Nashville TN 37214: four child-operated machines over a ball pit.
- ICE PARK — 8111 Concord Mills Blvd, Concord NC 28027: a real rink with bumper cars on the ice.
- Opening hours — 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM Monday to Saturday, 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Sunday.
- Phone — +1 (424) 387-6232 · +1 (615) 968-4925
- E-mail — info@newlife-entertainment.com
The two centres are at 433 Opry Mills Drive in Nashville and 8111 Concord Mills Blvd in Concord, open 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM most days and 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Sunday.