First laps on the ice · Ages
First laps on the ice with a preschooler in Concord
Age changes the answer more than anything else, so this one is written for a specific one.
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.
If you are coming from Concord, treat it as a cross-town outing rather than a day trip. Go with a return time in mind and the day stays easy.
How it lands at this age
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.
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.
What to plan for
Twenty minutes is a long first session. Confidence grows faster over three short visits than over one long one.
A birthday group runs better with a rough plan of who goes where first, even if you abandon it in the first five minutes.
What parents notice
Warm layers matter more than anything else. A cold child asks to leave long before a tired one does.
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.
Worth knowing
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.
Let the child lead the order of things. Adults optimise; children choose the thing that looks best, and they are right more often than they are wrong.
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.
What are the opening hours?
10:00 AM to 8:00 PM Monday to Saturday, and 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Sunday.
Planning your visit in Concord
Coming in from Concord with more than one child, the useful thing to know is that the room does not need to be rationed - there is more than one thing to do at the same time.
Weekday afternoons in term time are the quietest slot in the week. Weekend middays are the busiest.
Bring a spare layer even in summer. Malls are air conditioned, rinks are colder than that, and a cold child is a child who wants to go home.
Families searching from Concord are usually weighing one thing: whether it is worth the trip for an hour of something the children have not done before. The honest answer is that it depends on the child, and the rest of this page is about telling which.
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.