"If you are playing the role of instructor, you might wanna carry a little stuffed animal as part of your overall teaching strategy. It needs to be small enough that it fits in your pocket, but big enough that it's easy for kids to grab off the snow with mittens. By skiing in front of the kids and getting them to focus on the stuffed animal, you can teach them to look up. A funny hand puppet is great for this too!⁠ ⁠"

"It's normal for children to look down at their own skis while gliding downhill. This is a problem with adults too, but because children's heads are larger in proportion to their bodies, for kids it can create a really awkward stance on the skis. An easy way to solve this is to ski a little ways in front of them, and ask them to watch your hands. Move nice and slow and ask them to call out how many fingers you are showing. Mittens make this game tricky, so it might be just be thumps up and thumbs down.⁠ ⁠"

"The opposite of good hand position is when arms are flailing around trying to keep the little skier in balance. This awkward motion is called 'spaghetti arms'.⁠ ⁠"

"Another easy game is to make a big snowball and try to carry it out front with both hands. Pretend it's a fragile dinosaur egg, so don't drop it! Can you carry it all the way to the bottom of the run?⁠ ⁠"

"To keep your little skier in balance, coach them to keep their hands out in front of 'em, rather than down at their sides (or worse, behind them). Being in balance means staying nice and stable right over the middle of your feet. If your hands slip down by your pockets or behind you, then you're in the back seat! This means you are leaning too far back on your heels and your leg is pushing against the back of your boot. Just imagine your hands on a steering wheel to keep you in the perfect skier's pose!⁠ ⁠"

"Be aware that boots for kids are tall and stiff when compared to their tiny and super-flexible ankles, so it's easy for 'em to lean backward and rest against the back of the boot. They can actually ski like this, but this back seat pose makes it really hard to turn or stop correctly. Remember that the steering wheel of the skis is up front.⁠ ⁠"

"When it comes time to practice with the youngest learners, it's easier for them if you are super literal. You can show it to them by skiing out in front and telling them to follow in your tracks. It's easy to demonstrate the difference between 'go' and 'slow'.⁠ ⁠"

"Obviously, if you pointed your skis straight down the hill, right into the fall line (or the gravity line), you would end up zooming really fast. The easiest way to slow down would be to turn out of this invisible line and go sideways along the slope. The best way to show this is standing at the top of a long run and looking downhill.⁠ ⁠"

"Every skier knows the term 'the fall line'. This is the imaginary line that a big beach ball would take if it was rolling down the ski slope. If you just point your skis downhill while skiing, you'll zoom way too fast! Skiing requires speed control, and that means turning.⁠ ⁠"

"Sometimes you can signal the up-top liftie to slow the chair down for off-loading. If they see someone with a child making the universal gesture for 'slow down,' they'll know what to do.⁠ ⁠"

"While you are on the chair, make a plan before you get to the top. Which way are we going? Review these steps: Ski tips up as you approach, no need to jump, just stand up, keep the skis pointing straight when you stand up and ski faster than the chair.⁠ ⁠"

"Sometimes the cord on @edgiewedgies are too long, especially for the tiniest skiers. A simple solution is to just tie an overhand knot in the cord. Easy!⁠ ⁠"