The start of our ice skating season was long overdue, but now even our 2yo was on the skates!
We went to one of the free suburban iced fields because it’s ok to take toboggans on the ice and to walk with shoes on the ice there (both not allowed in the rinks were the ice is well maintained). We figured that would give us parents more time to do some ice skating ourselves. Also, there is a small playground next to this ice, which again gave us parents some more time on skates. The downside is that the ice a bit more rough than in other more maintained places, but as we are no pros, we didn’t mind. Also, there are obviously no frames to help the kids stand up, no cafes, skate rental, sharpening or other services.
As far as I know the best maintained ice with attached services and a small entrance fee are offered in Oulunkylä, Kallio and in the ice park in the centre, which I blogged more about here.
It was fun, but boy do my ankles tell me know that it’s been a while! Also, need to go and buy a puck and some sticks!
My friend the former figure skating coach tells me a better way to assist a kid to get a feel for the ice, the sliding and to find the balance is to only hold one hand than the way my husband here supports our son. However, I was most of the time too busy to take pictures.
Free But Fun 
[…] we can just go for free when we feel like it and have fun ourselves”. In the winter there are ice rinks all over Helsinki, the ones without services are free to be used and even the more maintained rinks only cost a few […]
Your 2yo is on skates! That’s so amazing! I would have thought they have just mastered walking and running and moving on skates is probably a natural for them. My kids touched skates only just last year and I think it’s already overage!
The 2 yo started walking when he was 10 months… but to be honest, they can’t do it themselves and not for that long. But that is ok, it is just to give them a feel for it now. Good training for the balance!
That looks like a lot of fun and no one else around! Enjoy!
Thanks for the skating advice! We took the kids skating for the first time yesterday!
Cool, how did it go? The amazing thing with kids is that they fall softly (mostly).
One hand, hey? Nice tip! We might try P off again at indoor ice skating this month. I’ll have to remember that.
Yeah, I thought it worked pretty well. If supporting too much, they don’t do the work themselves, just rely on you.
A metaphor for all parenting 😉 .
Wow, 2 years old and already on skates! Way to go! Sounds fun. So far none of my boys have skated:(
Well, they skate for 5 minutes and then they’ve had it. But it’s a start! Secretely I am satisfied that my daughter is not so keen on figure skating anymore, last year she really wanted to “dance on the ice”, because figure skating in Helsinki is ridiculously expensive, not to mention 7 yo kids that may have 3-5 trainings a week! We’ll see if that interest wakes up again later, then I may have to support her…