When you moved your family from the warm weather of Florida to the drastically changing seasons of Minnesota, you knew you would need to make some major transitions. You did not know, however, that when you met your neighbor as he was adjusting some ice rink brackets for his backyard you would embark on a new activity that would totally engulf your family’s interests.
Those ice rink brackets served as your initial introduction into figure skating, hockey playing, and curling. Six years later you smile as you tell another neighbor who is new to the area that embracing the backyard ice rink idea was easily the best thing you could’ve done in helping your entire family transition to a different lifestyle.
A big move is never easy on a family, especially if you have teenagers and young children. Finding a way to integrate yourself and your family into a new environment, however, can help. When you move north to a place like Minnesota, embracing ice-skating and other winter activities can help in the transition.
Backyard Skating Rinks Provide Exercise, Socialization, and Skill Training
The details of maintaining a backyard skating rink may seem overwhelming at first, but once you rely on local resources you soon find out that the task is very manageable. From knowing where to order ice rink brackets, ice rink liners, and ice rink tarps, navigating the needs of maintaining a backyard rink takes some work. Knowing that your children and their friends will be at your house most of the time, however, is a comfort to many families. Especially those families who are new to an area or neighborhood.
Many parents fear that their children’s time away from home may include bad choices and dangerous decisions. Giving your children a reason to bring their friends to your house can put some of those concerns to rest. consider some fo these statistics and facts about children and teenagers and the activities that they select:
- Once the nation entered the mid 70s, many ideas about parenting made a shift. In fact, ever since the mid-1970s, according to Pew Research, the amount of time that fathers spend with their children has nearly tripled. As for mothers, their time has increased by as much as 57%, even though 71% of these mothers are now working outside the home.
- Nearly 10.65 million people, six years of age and older, participated in ice skating in the year 2014 .
- The U.S. has 1,900 indoor ice hockey rinks and 500 outdoor ice hockey rinks. although this number may seem like a lot, the fact of the matter is ice time can be very difficult to find. A backyard rink provides your family the opportunity to enjoy the ice on their own schedule without paying expensive entrance fees.
- Have you embraced the fact that parents need to help their children stay active. For many families, this means signing their children up for sports clubs. In fact, the number of kids who play organized sports each year is now at 36 million.
- Estimates indicate that 67% of American teenagers say they actually want to spend more time with their family and parents.
- Instead of carting your children across town for a few hours of expensive ice time, why not install a backyard rink that they can use?
- Collectively, teenagers are a social group. In fact, 65% of youth sports participants indicate they go to practice and games and invest in sports to be with friends.
- Enjoying time with your children might be a major goal. Finding an activity like figure skating or hockey can provide a way for you to stay active and spend time together as a family at the same time.
