• Teaching Children Snowsports (2021)
• Children’s Instruction Manual, 2nd edition (2008)
• Core Concepts for Snowsports Instructors (2008)
• Teaching Snowsports Manual (2018)
• The most current PSIA-AASI discipline-specific manual (Alpine, Nordic, Adaptive, Snowboard)

Children's Specialist Library

Event Calendar & Registration

The Children’s Specialist Level 1 Exam is a 2-day event that explores the CAP model (how kids think, move, and feel) and teaching progressions for children in different age zones.

We will also explore children’s movement patterns “kids moveology,” and work on your own skiing/riding skills and improvement.

On day 2 we cover building kid-friendly teaching progressions with the Play Drill Adventure Summary method as well as focus on your own skiing/riding development.

We’ll finish the day with informal group teaching presentations. This is a combined discipline (Alpine & Snowboard) pass/fail event.

DAY 1

8-9:30 – Registration, introduction, the itinerary for the 2 days

9-12 – On-hill session

• Discuss how kids in different age zones approach the world.
• Explore the cognitive and affective aspects of each age zone and what methodology works best for teaching each zone.
• Discuss dealing with good and bad behavior in kids lessons. (May be done in small groups where each group explores the characteristics of an age zone. Using real life examples they are familiar with may be helpful).

• Explore movement patterns of kids in different age zones (“moveology”).
• Set expectations and develop methodology for building skills which take them from the real to the ideal. (This should be applicable to all kids – snowboard and skiing).
• Compare with adult movement patterns and adult rate of development. (Use real life problem situations the participants bring to the forum or watch kids on the hill).

DAY 2

8:30 – 11:30 On Hill Session

• Explore building kid-friendly progressions.
• Create fun and appropriate skill building game progressions.
• Play, Drill, Adventure, Summary, and Cue words. (Lots of examples will be given for new instructors and more experienced instructors can share their expertise).

11:30-12:30– LUNCH

12:30-3:30 – On Hill Session

• Informal Presentation of individual creative progressions assigned on the evening of day 1. These will be presented on chair rides or on the hill depending on the participant’s level of comfort.
• Skiing and/or demo improvement. (This session should be light and fun but strongly guided by the trainer. It can be more interactive if the group has some experience. This is not a test!)

3:30-4 – Wrap up and brief question and answer session.

4:00 – Candidate assessment and congratulations!