6 Year Old Wants to Quit Ice Skating

If you have already paid for the lessons, then I would make her go. Let her know that she needs to make a honest effort. If she still doesn't like it after she finishes the lessons, then let her quit.

What we told my SD when she was 8 was that we already paid x for the lessons. If she wanted to stop after this class, she could, but she had to finish the class. See if you can get some inexpensive gloves for her (got a friend who lives in a colder climate?) or donate the gloves after the class to charity.

My SD likes to flit from activity to activity and whenever she got into a new one, we discussed the expenses and how she was signing up for 10 weeks of (insert thing here), no backsies.

Have her see it through and then let her do something else, gymnastics or tae kwan do, rollerskating
Tell her exactly when lessons are over and she must go because you paid for them already.
Tell her Yes I know you want to quit and you can when your obligation is finished. You have 5 more lessons, and you'll be done before Thanksgiving.
Get her some hand warners if they are allowed.
And get her the new gloves. Go to Justice, they have some really cute ones and they arent' that expensive.
Maybe with something pretty to wear that is warm she might not be so cranky.
Maybe get her some leg warmers too

As a child my mom forced me into that "finish what you start" mentality so much that now as a nearly 50 year old adult I fear trying new things. I won't even give it a shot! If I think I might not love it or be good at it, I just don't try. This has been a real sore spot between me and my husband who is a through and through adventurer, and is a contributing factor in our rapidly disintegrating marriage. Being somewhat of a shy kid, I was always attracted to adventurous outgoing friends who wanted to do softball, cheerleading, gymnastics, music... all of which I pretty much sucked at. Instead of letting me quit when we figured it wasn't my bag, mom made me finish. I remember being ridiculed by my softball coach and by the opposing team during games, being forced to do a cheer all by myself in front of the squad for not being loud enough... still, I had to finish what I started. If I picked out a book at the library that was boring or just above my reading level, I had to finish it anyway... and on and on. I think your instinct to let her quit is OK!! It's better to have a kid who's curious and willing to try things before she decides what she will and won't like. If she was 3 years into skating, showing an aptitude and had experienced some enjoyment... that would be another story, but she's still very young, figuring out what she likes and doesn't like, and it's ok to to try something and not like it. Much better than not to have tried at all!!

i don't really get the mindset of 'keep doing something that should be fun but that you don't enjoy because you need to learn to really hate it.' i think it's best to let kids try things out briefly before you sign up for an extended session so you have a better sense of it, but that's not always possible.
a good parent can generally tell the difference between 'i'm crabby and not into this today' and 'i don't enjoy this activity even though i used to think i would.'
there are so many ways to teach (and demonstrate!) follow-through. forcing a kid to endure something that makes 'em miserable isn't one of the good ones.
khairete
S.

I would let her quit. We've been down this road with soccer and my oldest when he was 4. I decided not to let him (or encourage him) to sign up for anything else for awhile until he was older and professes a strong desire on his own to do it. At age six, if this was a team sport, I may say stick with it for the last half of the season and tell her that when you commit to a team, you need to see it through, but that she never had to do it again. However, since this isn't a team -go ahead and tell her that it's good to finish what you start, but if you're miserable and can change what makes you miserable -it's important to do that! Plus -with this it saves you money!

I think since you committed to 10 she should do them. Encourage her to do so. It's like a little lesson in perseverance and "economy" at the same time.
Have a little chat with the instructor, maybe if the instructor uses a little psychology to make your daughter "feel" better about what she's accomplished so far it will change her mood about it. If you let her quit now, she may want to quit the next venture you put her in, and trust me there will be several in the next few years. That will teach her not to ask you for things that she isnt willing to complete in the future. Dont they make little "warmer thingys" you can put into her mittens?

I would buy some hand warmers, I have the kind that can be reused. They have a little silver snap disk inside and when it is popped it warms the gel. Seems like I have some that are either boiled or microwaved to deactivate until the next time the disk is popped.

I got mine at emergency essentials. They carry similar items like this in areas where it gets cold, even our walmart has them. Being cold is very uncomfortable. I would just try a cheap set of these and see if makes a difference. I say stay and make adjustments if she seems to have any physical ability in it at all. Once she finds she is comfortable then maybe she'll decide she likes it. There are only 5 more lessons.

The reason I'd want to see it through is because it's good to learn that once you start something, you *need* to see it through. There's no bullying going on, nothing dangerous (other than the skate blades) - your girl is just cold, and that's understandable. But she can't quit reading in school when it gets boring, and she can't quit making her bed just because it's not very easy.

You could hit a thrift store and see if you can find some warm gloves, or two pairs of light ones that she can layer. While you're at it, see if you can find a knit hat; when the head is warm, the rest of the body often is warmer, too. If she can wear a turtleneck knit pullover, her neck might be warmer, too, and that will help.

Have her hang in there - she's halfway through her term. Let her know that the boring parts of the classes get her ready to learn more exciting things pretty soon. And kicking and screaming about it is unacceptable, no matter what the challenge is.

I would advise her to stick it out because of the reasons she gave. She didn't say she hates ice skating, she said she's bored and she's cold. I think if there is a lot of standing around--of course she's bored and cold! You get warmer the more you move.

You could try to get secondhand gloves and leg warmers. And hand warmers are a great idea. I would just try to solve the problem and have her stick it out because you already paid. Switching days sounds like a great idea too. Also, talk to the instructor and see if she can change her teaching style.

My daughter tried ballet and she hated it. She said it was boring and she was cold (the studio was cold). We made her stick it through and we talked to the studio. They turned up the heat and they got an assistant instructor so the kids weren't standing around so much. Turns out she loved ballet! She even tells me (to this day) that she's glad she didn't quit.

If solving the problems doesn't work then maybe ice skating isn't right for her, or at least right now. But I never think it's a bad thing to make kids finish what they start. Being bored and cold are no reasons to quit.

Oh and for a reward you could get her an ice skater charm. She could start a charm bracelet of the different things she's tried. My daughter has one and she has ballet shoes, a gymnast on a beam, a soccer ball, cheerleading megaphone, jazz shoes, an art brush and a compass. She gets excited to add new charms symbolizing the things she's tried!

My attitude towards extracurricular activities was that they were things my daughter did for fun. If she was no longer enjoying them, then forcing her to continue was just a waste of her time and my money. She tried several things before she found what she really wanted to do.

I guess it depends if this was something she really wanted to do to begin with, or something you decided to sign her up for and she went along with it. If this was something she was asking to do, I would make her finish it out, especially if the money is invested already. Remind her that she wanted to give this a go and she needs to see it through. My cousin's sons all did sports and her only thing was that if they decided they didn't like something (and it was always their initiative to sign up in the first place) they still had to finish out the season/session. They didn't have to take it again, but they at least had to see it through. If on the other hand, this was more your idea, I would let her quit, since maybe her heart wasn't in it in the first place.

See it through.
LBC

Is there something for her to look forward to at the end of all these lessons? I took roller skating lessons when I was about nine. (At six I probably wouldn't have had the patience for it.) and I was excited about doing all the drills because I knew there was going to be a sort of skating dance recital at the end where, based on your performance, you received patches that could be sewn on a jacket or something that bumped you up to a new level. Sort of like the belts they give out in karate. I wanted to do my best so I could gain as many "level up" patches as I could.

It was a tangible, physical conformation of all that effort. Something to strive for. Practicing for perfection sake is lost on a six year old. They like to get something out of it and aren't mature enough to do something just for the satisfaction of a job well done like many adults have learned how to do.

That kind of reward and leveling system clicked with me and I stuck with skating for a long time. If she really hates it, I'd probably just let her stop and put a notch in the belt of "tried it and didn't like it" things that she'll add to over the years. This won't be the first activity she thinks will be fun only to find out she actually hates it, and unlike swimming lessons which teaches a viable life skill, it's not something that truly needs to be forced. I despised swimming lessons but my mother forced me to go and I'm glad for it. I don't fear the water and can navigate through it with ease and confidence.

I'm with Suz T.
If she doesn't like it, dish it! The next thing you sign up for should come from her readiness and desire. I know people that annually MAKE their kids sign up for a couple of things they do not enjoy and everyone is miserable. Like there aren't enough challenges!

i would try a few things before quiting. like hot chocolate before class. the warm chocolate will help her with the too cold factor and the little sugar rush will give her a pep in her step. also put some more clothes on her if you can like extra leggings or extra socks. if your still paying for the remaining sessions even just skate rentals i would not be able to just let her quit. i would try to find someone else that wanted to take over your spot if it was possible to switch kids! when i am uncomfortable (cold, hot , too tight clothing ) i want to quit and dont find the activity fun at all !

I have not read through the thread, but did read your "So What Happened" response. I totally agree with your decision to stick it out. I have done the same with my kids with positive results. I wanted to share, however, that you may find benefit in talking with the teacher or manager. When my daughter was 6 she was not enjoying gymnastics and was wanting to quit. I refused to let her quit because we had already obligated ourselves for a time period. I talked with her coach, and in this case, told him that our goal was not to be competitive, but to have fun. He changed his teaching style a bit with her and she ended up loving it. She has since moved up and has now been doing gymnastics for 1.5 years with the desire to be competitive. Talking with the coach and making some adjustments helped us discover one of my daughter's passions. WooNu?

If this were a year-long commitment, etc., I'd say reassess and maybe let her quit, but it's halfway through only 10 lessons. Stick with it. I like the idea of taking her for a hot chocolate before each lesson (or rewarding her with one afterward). Be positive about it yourself; don't make out like she's on the road to Olympic stardom but emphasize that those same old drills are looking better every time and she is making progress. (Sounds like she might have a boring teacher, frankly, and could be happier if the lessons were more creative. Too bad.) Be positive, too, about the idea of "Hey, you never know if you like something until you have tried it, and tried it enough to be sure." If she moans and groans, don't argue but ignore her entirely and focus on getting her onto the ice for the remaining classes.

It's good for kids to try various activities. These days, unfortunately, by the time kids are six they often are locked into ONE sport or activity for ages and doing it so intensely by the time they're in fourth or fifth grade that they have never even tried something different. That kid who's "done soccer" from age three might have really loved skating better; the kid who has played baseball since four or five might have loved fencing if anyone had bothered to introduce him to that sport; and so on. Have her finish this and try other things too; that's what these short-term classes are good for. My daughter has danced since she was very little but at the same time she has done short-term fencing classes and other things that were different, just to give her a taste and to help her know if she wanted to pursue other things.

I know your daughter gave you a list of reasons, but are those really the "reasons"? She may feel her skill level is sub-par or intimidated by the coach. See if you can get more info.