My kids -- 7 and 9 years old -- had never been ice skating before, but we decided to go yesterday to a public rink near our house. Unlike many sports, which are made easier for younger kids with such things as bumpers (bowling), smaller balls and lower height baskets (basketball), ice hockey offers no such advantages.

Learning to skate also involves a lot of falling on the ice, wearing skates that take some getting used to and avoiding other skaters as they fly around the ice.

Despite all this, I was eager to take them and see how they liked it. Their response was very positive right from the start. They fell a lot in the 90 minutes we were there, but they also made a lot of progress, and didn't want to go when the session ended.

Whether they are interested in taking skating lessons or playing ice hockey is anyone's guess, but I'm sure we'll be regular patrons at the ice rink the next few months. It reminded me of learning to skate with my dad,  and seeing their progress and enthusiasm as the session went on made it a great outing for all involved.