Ice skating is a fun activity for all ages! Of course, learning to ice skate can be challenging. Teaching kids using ice skating games can be fun, while the young ones improve their skating skills (these games might even be fun for the adults, too!)

You can play these games at a public rink, but with a synthetic ice rink, it’s much easier to skate anytime you want, with all your friends and family joining you. Contact KwikRink Synthetic Ice today to find out how a home ice skating rink can elevate your kids’ birthday parties or skating event — as well as provide a fun activity year-round.

Be Prepared for Fun!

• If you’re going to be playing these games on an outdoor rink, don’t forget warmth. If it’s freezing outside, include gloves or mittens, hats, and scarves. You want to keep the focus on the fun, not the frigid temperatures!
• If you’re lucky enough to have an indoor ice rink, then you don’t have to worry about getting cold. A synthetic ice rink from KwikRink can go in your basement, garage, or indoor gym so that you can skate year-round, no matter the weather.
• If you’re going to a public rink, you’ll probably need to reserve the ice for a private party if you want to play ice skating games with kids. While some of them might be possible mingling with the guests at a large public ice rink, it will be difficult for children to fully engage in the games when they’re dodging other skaters. (Or worse, they won’t avoid the other skaters, and you’ll end up with a collision!)
• If you have an ice rink at home, you can play these games any time you can round up enough willing skaters to join in the fun! You might need to set some ground rules or limit the number of skaters on the ice at once (depending on the size of your rink), but you’ll have much more freedom to let the good times roll!

6 Fun Ice Skating Games for Kids

Whether you have a whole hockey team of kids or just a few friends gathered together, there is an ice-skating game that will improve their skating moves while teaching them the fun of the ice.

Consider the kids’ age, skating skill, and interests (hockey? Figure skating?) and then select from the following games to keep them engaged and active all over the ice! 

Remember: you can increase or decrease the games’ competitiveness based on how you present them and encourage the children. You might decide your goal is for everyone to cross the finish line rather than crown a “winner.”

1. Red Light Green Light

Play this game just like you do without ice skates! Skaters line up at the start line while the Judge stands at the finish line. 

When the Judge says “green light,” all of the skaters’ race toward him or her; when the Judge says “red light,” all skaters must immediately stop on the ice as quickly as possible. The first skater to the finish line wins!

This game is a great way to teach young skaters how to stop quickly and restart quickly. You can add a rule that falling instead of stopping gets you disqualified to increase the difficulty level.

2. Duck Duck Goose

This game is another traditional children’s game that you can adapt to the ice rink. Have the skaters sit in a circle — except for whoever is “It.” 

The skater who is “It” should skate around the outside circle (behind the seated skaters’ backs). As “It” passes each seated skater, he or she should say “duck” and tap that skater on the shoulder.

Finally, “It” should tap a skater and say “Goose,” at which point the “Goose” must jump up and chase “It” around the circle. If the skater who is “It” gets back to “Goose’s” now-empty seat before “Goose” can catch him or her, “It” gets to join the seated skaters in the circle, and the “Goose” is the new “It.”

 If “It” is caught by the “Goose,” he or she must wait in the middle of the circle until someone else gets caught.

This game teaches young skaters to jump up quickly, pick up speed quickly, turn in a circle quickly, and stop on a dime. You can make it more attractive to children by replacing the terms “Duck” and “Goose” with other words. (For example, if they’re into Peppa Pig, you can play “Peppa Peppa George” instead; if they’re into Spongebob Squarepants, you can play “Patrick Patrick Squidward.”)

3. Tag

Another playground favorite that is perfect for the ice is “tag.” It is a great game to work on speed and changing directions. You can play virtually any version of tag that you can play on the ground as a kids’ ice skating game! Freeze tag, TV tag, and amoeba tag…these are great ways to let the kids blow off some steam with some relatively unstructured play. 

4. Obstacle Course

Setting up an obstacle course for young skaters requires a little more preparation from you, but you can adapt it for almost any skill level — even advanced skaters! You can also incorporate elements of their favorite ice activity, like requiring them to take hockey shots or figure skating turns along the way.

Get creative here! Use pool noodles and hula hoops to set up objects for different challenges around the ice. The kids can skate to each station and complete the activity before coasting to the next one.

You can draw lines on the ice, too, creating mazes, twisty-turns, or mark the way to the next activity.

5. Freeze Skate

Remember the game Musical Chairs? This game is a version of that, and it’s a popular kids’ ice skating game!

Let everyone who is playing free skate around the rink while music plays. The Judge randomly stops the music, and the last player to “freeze” when the music stops is out. 

The Judge can then play the music; everyone will resume skating until the Judge stops the music. Repeat the process until only one skater is left standing.

6. Ice Words

The only prep-ahead work for this one is to write some ice skating related words on some slips of paper. Put the slips of paper into an ice skate.

Let the skaters take turns drawing a slip of paper out of the skate. Then, they skate on the ice, “writing” the word with their skates as they go. The rest of the skaters try to guess the word based on the motion of the skater’s feet. Whoever guesses the word gets to take the next turn writing with their skates.

The Fun Never Stops with a KwikRink Synthetic Ice Rink of Your Own

There are so many more ice skating games for kids and adults! Showing kids that skating can be fun is essential to instill in them a love for the sport. Playing fun games gives them a chance to improve their skills without getting frustrated or bored with their lack of talent- everyone gets a gold medal! 

Installing an ice rink at your own home is a great way to encourage kids to skate! KwikRink Synthetic Ice is happy to help you figure out the right size and shape rink for you. We’ll even help you figure out where to put it! 

Check out the fantastic residential rinks on our site for creative ideas of how you can build the home ice rink of your dreams — and contact KwikRink Synthetic Ice when you’re ready for a free quote.