Tiny tots lessons are held in groups and teach young kids the basics of ice-skating.

From winter wonderlands of frozen ponds and lakes to warmer locales blessed with climate-controlled rinks, ice-skating is a favorite activity of kids around the nation. There's nothing quite like the feeling of gliding effortlessly across the slick ice, and whether a kid is going for maximum speed or utmost grace, skating delivers thrills and fun while developing balance, coordination and all-around athleticism. So when should young kids first hit the rink, and how do they go about getting started?

Nick Vachon was born in Canada, the son of professional hockey player Rogie Vachon. Learning to skate at two years old, Nick quickly developed a passion for hockey, playing at the youth level in California. After playing for his prep school in the late 1980s, Nick spent two seasons at Boston University and eventually worked his way up to playing professionally, including a stint with the New York Islanders in 1997. Today, Nick coaches and gives private hockey lessons to kids and adults at the Health South Training Center in El Segundo, California. Here he offers advice for parents who want to help their sons or daughters get involved in ice skating:

• Start young.
  Whether your kids are interested in ice hockey, figure skating, or speed skating, it's important to start them off with the fundamentals while they are still quite young. Vachon recommends getting kids on the ice between ages three and four.

• Tiny tots.
  According to Vachon, most ice centers offer "tiny tot" programs, which typically last between a half hour and an hour a session. The kids get on the ice as a group, and an instructor helps them with the basics like keeping their balance and learning to get comfortable in skates.

• Protection.
  Fully frozen ice is a very hard surface, and collisions and falls can occur easily. For this reason, it is essential that any child on skates wear proper head and body protection including a helmet, gloves, elbow pads and kneepads.

• Knees bent.
  If Vachon had to choose a single piece of advice to give to a new skater, it would be to keep the knees bent and remain solid.

• A chair.
  Instructors will often let a child on skates push a chair around on the ice in order to get accustomed to the feeling of skating and to develop a good stride. The chair helps the child maintain balance much like a medical walker does on dry land.

• Challenging and fun.
  Vachon believes that learning to skate is a very difficult thing to do, but that once a child becomes confident n the ice, it can lead to a whole new world of fun and excitement.

For more information about ice-skating, check out the following organizations or websites:

Ice Skating World
www.iceskatingworld.com

US Figure Skating Online
www.usfsa.org

The History of Ice Skating
www.iceskate-magazine.com

Family Fun: Learning to Skate
http://familyfun.go.com

Ice Skating Tips
www.feldinc.com

Hockey Skating Tips
www.cs.toronto.edu