Sliding on dirt scares most kids. Foam (a yoga mat or a furniture pad) is a soft surface that lets them feel the slide motion without the burn of dirt on the legs. Once they trust the move, they’ll do it on dirt.
What you need: A foam mat, yoga mat, or furniture pad. Sliding shorts or sweatpants. A base or a marker at the end of the mat.
Setup: Mat on grass. Mark a base at the far end of the mat.
How to run it:
- Demonstrate the slide: leg bent underneath (back leg), other leg extended toward the base, body falling backward.
- Kid runs at half speed and slides on the mat.
- Do 5 reps slow.
- Now full speed runs into the slide. 5 reps.
- Last 2: slide on grass next to the mat. Now they know what dirt sliding feels like.
What to watch: Are they staying on their feet too long? Sliders go down sooner than they think. The slide should start about 5 feet from the base, not 1 foot.
If they’re struggling: Stay on the mat. Don’t move to grass yet.
If they’ve got it: Move to a base on dirt. Sliding shorts under the pants prevent rash.