After spending weeks under the stay at home order already—and no end in sight until at least June—many parents are wishing they could have a little social distance from their kids. While the lockdown has been hard on everyone, cabin fever is hitting particularly hard for families with kids, who just need to get some energy out, one way or another. Fortunately, just because P.E. class is canceled, doesn’t mean your kids can’t still be active and get some healthy exercise. Check out these indoor and at-home exercise activities to keep your kids moving, and hang in there. We can’t wait to welcome you back to Chester Skateland when the coast is clear. 

Exercise Activities for Kids During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Get Back to Basics

Hopscotch, hula hooping, riding bikes and scooters, roller skating, skateboarding, skipping, jumping rope, climbing a tree—there are so many ways your kids can get active right in your own living room, driveway, or backyard. Set aside some time every day for an “unplugged” activity session, even if it’s just a family dance party in the living room!

Follow the Leader

This activity is great because you’ll get a workout too. Be sure to include some calisthenics along with silly movements. For instance, stand like a flamingo, then do some jumping jacks. Other movements you can throw in include running in place, squats, lunges, hopping like a bunny, chair sits against a wall, toe touches, or pushups. 

Dance It Out

If your kids love the cool dances in pop and hip hop music videos, set up a “dance studio” (aka pushing the furniture against the walls) and have them follow along with one of the many choreography videos available on YouTube. Like roller skating, dancing is one of the most fun ways to get a workout in! 

Chill Out with YouTube Yoga

Speaking of YouTube, it’s also a great place to go for kid-friendly yoga! Check out Yoga with Adriene, We Heart Yoga, and Jessamyn Stanley for starters. There are also lots of great inclusive yoga videos to explore, like wheelchair yoga and body positive yoga. 

Keep on Rollin’

Roller skating is a wonderful full-body workout, whether you do it at a skating rink or in your driveway! Just because we’re temporarily closed due to COVID-19 doesn’t mean that you can’t still get your skate on—you’ll just need to change your skate wheels to outdoor wheels. Outdoor skate wheels are softer, with more give to absorb the bumps and rough spots you’ll encounter on sidewalks and paths. Remember to be safe and stay aware of your surroundings when skating outdoors, and be sure you’re practicing social distancing and wearing a face covering. 

We hope these ideas keep you entertained while we wait out the coronavirus. Stay well; once this is over, we will be so thrilled to see you back at the rink!

Quarantining and social distancing are hard enough for adults; for kids, they’re even more challenging. Imagine not being able to go to school, play with your friends, go to the playground, attend your soccer or baseball practice, go to your skating lessons, or even leave your yard—all while not really understanding why this is happening. We know that adults are struggling as well, with many people laid off from their jobs and others trying to figure out how to work from home while teaching their kids to use digital learning platforms. It’s a lot to handle, which is why it’s so important to make quality time with family a priority. 

You may be thinking, “Haven’t we had more than enough family time lately?” and you’re not wrong. But there’s a difference between existing in the same space and actually spending time together. The latter may help you all de-stress, and teach you to handle these unique daily challenges as a stronger team.

Fun Social Distancing Activities for Families

Go outside. 

It’s amazing how quickly cabin fever can set in when the whole family is home all the time. If you have your own yard (and your kids are old enough to follow the rules and stay in it), go outside and soak up some sunshine! A little vitamin D is good for you, and everyone can stretch their legs and get some energy out. Play a game of catch, hopscotch, or jump rope. Draw with sidewalk chalk and leave a message for your neighbors. Plant that herb garden you’ve been meaning to get around to, or spread out a picnic blanket and read books together. 

Connect online.

Just because you’re social distancing doesn’t mean you can’t be social. Schedule family chats with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, family friends, your church group or your child’s scout troop. There are lots of ways to do this, from Google Hangouts and Zoom to FaceTime and Skype. 

Get creative.

Novelty is your friend when trying to keep kids occupied. Try some of these ideas to use spaces in your home in unexpected ways. 

• Take all of the pillows off the sofa and create a comfy, cushy “screening room” on the floor. Hold a family film festival in which everyone gets to choose a movie, and don’t forget to make popcorn. For added fun, everyone can take turns giving their own made up Oscars speech or telling what their favorite thing was about each movie. 
• Set up dining chairs in a square, backs facing each other, and throw a sheet or blanket over the top to form a tent. Add a blanket and some pillows and tell stories while you “camp.” If you have the supplies, make some s’mores! 
• Help your child create a reading nook in their room or somewhere in the house. 
• Move your living room furniture against the walls and have a dance party, or do yoga. 
• Eat breakfast on the front porch and say hello to any neighbors you see. 

We can’t wait until this is over and we can see all of your shining faces at the skating rink, but until then, we hope these ideas keep you and yours entertained. Remember:

The wheels never stop turning, so we must remember to pick up our feet and skate forward—always!

Dear Valued Customers,

Tonight we will be joining rinks across our state and around our country in temporarily closing down for business under the new guidelines being implemented by the president, his task force and our nation’s governors. Promotions on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat have been suspended until further notice – that includes our podcast and newsletter.

For any further questions, comments or concerns, please call the rink at (804) 748-0379.

“The wheels never stop turning, so we must remember to pick up our feet and skate forward- always!”

The Chester Skateland Team

When you love to skate, you just want to share your passion with everyone—especially your kids! You already know that skating isn’t just fun, it’s also a really good way to get some exercise, strengthening your heart, legs, and abs; and best of all, it’s a low-impact activity that your kids will be able to enjoy well into their senior years if they want to. But when it comes to the details of sharing your hobby with your kids, you might need a little help getting it right. No worries, Chester Skateland is at your service! Keep reading to learn how to choose kids’ roller skates with our handy guide for parents.   

Choosing Kids’ Roller Skates

When can a child start skating? 

Many people don’t realize that kids can start skating as soon as they can walk! Of course, every child is different, so you’ll need to take your own child’s unique capabilities into consideration. Some kids take to skates like a fish to water at 2 years old, while others need a little more time to develop their balance, agility, coordination, and other gross motor skills. For many kids, 4-6 years old is the sweet spot when it comes to learning how to skate. Regardless of age, they should wear proper protective gear—knee and elbow pads, wrist braces, and a helmet.  

Which type of skate is best for new skaters? 

Most kids start out with quad roller skates, thanks to their more stable form. The wider distribution of weight makes it easier to control movement and balance. If your kid seems to be comfortable with the basics of roller skating on quads, you can let them give inline skates (aka roller blades) a try. Because all of the wheels are in a line (hence the name) some people find it a little harder to master inline skating.  

What size skates does my child need?

One reason many parents are wary of buying skates is because their kids’ feet grow so quickly. Any parent can tell you that keeping kids in shoes that fit is much easier said than done, so how can you possibly hope to keep up? 

First, measure your child’s foot. Skate sizes are the same as shoe sizes, for the most part. You may be tempted to buy a larger size for your child to “grow into,” but don’t. If the skate boot is too loose, your child’s foot will end up sliding around and chafing. Too tight, and your child could develop painful blisters or lace bite. 

For very young kids, you can consider buying the type of skates that strap on over tennis shoes, many of which are adjustable in order to grow with your child.

When planning a party, there are so many different aspects that need to be considered. When planning a party for a tween, there are so many different aspects to be considered while also wondering if they’ll like any of it.

We’re here to help you focus on what’s important while party planning. Most of us aren’t hiring a party planner and creating a theme park for our children’s birthday parties, so we want to focus on what is important when celebrating our kids. Not ready to invest time and energy into party planning? Focus on your kid! Chester Skate can handle it all while you sit back and relax.

How to Plan a Perfect Celebration

Planning a party is tough. It’s easy to get bogged down in the details. Like, what kid is going to remember you had themed straws for the sodas? Try not to sweat the small stuff and really focus on the big details. We think these are the main aspects to put your time and effort into when planning a party:

1. Food. We know tweens eat us out of house and home. But they are growing kids, so we can’t be too mad. However, good food is one of the most important factors when planning a birthday party. Our snack bar is not open during private parties, so you have the ability to bring in whatever food you want. Most skating centers don’t give you this freedom! This gives you more creativity when it comes to theme planning. For all our birthday packages during normal business hours, we include teens’ and tweens’ favorite food: pizza.
2. Theme. A party doesn’t always need a theme, but it does tend to get kids more excited. For example, color wars themed. You can send out invites in the color each child should wear, have only food of those two colors, and really make it your own. From invites to goodie bags to attire to food, a theme can really make a party come together seamlessly.
3. Music. Good music goes hand-in-hand with any kid’s sugar high and making sure they get their energy out while still at the party. Our private parties have a live DJ that will have the kids on the skating floor the entire time. With awesome music and DJ interaction, your kids will have the time of their life. Want to see how good our music really is? Come down for our next event or weekly theme nights.

Party planning is a lot of fun but can be very stressful. You’ll be happier if you remember that, when it comes to kid’s birthday parties, it’s not “all in the details.” Don’t get wrapped up in small aspects like party hats and straws. Just focus on making the basics great and we promise your party will be one to remember.

Take simplicity one step further and check out our party packages for stress-free party planning experience with all-inclusive pricing.

How many times throughout school and office life have you heard the term “team building”? If you are already on a team, then how are you building it? Why is team building so important? How can team building help you personally? How can you do your own team building?

We have wondered these same questions and decided to dive deep (well, write 500 words) on the subject. According to Forbes Magazine, team building is the most important investment you will make. They say, “It builds trust, mitigates conflict, encourages communication, and increases collaboration.”

The definition of team building is the action or process of causing a group of people to work together effectively as a team, especially by means of activities and events designed to increase motivation and promote cooperation. When referring to a team, they are not just talking about your middle school soccer team. All of us are in several teams whether we realize it or not. A team can be our family, our work family, church group, sports league, networking group, PTA, neighborhood, gym family . . . and the list goes on. Team building does not have to mean ropes courses, human knots, and breakout groups (see picture below).

So, what are some different activities in the Chester, Virginia area that also are great team building exercises? We’ve picked our favorites:

1. Obviously, Chester Skate Land. Whether it is a group trying roller skating for the first time together or a team picking a theme and dressing up for one of our open skates, you all will have a blast while building your relationships. Check out our different themed open skates here.
2. Room ESC or any other escape room. You are literally stuck in a room with these people and you have to work together to find your way out.
3. Tree Time Adventures. This may be a little bit of a drive but well worth it. This ziplining adventure course in the woods has seven ziplines, 50 obstacle bridges, two nature trails and more. If you can conquer the fear of heights together, you can definitely share a cubicle.
4. Rage RVA. These smashing rooms seem to be the new trend and we are not mad about it. Had a really rough month at the office? Take your team out and let them smash some printers, copiers and telephones.

Now escape rooms or smash derbies can be fun, but they are also pretty intense. So if you want to just get in some old fashioned giggles with the team of your choosing, we suggest Chester Skateland. Whether you decide to decide to do team jerseys or tacky sweater themed, you will all be roller skating together to some great music. What is wrong with that? Contact us with any group inquires or any other questions you may have. We look forward to seeing you and your team here soon!

Birthdays can be difficult to plan, especially for kids. As a parent, you have to appease the masses, but you also place high expectations on yourself to make this birthday the best one yet. Luckily, the team at Chester Skateland came to put in the hard work to make planning birthdays for your kids a stress-free experience.

Instead of planning something extravagant, why not do something simple your child will cherish forever? Here are some fun birthday traditions to incorporate into your child’s celebration this year.

Decorate their bedroom doorway

While they’re sleeping, grab some balloons, streamers, and tape and make an iconic birthday king or queen entryway.

Be a genie and grant them three wishes (realistic ones)

Do they want ice cream for breakfast? Done. Want to watch their favorite TV show ALL DAY? Done. Skip school for the day? Done, as long as there are no tests that day. 

Plan a present scavenger hunt

Once you have their present wrapped, hide it somewhere in your home. Create clues to help your child find it! Doing this will increase their excitement to open the gift you got them. (Bonus: it’ll develop their problem-solving skills too).

Interview the birthday kid

Every birthday, conduct an interview for your kid. Record it to create a movie for them when they’re all grown up. Not only will this be a good keepsake for them, but it will also be meaningful for you to look back on how much they’ve grown and changed.

Annual birthday outing 

Whether it’s camping, a shopping spree, or a trip to the rink, having a tradition of going somewhere or doing something makes a birthday extra special.

Everyone dress in his or her favorite color

Not only will this make the birthday girl or boy feel extra special, but it will also be interesting to see how their favorite color might change over the years. 

Mark their height

They grow up so fast, so why not document it? Seeing how much they have grown from the year prior will be a huge confidence boost.

Decorate the whole house according to their interests

Are they into unicorns this year? Make the whole house all rainbows and sparkles! They will feel so special that not only are their interests recognized, but also celebrated.

Birthday planning shouldn’t be so daunting. That’s why having special traditions are key components to a happy celebration. Whether you’re decorating the house for your little one or venturing out to the rink with your tween, it’s always a good time to celebrate your child and how much they’ve grown and changed over the years. And don’t worry, we can do all the planning for you if you don’t want to tackle it yourself. Just check out our party packages! Big or small, these fun traditions will create memories that will last a lifetime.

Maybe you skated as a kid and you want to get back on the skating rink. Maybe you’ve never skated a day in your life and you want to try something new. Or maybe you’ve always been the skater clutching a friend and trying not to fall over, and you want to feel more confident on skates. Whatever your reason may be, we’re glad you’re here, and we couldn’t be happier to share these beginner skating tips with you. You’ve got this! 

3 Beginner Roller Skating Tips

Yes, you’re going to fall—but it doesn’t have to hurt!  

One of the biggest obstacles that keeps people from trying to roller skate is the fear of falling. But guess what; everyone falls down, even experienced skaters. The best thing you can do is accept that you will take a few tumbles as you learn new skating skills, and learn how to fall so that you minimize your chance of injury. 

Practice going down on one knee and then the other, keeping your hands on your legs (NOT on the ground), and getting back up without using your hands/arms. If you feel that you’re starting to fall while skating, going into a controlled forward fall is preferable to falling backwards. Backwards falls can injure your tailbone, and if you put your arms out to catch you, you may injure your wrists as well. Experienced skaters fall all the time while practicing new tricks, skills, dance moves, etc. They just know how to fall, get up, and keep it moving!

Practice your stance. 

If you haven’t personally done this, you’ve probably seen someone who has: You take your first tentative steps out onto the skating rink, legs stiff and straight, arms out wide. As soon as you start to roll, you lose your balance, arms windmilling wildly, before falling over backwards. Unfortunately, your fall was almost guaranteed from your first step. That’s because roller skating requires a proper stance with a low center of gravity. These are the keys to a good roller skating stance:

• Feet shoulder width apart
• Knees bent like you’re doing a squat
• Lean forward slightly at the waist 

Remember, the lower your center of gravity, the harder it is to fall over, so try to maintain the squat-like position as you practice walking in your skates, and then pushing off and gliding. 

Take roller skating lessons and watch other skaters. 

Here at Chester Skateland, we offer roller skating lessons on Tuesdays and Saturdays. All ages and abilities are welcome, and we have classes for beginner, intermediate, and advanced skaters. The cost per lesson is only $8, which includes skate rental, the instruction time, plus free admission to the roller skating session following class! 
In addition to our roller skating classes in Chester, you should also head over to YouTube and search for any skills or tricks you’re interested in learning. There are tons of great roller skating videos out there that can help you perfect your moonwalk, learn to skate backwards, or just help you improve your basic skating technique. Keep at it, and join us at Chester Skateland for fun on the rink anytime!

It’s hard to believe we’re living in a whole new decade! The “roaring 20s” (2020s, that is) are here and this month is a great time to think about how far you’ve come and where you want to go. If you’re looking for ways to make this year amazing, check out these reasons to go roller skating at Chester Skateland! Our Chester, Virginia skating rink is here whenever you want to strap on your skates and feel like a kid again. 

Reasons to Roller Skate

Skating is a celebration.

As you plan the special days coming up this year, consider planning a roller skating party. From kids birthday parties and school fundraisers to corporate outings and team parties, you can’t beat the double whammy of built-in entertainment and a fun activity that is accessible to a wide range of ages and abilities. 

Skating relieves stress.

Our lives are busier than ever these days, and all of that hustling can be a major cause of stress. Fortunately, roller skating is a good way to take time out of the day-to-day grind and do something good for you. 

As a social and physical activity, roller skating kills two birds with one stone, so to speak. Researchers have found that strong social bonds are literally good for your health, and skating is the perfect activity to do with friends, family, teammates, neighbors, or church groups. Make a commitment to include time for de-stressing and socializing this year. 

Skating is a good workout.

Roller skating isn’t just a fun activity, it’s also a great way to incorporate movement into your life. It’s easy to get stuck on that dread-guilt treadmill; if your workouts are routine and boring, you dread doing them, but when you skip the workouts, you feel guilty for not achieving your fitness goals. The solution? Try new things and find activities you love doing! 

Roller skating for fitness burns calories, provides cardio conditioning, and strengthens lower body and core muscles. It’s also low-impact, so it’s easier on your joints—one reason that many folks like to mix in skating as a break from high-impact sports like running or tennis. 

Skating is affordable family entertainment.

We’d all like to have fun family outings as much as possible, but as any parent knows, even simple activities can get expensive quickly if you have kids. That’s one of the best reasons to go roller skating: A visit to the skating rink is affordable fun for the whole family!

Admission to our regular public skating sessions ranges from $2 to $7, and we also offer our guests specials and discounts like our roller skating Groupon. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram to stay up to date on our latest specials and events. 

Skating is FUN!

Last, but certainly not least, roller skating is just plain fun! Few activities compare to the freedom and joy of cruising around the skating rink. We hope you’ll make time for fun, fitness, family, and friends this year and join us at Chester Skateland!

If you love to skate, it’s no wonder that you want to share it with your kids… But how do you get started? These are some of the most common questions we hear from parents: Can toddlers learn to skate? How old do kids need to be to learn to roller skate? How do you teach young kids to skate? 

Don’t worry parents, we’ve got your back! Read on to learn everything you need to know about teaching kids to roller skate from the pros at Chester Skateland. Your family is always welcome at our Chester, Virginia skating rink. 

When can kids learn to roller skate? 

Kids as young as two or three years old can learn to roller skate, but the answer really depends on your child. While you can find toddler-size roller skates (typically the ones that strap on over sneakers), you should really focus more on whether your child is developmentally ready to skate. 

If your child is particularly precocious, interested in skating, and has well-developed balance, they might be ready to try skating. However, if your child doesn’t seem interested, isn’t coordinated enough yet to get the hang of it, or isn’t able to follow directions and abide by safety rules, it might be better to give it some time before you try to get them on the rink. 

For most kids, age four or five is the best time to learn how to skate. Just remember that any kid under eight years old should still be supervised by an adult at all times in case of an accident or injury. 

How to teach kids to skate

The best way to teach kids how to roller skate is to start slow. Skates with big, chunky wheels are great for young kids/beginners because they make it easier to stay upright. You can also get your child started with a SkateMate—a plastic support on wheels, sort of like a rolling walker—to help them get the hang of skating without as much risk of falling. We rent SkateMates for $5, and you can rent them at any session. (SkateMates are rented on a first-come, first-served basis.)   

Another important part of teaching your kids to skate is giving them the skills to be safe right from the start. One of the first things you should teach them is how to fall, including how to keep their hands safe. Of course, the best way to introduce your kids to roller skating is through skating lessons! We offer beginning roller skating lessons here at Chester Skateland, as well as intermediate lessons for those who want to continue improving their skills. All ages and skill levels are welcome to participate, so we hope to see your family soon!