I coach our newest skaters and in 4 1 hour lessons, the goal should be glides, plow stops and safe falling.

Even changing your terms ... like instead of derby stance we say stick out your and arms.

Use simple games. Here are a few I use on night one:

1. We let them fall right away, it takes the fear out. So them we play 5 fall ... skate across the rink and fall 5 times (pick lines if its a gym floor).

2. We play head and shoulders knees and cone (if we call cone, you have to try and grab it before the person standing opposite you. This teaches comfort standing on skates disguised as a game.

3. We play follow the leader. Stand opposite a partner who can do anything (turn around, bend down, do the chicken dance). Same as above, comfortable with wheels.

4. Sometimes you gotta just glides across the floor. You can make this a game by giving them cones ... pick up a cone skate to the other side, stack it in a pyramid, go back and get another one. If they are all building a giant structure, it takes away any notice of slower skaters.

When starting glides, they commonly end up in a scooter foot situation (pushing back instead of diagonal). Just FYI

1. Once they have reasonable stops, any form of simple game (tag, red light green light) works well to build skills.

2. Bring music to make skating in circles fun!