I love/hate teaching beginners. I am almost 10 years into teaching.
The good pat about teaching littles is they are really into random challenges that build balance like stand up for a lap, two point for a lap, ride with one hand no hands eyes closed , taking feet in and out of stirrups.

If you have letters in your arena give them challenges like halt at a letter, basically make up their own version of dressage tests.

I have them memorize all parts of tack, horse colors, involve other horses and fun facts about them.

My favorite for littles is obstacle courses to give them something to do then ~ I ~ dont get bored lol. Poles courses, putting two poles down and make them walk between it (make it more narrow each time and ask them if they can fit, until its barely the width of the horses feet, they cant believe the horses fit and they feel proud to steer thru!)

Also poles set up in a square, halt in the box, halt with front feet in the box, halt with back feet in the box. I can fill almost 15 mins of a lesson with this and it works for those that dont know how to trot yet. Or you can even do it at a trot

It sounds like you’ve got this part down already, but honestly all these years later, what I remember most vividly from my lessons as a child was how kind and understanding my coach was. The first “coach” for my super-beginner bareback “lessons” I had was not the kindest to me. Once I got into real lessons with a proper coach, it genuinely made a world of difference to me that she treated me with respect and trust, whilst also being gentle to little 7-year old me.

When it comes to actually what was taught, one of the biggest parts for me was actually being hands-on with light grooming and tacking up, though I know every barn is different so I’m not sure if you have that as part of your lesson time or if you have your horses ready to go when the kids arrive.

I really don’t remember a lot from the very beginning, but I know a lot of exercises were done on lead line first before on my own, even several lessons in. Just for a few minutes towards the beginning of the lesson, to get feeling comfortable again after a week of being out of the saddle. Ground poles and very (extremely) basic pole bending exercises helped me to be and feel more in control.

I wish I remembered more from when I first started, but it so blurry. I was only 6 I think when I started in summer camp, 7 for proper lessons. Small jumps by 8.

Edit: just about to post this, and I remembered my favourite little tip my coach taught me about holding the reins correctly. “Thumbs up, upright grip like you’re holding an ice cream cone in each hand”. Once she said that, I never forgot. Also the cool “lego” reins were a godsend, I know when I was very small I always held on in the orange section

ROFL the ice cream cone thing is a hoot esp as one of the kids, when she needs to calm down and focus pictures an "ice cream microphone" strawberry to be specific. I don't get it but if it helps her refocus I'll go with it.

We've done a tiny bit of no stirrup work but a tiny bit more won't hurt. Def need to start adding two point into the mix. Also like the eyes closed that would let them really feel the gaits (not that any of them are ready to do more than trot... Although a couple disagree with me on that point ).

the no hands is good too. I keep telling them that "you" are the most important piece of equipment; not the stirrups not the reins. I'm not sure they believe me, which cracks me up as I know they all seem me ride w/o stirrups (my instructor is try to get MY balance better!)

What a great topic! Might help some learners as well as teachers.

I'd actually love to hear from any one who rides, what did your instructor do that really made something click or than was really use or that paid off down the line. Just because you don't teach doesn't mean you haven't learned!

I think probably 10?? years ago now I was hauling to an indoor for lessons one winter and the instructor showed us an exercise to help find our centre of balance.

Basically you take your feet out of the stirrups and drop your reins and the instructor leads the horse around switching directions suddenly BUT- you have to keep your eyes closed. It helps activate your natural balance instinct and to have some faith in yourself. It was super duper cool and incredibly helpful. It helped improve my seat immensely and I don't really worry that I'm going to fall off if things get a little wild haha.
Other than that I love a walk exercise where you walk around and choose a foot (LH for example) and say out loud when it hits the ground. Really good for developing body awareness and adapting to the feel of the horse, and it can be done at any gait

I'm sure I have tons more, I've been riding for over 20 years and have taught beginners and also taken lessons from tons of different instructors of all levels so I'll keep thinking and if any come to mind I'll come back here!

For the little kids, if you have someone at horse's head, leading, or if you've got a longline, we had a lot of success with tossing things to them, and having them toss it back.

(those small fabric bean sacks, or plastic/rubber rings are always cool, and easy to grip)

Helps with balance, and multitasking, makes walk more entertaining and for older ones you can try it in trot. Heck, if you want, you can have kids HAND it between the riders)

It really helps the kids develop one-hand steering, and manouvering the reins, as they try to do something that's not really compatible with just sitting.



Other random things I remember:
I used to teach 4y old kids onwards, but with those, it was usually in-hand or on the (short) longline.

- Teaching basics of rising trot - the right position, the timing, the balance - is best done IN WALK and in short trot bits (I'm talking one lunge circle, then go back to walk, figure out what's not clicking, go back trotting, rinse, repeat.
If I got a penny for each kid we got from "months"of riding school and not trotting reliably, I could afford a horse. Those places would just trot 10 ten horses in line, kids wildly flopping on top of them, and instructor saying up-down to rythm of one specific horse. Boils my blood to this day.

- They should be able to touch the whole upper side of the horse (as far as they can reach) without losing balance. When you start teaching half-seat, have them reach forward to the neck, have them reach behind the saddle. Not necessarily touching the horse, but if a child can't pat the horse's neck while doing rising trot, it can't really do rising trot imo.

- Teach them HOW to tell if their stirrups are even and what's more important, good length. I had children used to riding with stirrups they'd have to ride in tippy toes, I had kids who were used to pretty much squatting on the poor horse, and they just accepted it, because that's what the instructor set up for them. Show them the straight line they should feel through the feet/hips/shoulders, show them what happens to balance if feet swing forward/backwards.


And bear in mind, I'm not saying it because I think you're not teaching them correctly or anything. It's just, if you have kids that were taught wrong initially, for them it's likely to be just a way "YOU" do things. If you have kids you're teaching from the start, they're unlikely to see WHY is the position you're teaching important.

Kids love to understand things, the more you help them figure out WHY is something a thing we do, the easier it is for them to follow.



I do also recommend riding with eyes closed, especially if you have ones having trouble sitting relaxed trot (or canter, when you get to it) though I'd really recommend that, happening on longline or in hand (nobody wants to cantering a horse in hand I KNOW )

Calm horse, closed eyes, stirrups off when/if they're ready.

My horse had a very bouncy canter and was harder to stay in balance with on one rein than the other - quite common I believe. I had a few sessions on the lunge with no stirrups or reins which, although it felt a bit scary at first, did make me sit more once I managed to relax.