Celebrate your child's love of learning

© Wondertime

A sunny day will do.

That, and a pile of light, flat stones and any old body of smooth, swimmer-free water — "neat" water, as competitors call it. **

The tricks? Your stone should be as thin as you can find; bigger than a quarter, smaller than your palm. Hold it so it's parallel to the surface of the water, fling it low and out as far as you can, and put a little spin on it with a flick of the wrist.

Don't give up if you (both) plonk on your first try. Kids under 6 may not be quite coordinated enough to land a skipper, but they may be as enthused about collecting stones for you and throwing in plonkers by your side. One day your child will pitch a granite pancake just right and watch as it hops and skims along the surface.

Years later, this ability, plus the perfect alignment of the planets, might even land your kid a first date.


**Yep, competitors. Check out stoneskipping.com — the world record is 40 skips.