Kid's Skateboarding Safety Gear - What to start with?
If you’ve got a child who wants to learn how to skate but you’re unsure what type of safety gear they will, this safety gear guide will give you a quick outline of where to start with making sure you’ve got the right skating protective gear.
1. Picking out a Helmet
You want to find a helmet that protects the sides and back of the child’s head (unlike some bike helmets).
A proper fitting skate helmet should rest along the your child’s brow line.
You should look for a high quality skate helmet that holds up to the ASTM Standard (protects against multiple low force impacts) and are also CPSC certified (single high impact)
Like the brand, S1 Helmets, which claim to be 5x more protective than soft foam skate helmets.
When purchasing a skate helmet, you start with the shell and then can slightly adjust the sizing with the thickness of the interior liners.
Learn more on how to pick a helmet here.
2. Elbow, Knee pads, & Wrist guards
When learning to skate, kids are taught to fall onto and use their elbow and knee pads (instead of using their hands to break their fall).
Look for child size pads that have a contoured form-fitting design which allow for mobility and have a high impact foam.
One brand that has come highly recommended to us is 187 Killerpads.
To protect kid’s wrists until they’ve learned not to catch themselves with their hands when they fall (that’s what the elbow & knee pads are for) have them wear wrist guards.
3. Flat Sole Shoes
Unlike running shoes or other rec shoes, flat sole shoe maintain best contact with the board while skating.
Flat sole shoes like the classic Vans enable your child to have a better grip on their skateboard because it allows more of their full foot to stay in contact with the board during their skate
(unlike rounded sole gym shoes which only really allow for the ball of the foot and part of heel)
4. Correctly Sized Skateboard
The standard skateboard size for adults is 7.5” and there are several smaller sizes available for teens and kids.
It’s important your child’s skateboard is correctly sized because it will allow them to learn proper skate technique, which leads to faster progression & safer skating.
For those with kids under 3’5 ft, you’ll want to find a board with a length between 27.2” - 27.6” and a width between 6.5” - 6.75”
For kids between 3’5 - 4’4 ft, look for a board with a length of 28” and a width of 7”
Typically, you purchase the skate deck on it’s own and then need to purchase the wheels, trucks, bearings, & skate tools.
However, you can also buy some boards as “completes” which come completely kitted out.
Some of our favorite skateboards for girls come from the brand Pink Helmet Posse.
They offer super rad designs in fun colors and offer the appropriate size boards for kids of all ages.