A Guide to Choosing a Skateboard for Your Child

Choosing the first skateboard for a child is often a journey fraught with doubts and worry. A million safety-related questions are racing across the mind.

Questions such as: which is the safest skateboard for kids? What features and specs should I keep an eye on when pocking out a skateboard for my child? How much money does a good kids’ skateboard cost? Should I purchase a regular skateboard, a cruiser, a dirt-cheap penny board, a longboard, or an electric skateboard?

Related: Skateboard Cleaning and Maintenance Tips

This skateboard for kids’ guide answers all these questions and a bunch of others besides. By the time you’re done eating up the resource, here’s what will happen: You’ll be a confident parent who selects a skateboard that inspires your child to get out there and socialize all while having fun.

But wait, what age is OK for kids to start skateboarding? The right age for children to start skateboarding is 6-10 years according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Even then, there should be parental supervision. As for kids aged 5 years and below, they’re too young to skateboard safely.

Let’s now learn the various parts that together make a skateboard.

Parts of a Skateboard and What They Do

Here they are and the role each part plays:

Deck: The largest visible part of a skateboard. It’s a board that provides a platform where the feet stand during rides. The deck can be long or short. Or it can be narrow or wide. Some decks are made of maple (these are the most common and popular while others are made of bamboo/fiberglass or plastic. Learn more below on what deck aspects to consider when purchasing a board for a kid.

Griptape: Unless you’re riding a plastic board, your feet should be stepping on some griptape. This is a relatively coarse material that you carefully trim so it fits the surface of the board. While skating, this sandpaper-like deck carpet prevents slipping, which means it helps prevent accidents.

Concave: It refers to how the sides of the deck are shaped relative to its base. Many different concave shapes exist, and the steepness of each affects the board’s pop in some way.

But when purchasing for a kid, it isn’t something to spend too much attention on. As long as there’s some concave on the skateboard, you’re good.

Once the lad or lass develops into that badass skateboarder they wish to be, they’ll discover the deck shape that’s most suitable to their skating style.

Kicktail: This is a raised part that starts right at the end of the flat section of the deck. Regular skateboards have two kicktails, cruisers and penny boards have one, while longboards have none. The front kicktail is called a nose while the rear one is referred to as a tail.

But what does a kicktail on a skateboard do? It helps you scoop the board off the board and flip it over while performing various tricks. You also need it while picking the board off the ground at the end of a session; this looks cool. Most importantly, kicktails enable your kiddo to steer their skateboard away from people, cars, and other moving or stationary objects.

Trucks: Skateboard trucks are like roller skate trucks and function similarly. They’re plastic or metal pieces (mostly metal) that make it possible to add wheels to a skateboard. Trucks are crucial in that they determine to a large extent how each pop, turn, and every other maneuver feels. More information on trucks below.

For beginner kids and adults and indeed skaters of all riding abilities, metal trucks are the best deal. Because they’re solid, supportive, lightweight, and durable. You won’t find any kids’ skateboards that cost close to nothing having metal trucks.

Baseplate: It’s a metal component with holes that coincide with those on the deck. The deck sits on these plates, and steel screws glue them together.

Kingpin: This is a HUGE bolt that holds together the different parts that make up the truck. Adjusting the nut on the top of the kingpin lets you create a loose or tight setup. And when it comes the time to clean the trucks, you need to unscrew this bolt first.

Hanger and axles: The hanger is the central thicker portion of a truck. The axles stick out of each side of the hanger. These two parts are support to support wheel mounting.

Bushings: They’re a part of the trucks, and they’re responsible for processing all turning instructions. Without the trucks, you can’t steer a skateboard. But without the bushings, the trucks can’t do a thing.

For kids, choose harder bushings because these keep the ride nice and stable. I’m talking 90A or harder bushings. Manufacturers may not always provide this information though. Don’t worry, you can always tighten the bushing a little if they’re too soft.

Wheels: Don’t ever buy plastic skateboard wheels for your child. Unless you want them to start hating their newly found pastime before they even start. Plastic wheels are generally too heavy vs. polyurethane ones. Also, plastic wheels have trouble maintaining traction, and sliding happens all too often. PU wheels are lighter, bounce back after compression, absorb shocks well, and grip the riding surface quite well.

Bearings: Steel is your best bet because steel bearings are tough and rarely break no matter how much playtime you throw at them. Plus, this material is cheap, which makes steel bearings some of the cheapest available.

Speed washers/speed rings: These bits stay on the inside and outside of the outer bearing and help slow down wear. All skateboards come with speedrings.

Spacers: Not found in all skateboards, and you don’t need to have them. Some wheels have integrated spacers, and that’s nice. But you can fit spacers between each bearing pair. If you install both the bearings and spacers the right away, you’ll save your bearings from the ravages of massive lateral loads.

Skateboard Type: Choose the Right Style for Your Kid

You can choose one of the following skateboard types:

• Cruisers
• Mini cruisers
• Skateboards
• Longboards
• Penny boards
• Electric skateboards
•  Cruiser Skateboards

What’s a cruiser skateboard? A cruiser skateboard exists somewhere between a traditional skateboard and a longboard. It measures between 27” and 34”.

As you can see, it’s not longboard-long or skateboard-short. Its wheels are bigger than those of a skateboard, which means it rolls/cruises faster than a skateboard and dampens shocks a tad better.

One noticeable difference between a cruiser and a skateboard is that a skateboard features two kicktails versus one kicktail on a cruiser. While you may be able to ollie and do other basic tricks on a cruiser, it’s that much harder.

A cruiser is mostly used for transporting riders over short and relatively longer distances. It also carves well, and also lets you perform basic skateboarding tricks.

Cruisers are a great board to learn skateboarding on because their wheels are relatively wide and the deck is wide enough. Most kids, teens, and adults can quickly learn skating on this board type.

Mini and Micro Cruisers

Mini cruisers are a shorter, smaller, lighter version of cruisers. These ones are for folks who like owning a board they can toss in their backpack after play. Like cruisers, they’re for short cruises and low-level tricks.

Many young children find mini-cruisers reasonably easy to learn on, but you can’t say the same about bigger kids and adults. Riding a mini cruiser feels awkward for the first few times, but it’s a challenge some skaters like to conquer.

These boards measure between 22” to 27” in length. Width hovers around 8”, but it can vary from brand to brand. The same goes for all the other kinds of skateboards

There’s even micro cruisers. The maximum board length is 25” while the width hovers around 7”.

Regular/Traditional Skateboards

This is doubtless the most common kind of board anywhere. This is because it’s a highly versatile option that allows the skater to ride vert and land ollies, kickflips, heelflips, and whatnot. Your kiddo can also use their skateboard to do short cruises and just have fun wheeling around the parking lot or skatepark.

A standard skateboard has a length of between 30” to 32”.

Longboard Skateboards

Longboards are exactly what the name implies: super long skateboards. While the traditional skateboard’s length rarely exceeds 32”, some longboards can be longer than 60.” If a board’s length exceeds 36”, that’s considered a longboard.

One aspect makes longboards an ideal board to learn on: stability. Because they’re long and wide and have wide wheels, they’re the most stable kind of board known. Some of the best skateboards for young kids happen to be longboards and cruisers.

Penny Boards

A company called Penny Board started making cruiser-like skateboards that had a plastic deck. This company’s products are some of the most popular around, but not every $27 penny board you see is from Penny Board. It’s like the way we call all inline skates rollerblades while rollerblade is actually the name of a skate brand.

Real Penny boards (those from Penny Board) aren’t so bad, and the better ones can set you back over $100. I’m OK with those ones.

What I’m not OK with and don’t recommend are those $25 options that have an uncanny propensity of shattering after a couple of rides. Such Penny’s are neither cool to own or show off to friends, nor are they safe for your child.

Electric Skateboards

An electric skateboard is essentially a motorized skateboard/longboard. Some e-boards come with a single motor while more powerful ones have dual motors that pump out tons of torque.

But should kids be allowed to ride an electric skateboard? According to Evolve, a well-known e-sk8 brand, electrified skateboards aren’t a safe bet for kids younger than 14 years.

Me? I don’t see why a 10-year-old can’t ride an electrified skateboard. But letting a 10-year-old or any child who’s yet to obtain a driving license to e-skate on any highway or busy road is reckless.

If you can invest in a good electric skateboard for kids and decent e-sk8 protective gear and make sure to supervise the kid all the time, I don’t see why they can ride an e-board. Even though a complete beginner can ride this type of board, it’s best to give it to an experienced regular skateboarder.

Pro tip: Buy your kid a low-speed Meepo board or something like that. Get them something whose speed tops out at between 5-7mph. And don’t let them ride it without your supervision. If there’s an empty parking lot and they gear up adequately, then why not?

Deck Size: How Do You Size a Kid’s Skateboard?

For kids, any deck with a width of 7”-8” should be a good option. If the deck is too narrow, there won’t be enough of a platform to place the feet. And if it’s too wide, the board can be too heavy to lift up.

While you can choose a board with a sub-7” width for younger kids, it’s not a great idea for older kids. For bigger children, buying an adult–size skateboard makes perfect sense. First off, bigger boards are easier to learn on, plus there’s no need to invest in a new one every time your kiddo’s feet grow a size up.

Deck Material: What’s a Skateboard’s Deck Made of?

While purchasing a skateboard for a kid or teen, it’s a good idea to choose one with a Canadian maple deck. Maple enjoys the most preference among skateboarders of all skating levels. This is because:

•       Maple is strong and sturdy.
•       Maple makes you look like a serious skateboarder.
•       Maple outlasts birch and bamboo.
•       Maple flexes well, a quality that skateboarders value.

Bamboo, birch, fiberglass, and plastic are other materials skateboard manufacturers use to make decks. Bamboo is a great maple alternative because it’s more environmentally friendly, lighter, and more flexible than maple. But maple is stronger and often outlasts bamboo.

When coupled with fiberglass as is often the case, bamboo becomes as good if not better than maple. But fiberglass decks aren’t exactly entry-level options.

Birch is good, but it’s not as good as maple, nor is it like bamboo in terms of sustainability. As for plastic decks, they seem to be ubiquitous on “kids’ skateboards” these days. Plastic is light, flexible, and tough, and it’s reasonably durable. Most importantly, plastic is cheap.

But plastic decks can get slippery during use, which makes them an accident waiting to happen. You certainly can select a plastic deck for your little one if you like, but don’t buy anything whose surface isn’t finished/textured to promote traction.

Grip tape: Does Grip Quality Matter?

Grip tape is a material with sandpaper-like qualities. Griptape is mostly available in black, but you can find it in other colors. There’s even clear griptapes.

The role of griptape is to provide enough friction between it and the sole of the skater’s shoes. If this tape is grippy enough, your feet are less likely to slip off the deck during a skating session.

But does it matter which griptape brand you choose? For beginner kids and adults, it really doesn’t matter which brand you choose. As long as this material is grippy enough, it’ll do the job and you’ll stay safe as you learn to skateboard.

If you’re shopping for a more advanced skateboarder, they probably have preferences. For many skaters these days, it’s a choice between two griptape brands namely:

Grizzly: pricier than Jessup, which is probably why some skaters feel it’s better/grippier.

Jessup: A really good griptape brand, one that truckloads of skateboarders like.

Other skateboarders including my husband prefer the MOB-80 Series griptape. MOB griptape is known for being excessively grippy, and that’s not desirable. That’s how you end up with torn $200 skate shoes! The MOB-80 Series griptape isn’t as grippy, which is why it’s gaining popularity among skateboarding enthusiasts.

When shopping for a young child, don’t worry too much about griptape. It’s OK-ish for the most part. Besides, good griptape is expensive.

If you watch someone who knows how to grip a skateboard correctly, you can easily install it without allowing air bubbles to form.

Don’t worry — you can always use a utility knife to carefully pierce the bubbles and solve the problem.

Skateboard Trucks: Metal or Plastic? High Trucks or Low Trucks

Every skateboard comes with a pair of T-shaped components known as trucks. The steel axles which hold the wheels in place pass right through these trucks. The upper part of trucks has another part called base plate with holes that enable you to mount the trucks onto the deck.

Trucks affect the way the board rides and turns. If the trucks are crappy, maneuvering the board is going to be quite difficult. If you step on two skateboards and push them around, you might find you like how one steers and does tricks vs. the other. It’s all attributable to truck setup and overall quality.

What are skateboard trucks made of? Most of the time, skateboard trucks are manufactured from cast aluminum. But why cast aluminum? It’s because cast aluminum is, well, easy to cast. This metal is also lightweight, and no kid or adult ever wants a buick-heavy board. If a skateboard feels too heavy, there’s a decent chance your child won’t want to skate around with it all that much.

Another reason cast aluminum is the most common material used to make skateboard trucks is that it’s relatively cheap.

Other materials used to manufacture skateboard trucks include:

• Steel alloy (not common because steel can be pretty heavy)
• Brass alloy
• Plastic/nylon trucks
• Titanium trucks

Most skateboards for children and teens come with metal trucks, usually cast aluminum. Some boards use nylon trucks, and this is OK. Except that plastic trucks aren’t known for durability. Nor are they the best option for heavy skateboarders.

Walmart carries a whole bunch of cheapo of Chinese kids’ skateboards that use cheap and often flimsy plastic trucks.

I get it: the price is irresistible, but purchasing such boards is a bad idea for the most part. Because those boards tend to snap a lot, and you never know when the trucks will fall apart. I believe these amazing deals are potentially unsafe and discourage you from investing in them.

Titanium skateboard trucks are ultra-light and super strong, but their adoption stays limited due to price.

Your child? Buy them a skateboard with metal trucks.

High or Low Trucks on a Kid’s Skateboard?

Should I choose high trucks for my child’s skateboard or low trucks? It’s better to go with high trucks when shopping for kids or adult beginners skateboards. One reason high trucks are the better choice for kids and beginner skateboarders is that there’s less wheel bite. The axles and wheels stay further away from the deck, and this allows lots of clearance. You can put in larger wheels without worrying about sudden nasty falls.

Another reason high trucks are a great option for kids and starting skateboarders is that you can set them pretty loose. And if there’s one thing loose skateboard trucks do really well, it is turns and maneuverability.

Some of the skateboards I’ve recommended for kids above have high trucks and large wheels.

Wheel Diameter: How Large Should the Wheels Be?

It all depends on what kind of skating your kid will mostly do. If they’ll mostly have fun at the local skatepark, small hard wheels are definitely the best option for them. We’re talking 50mm-54mm wheels with a durometer rating of 90A above.

But if they’ll mostly ride a cruiser or a longboard, fit their board with much larger, softer wheels. Give them 60-70mm wheels at durometer 75A-85A.

Smaller harder wheels are built for acceleration, maneuverability, and landing many hard jumps and stunts. And larger, wider skateboard wheels are designed to give the skater more speed, smoother rolls, and comfort.

Wheel width: How Much Width Is Ideal?

Wider skateboard wheels have a wider section in contact with the ground. That is, wider wheels naturally have a large contact patch.

A larger contact patch equates to greater surface/wheel friction/rolling resistance while a narrower patch translates to less rolling friction. And the greater the rolling friction, the slower the wheel/board, and vice versa.

Regular skateboard wheels have a diameter of between 32mm and 38mm. As for longboard wheels, they can be as narrow as 30mm to as wide as 70mm.

30mm longboard wheels might be too narrow (and unstable) and fast for kids while 70mm ones might be too hard to get rolling due to the greater rolling friction. For a kids’ longboard or cruiser, stay in the 33mm-47mm range.

Wheel Shape: Does It Matter When Choosing a Kid’s Skateboard?

Not really. If they’re a new skateboarder, it’s highly unlikely they can tell any difference in the way wheels of different shapes perform.

Sharper, square-edged wheels maintain the grip during turns. They’re the most stable and the slowest since they tend to have a wider contact patch. Downside? They’re not exceptional when it comes to slides.

Round-shaped skateboard wheels have edges that make sliding less difficult. Most wheels have sort of a hybrid shape; they’re round-shaped and straight-edged to some degree. Again, don’t over-think skateboard wheel shape when shopping for a young child’s skateboard.

Kids’ Skateboard Bearings: Stick With Steel

Most bearings these have the ABEC rating. This rating begins at ABEC 1 and ends at ABEC 9. This number measures bearing tolerance and has little to do with bearing quality or actual performance. Still, a higher ABEC number often coincides with smoother bearing rotations and roll smoothness.

Kids don’t need too much bearing, you know. Give them ABEC 3-5 and that’ll be enough. High-precision skateboard bearings are for more experienced skaters, riders who can safely control their board at high speeds.

Not ABEC Rated? Don’t Worry, It’s Not the End of the World

Some bearings are labeled as ILQ or SG or some other label. These too can be OK, and most skateboarders don’t obsess about stuff like bearing ratings and brands. By the way, ILQ is a brand rather than a recognized bearing pression standard.

Skateboard Wheelbase: What It Is And Why It’s Important

A skateboard’s wheelbase is the distance between the front axle and rear axle (truck wheelbase). Or the distance between the inner mount holes of the deck (deck wheelbase).

Note: The shorter the wheelbase, the less difficult it is to maneuver a skateboard. And the longer the wheelbase, the

All they want to do is roll around and have fun all while burning calories and bettering their balance and coordination.

Many people, even some who’ve shredded for years, have no clue what wheelbase is. And they’re still enjoying this fantastic outdoor pastime. In other words, wheelbase shouldn’t be the main focus of your shopping process.

How Much Does a Good Kids’ Skateboard Cost?

The best of the best skateboards for kids and adults are rarely the cheapest choices. Between $25 and $50, you’ll most likely get junk, something with ultra-crappy components. Something that breaks soon after your kid starts stepping on it. Between $60 and $100, you’re getting a better board, but the quality of the deck and components isn’t perfect yet.

And if you’re willing to pay $100-$150, the odds of ending up with a skateboard that boasts decent-quality parts dramatically increase.

Honestly though the best skateboard for your child or for yourself doesn’t exist — you’ll have to build it yourself. If you opt to go the I’ll-buy-parts-and-build-my-son-a-really-nice-skateboard route, you’ll spend about $150-ish. This is what I recommend — buying the best parts you can afford and then watching good YT videos on how to assemble them into a fully functional skateboard for kids and teens.

Does Brand Matter When Buying a Skateboard for a Kid?

Not really. When selecting the best kids skateboard, pay more attention to parts quality and less attention to where the board was manufactured. In all honesty, pretty much all skate brands rely on the same factories for production. For the most part, the only thing that differentiates one company’s skateboards and another brand’s is the name!

All that said, there’s a bunch of skate companies that parents and their young skaters have trusted over the years. Some of the best-known and trusted skateboard brands include the following:

•       Enjoi Skateboards
•       Santa Cruz
•       Baker
•       Alien Workshop
•       Powell Peralta
•       Krooked
•       Anti-Hero
•       Real
•       Darkstar
•       Almost
•       Chocolate
•       Element
•       Zero

These aren’t the only good skateboard brands, but many skaters have had a good experience with their boards over time. It’s not uncommon to buy from an established brand only to end up with a board that snaps on the very first day riding it. Similarly, many skateboarders have ordered a deck or a complete skateboard from a non-mainstream skate brand and received something that became their “best skateboard.”

What’s the point of telling you all this? It’s to help you understand that the best way to know if a specific kids’ skateboard is good is to actually buy it and see if it’s as good as advertised. But since you can’t buy every skateboard being sold out there, consider reading reliable skateboard reviews.

This way you’ll be able to decide if the general sentiment around a particular kids’ skateboard is positive and negative. From there, just order an option with many great reviews and have your son/daughter test it out. It’s the only way to know for sure.

Are There Girl-specific Skateboards?

Yes and no. Yes because skateboards designed for girls have a girly design that makes it look like, well, a girl’s skateboard. And no because there’s no difference as far as design and components between a boy’s and a girl’s skateboard. I’m sure you now get it: marketers need to have something for everyone.

How to Teach a Kid to Ride a Skateboard

Teaching a kid how to skateboard can be a challenging if not impossible task if you don’t skate yourself.

If you don’t skate, I suggest that you drive them to your local skatepark and see if someone there might be willing to help them learn to skate. Believe me, skateboarders aren’t nearly as nasty as many people imagine.

Admittedly, teaching a child to ride a skateboard is too complex an endeavor to be explained through words alone.

I’ve not gotten around to creating a video on how parents can teach their son or daughter how to jump on and control a board, so I’ll embed someone else’s video for now.

5 Steps for Teaching Skateboarding to a Kid

Before you do anything else, help your grom to helmet up and pad up. Wearing protective gear sends a clear message to their little brain: if I fall, I have these knee pads and a helmet and I won’t get injured.

Step 1: Choose a conducive environment

Find a spot that inspires a certain degree of confidence. Why not do it on the carpet or out in your grass/turf grass-covered yard? On a surface like that, the wheels won’t keep rolling back and forth, inviting danger.

Step 2: Find out if the lass or lad would be more comfortable skating regular or goofy.

Goofy-footed riders feel more comfortable when the right foot stands on the front of the deck. And regular-footed skateboarders are more confident and comfortable with the left foot planted on the board’s front.

An estimated 75 percent of kids and adults are more comfortable riding left foot forward while the rest ride goofy.

How do you know if your kiddo is a goofy boarder or a regular one? Learn how in step 3.

Step 3: To decide if your daughter or son is goofy or regular, place the board on the carpet or grass. With the board sitting nice and steady, instruct them to step on it.

Ask them to step on and off the board multiple times. This will help them learn how to balance on a skateboard.

Now that they can balance on the deck without a problem, instruct them to lean a little forward using their toes and then lean backward a bit by pressing down the board with their heels. They need to repeat this step several times until they can do it effortlessly. This shouldn’t take too long for most kids.

Next, hold them by their hands and initiate movement in one direction and then the other. Each time ask which direction feels more natural or comfortable.

Step 4: Have the child place their dominant foot just above the front truck. The bolts at the base of the nose sit directly above the front truck.

Step 5: At this point, their stronger foot stands right on the front bolts while the other foot stays on the ground. They’re now ready to make their first-ever push on a skateboard.

For the most part, kids can perform this step without being held, but there’s no harm in supporting them if you feel they need it. So, ask them to start walking in the direction the front foot faces. This shouldn’t be hard at all.

Once they’ve started rolling nice and safe, tell them to lift the non-dominant foot and place it on the back of the deck, right where the rear bolts are.

They just did it! From there, all they need to do to improve their skating is consistent practice.

Skateboard Safety Tips for Kids

•  Help your kid observe skateboarding’s number #1 rule: safety. Helmet, knee pads, wristguards. It needs to be a dual-certified lid.
• If your child’s 5th birthday hasn’t arrived yet, be a good mom or dad and wait. Because according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children before the age 5 haven’t matured enough to master the balance and coordination needed to ride a skateboard safely.
• I know this sounds somewhat overcautious, but why not just the advice of the doctors and scientists at AAP?
• If you can, buy the emerging skateboarder a pair of decent skate shoes. There’s plenty of these on Amazon and many other places. If you’re not ready to splurge initially, let them wear one of their sneakers while skating.
•  The soles shouldn’t be too thick, otherwise they won’t be able to bond with their board (less board feel).
•  While 6-10 year olds can skateboard, make sure to provide adequate parental supervision.
•  Your kiddo should avoid skateboarding in poorly lit or high-traffic areas. Find safer smooth/even surfaces such as bike parks or empty parking lots for them.
• They shouldn’t skateboard through puddles or while it’s raining/wet. Because they might slide and fall badly, plus skateboards and bearings don’t react too well to wet conditions. Find a dry smooth skating surface for your kiddo.

Skateboard Maintenance Tips for Better Performance and Longevity

• Replace bushings, bearings, wheels, speedrings, broken trucks, a pop-less deck and whatnot soonest possible.
• Clean the skateboard’s bearings regularly depending on riding frequency. It should be around 2-3 months for most kids.
• Lubricate the bearings every time you clean them or when they stop turning as smoothly as they did before. Stay away from WD40 and other overly viscous lubricants because they attract dust and grime like a magnet. Plus, silicon-based lubes tend to dry up pretty soon. Instead, use a teflon-based lube made specifically for oiling up skate bearings.
• Inspect the nuts on the wheels and elsewhere from time to time and tighten them up.
• Make adjustments to the trucks every few rides to keep them performing optimally.
• Don’t let your kiddo ride in the rain or skate through wet conditions. Water and moisture can drastically diminish the pop aside from causing metallic components such as trucks, bolts, bearings, and nuts to rust.
• If the griptape is too gritty, be sure to sand it down so it won’t keep destroying your kid’s skateboard riding shoes.
• To help your kiddo get more use out of their wheels, schedule wheel rotation every 2-3 weeks if they’re a daily rider. If they ride much less frequently, wheel rotation can happen every 2-3 months.

Here’s how to rotate skateboard wheels properly: Once you clean and lube up the wheels, mount each wheel onto the axle sitting diagonally opposite that wheel so that they form the letter X. Doing this promotes even wheel wear.

Keep the board in cool, dry conditions after use. Extremely cold or hot places aren’t ideal for skateboard storage.

Final Thoughts on Buying a Skateboard for a Child

Choosing the right skateboard for adults can be challenging, but buying for a child requires even more vigilance. Kids need and deserve a skateboard that looks nice without sacrificial crucial aspects such as strength and durability. They need an option with a lightweight construction, one that’ll be easy to haul around.

It should be PU wheels and bushings all the way through. Maple is a great deck material, but fiberglass/bamboo or birch are also decent materials.

While seeking out a kid-size skateboard such as a micro cruiser with a 6” width is OK, it’s not a brilliant idea for bigger kids. For older kids, teens, and everyone else, picking out an adult-sized board is the smartest choice. Reminder, don’t let that grom go out skateboarding before padding and helmeting up.

Happy parenting!