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Does it matter what kids skateboard you buy? I wouldn't think of lumbering our kids with shitty BSOs but having never skated I don't know if there are the same issues with boards.
Also, are there any good resources about how to get them started? I used the Islabike videos for cycling and we were up and running in under an hour.
We got one from decathlon. Seems ideal. My older two also expressed an interest in skateboarding but wanted a 'penny' board, plastic 70's job. Got those from eBay.
Penny boards are decent as they generally have nice big soft wheels. and kids only have little feet so the narrow deck isn't an issue for stability.
My two had penny boards from Amazon/Ebay to start with. They've just gone onto bigger cruisers though. My 9 yr old daughter has this https://vandemlongboardshop.co.uk/products/d-street-cruiser-beach?variant=29544711389293 and it's a lovely little board, would highly recommend.
Suppose it depends if you want them to be cruising or going for X Games golds, but theres loads of you tube videos showing the basics.
I've mentioned them before but I would look at the kids sized enuff boards.not sure of the minimum age though. I am sure a decent online retailer could tell you what foot size and age.
Like bikes, it depends what you want to do with it.
My 11-yr old built a skateboard using the skateboard builder at Skatehut.
Boards appear to be much of a muchness (although cheap supermarket ones break readily) and the real value is in the wheels.
Came to £80+ but the board has been hammered for the last four months: bought at the start of lock-down and the best purchase ever. All day, every day is now spent at the local skate park. Happy days.
Note: We have a penny board but it sits unused.
Thanks all, will take a look a those
Have a look for 'soft top' boards, they're proper boards but with grippy foam (a bit like foam bike grips) rather than traditional grip tape, small kids find them easer to move about on and they won't skin them if they fall onto it (which they will).
My wee lady has one of these: https://www.slamcity.com/products/enjoi-6-75-panda-soft-top-youth-complete-skateboard-white
That Enjoi board looks ace. An advantage of Penny boards is that the deck is plastic, and so won't delaminate afer its been repeatedly punted into kerbs for a few months (which hopefully it will be, if your kids are into it) like the Enjoi one.
However, I find the narrowness of Penny boards and the considerable height makes them really hard to skate. Never got on with them myself at all.
If you buy one of the cheap £9 boards off sports direct, they're ok for kids starting out, except the wheels, they're hopless. So get some decent wheels to put on them and they will be away. They need to see if they'll get on with it before spending out, I reckon.