Undoubtedly, if you have children and they have seen you on your longboard they might be very curious as to when it will be time for them to be on their own board. Most of the time we see children on some sort of kick scooter, from the ubiquitous folding-style aluminum scooters (such as made famous by Razer) to more durable, high-quality pro scooter or stunt scooter. But sooner or later, the kids might be interested in graduating to an actual longboard or skateboard. An actual longboard would likely be a better choice than a skateboard, as it will be more efficient for flat land and playing in the neighborhood, and be much more stable to learn on.
Longboarding is a great way to get kids outside and balance some of that screen time with great physical activity. You don’t need to drive to the skatepark, and any hill, or even just the neighborhood gives the ideal environment for some outdoor play time.
When they become skilled at longboarding, kids often will take their board to class. At our school there are always 3-4 kids who have their longboards stored with their coats.
What is the safe age for children to start longboarding?
There isn’t really a clear answer to this, as it depends on the child’s development and a parent’s comfort level. In my kid’s school, it is not unusual to see children in kindergarten (age 5) on kick scooters, and it is typically not until age 7-8 before it is more common to see them on some sort of hands-free board.
Some of the reviews from purchases of children-specific longboards also suggest age 7 as a common starting age, though some reviews are from happy parents of children as young as 4.5 enjoying their longboard.
One family that I am friends with has a child who has been on a longboard since he was 4, but he has two older siblings who have been on boards and likely “motivated” him to keep up! That kid has no problems on his board (or actually an adult landyachtz either).
How durable are longboards for kids?
If a quality board is purchased, there is really no durability difference between a full-sized adult board, a smaller board, or child specific board. Especially since a child is not going to start out with advanced tricks and grinding rails, almost certainly there will only be cosmetic damage from scrapes going over speed bumps, dings against walls.
Any true damage to the board would likely be mom and dad’s fault – perhaps leaving it out in the rain or not serving the bearings after a ride after wet days. The child is very unlikely to be able to damage the board on their own!
What safety gear do kids need for longboarding?
A helmet would be the bare minimum. Friends have seen in their own neighborhood deaths from a simple fall and the head hitting pavement. The helmet is non-negotiable, though you can make it much cooler for the kids by getting a skate specific helmet.
Bike helmets are not a good choice – the coverage over the occiput and especially the forehead is suboptimal compared to skate-specific styles.
Side from the bare-minimum helmet, knee pads, elbow pads would go a very, very long way in inspiring confidence. Falls and inevitable, but having pads that takes the pain away and prevents annoying scrapes makes it that much easier to get on the board and try again after a fall.
Some will use wrist guards (to reduce risk of fracture if the child falls straight onto their wrist) and gloves (to further reduce scraps and road rash on hands), but I personally have found it hard enough to get the knee and elbow pads on kids. This likely will depend on the temperament of your child.
What features should you look for in a longboard for kids?
Typically, boards designed for cruising and carving would be great choices to learn on. They are stable, and make traveling up the street to a friend’s house fast and fun.
Other more specialized boards, such as street or park boards, are more designed for tricks. These typically have a kicktail at each end, and will sacrifice some stability. You can get single kicktail boards that are a bit more stable.
Freeride boards are typically used for more advanced tricks, but these commonly have a drop-through truck mount, allowing for a deck that is closer to the ground, helping for stability and endurance with pushing.
Specially designed boards for kids, such as the SkateXS Longboard for Kids, are excellent as they combine some hard to find features in a pre-built board. It has a drop through mount design as above – giving a low deck height, especially in combination with smaller sized 65 mm diameter wheels. It has a bamboo deck, helping to keep the weight down. There is no sacrifice on components, with good bearings as well as quality trucks.
This board has reviews mostly for 7-10 year olds, though one review for a child as young as 4.5 was done!
What is the best size longboard for kids?
Typical longboard decks will range in length from 33.5 inches to 42 inches, with some dance boards or other specialized boards being up to 60 inches. Of course, kids and children would be most appropriately matched to boards on the lower end of the spectrum. The length is typically proportionally sized to their height.
Some kids, including mine when he was 9, would take well and prefer a mini-cruiser, such as the famous Landyachtz Dinghy. One consideration in such choices is that thought length may be suitable, sometimes the height might be a bit too much for kids. They will do fine but may tire more readily due to repeatedly having to single leg squat a bit deeper for each push.
My Carver surfskate is the tallest at the back (when my son was using this each push had him squatting nearly 90 degrees :)). At the very front is a stunt scooter, with 90 mm wheels. The middle board is a Landyachtz Dinghy mini cruiser, and the board just further from that is a classic drop through style board.
Wheel diameter plays a factor in overall height of the board, but as you can see here, the small cruiser board with 63 mm wheels is still quite a bit higher than the adult sized drop-through mounted board. Having said that, the light weight and shorter board size of the Dinghy makes it a win in many kid’s eyes as it is easier to carrier around, and to stow in their class.
What is the safest kids longboard?
The safest board is the one where the child is wearing a helmet with. Beyond that, it comes typically down to a board that is more stable, but this is really more important just during the learning phase. Once your child has learned how to ride with control, and as long as they can turn easily and stop easily, most boards will be similar.
Take note that to turn easily the board has to be set up correctly with a balance between loose trucks for easy maneuverability and tighter trucks for stability. Further, softer bushings can work wonders for making the board easier to turn.
Conclusions
Most kids really could get a feel for longboarding simply by hopping on your regular board. This might be great for initially learning stability, as long as it is not too high off the ground. Soon though, kids will be much happier with a more scaled-down deck, helping with both weight while carrying, and helping with maneuverability. Don’t forget about getting softer bushings, usually very helpful for creating a more kid-specific feel!