Skateboards should fit the person who's skating them. With these recommendations you'll quickly find the right size:
We have a lot of advice and guidance that'll help you when shopping for complete skateboards for kids.
Even though you often see older skaters, skateboarding is a great activity for children. After all, skating promotes coordination and motor skills as well as creativity and individuality, which have a positive effect on development. When buying a children's skateboard for the first time, however, a few things should be considered. As a skate shop with years of experience in skateboarding, we have lots of tips and recommendations for you. In order to equip children with skateboards that provide long-lasting fun, we only include top quality skateboards for children in our range!
Find answers to your questions:
Generally speaking, children can ride the same skateboards as adults, but at the beginning, it is especially useful to get started on a children's skateboard. The width and length of a normal skateboard, which also means a higher weight, may not be suitable for children. This could cause the fun to quickly fall by the wayside. In order to better introduce them to skateboarding guarantee faster progress, there are shorter and narrower skateboards for children.
With the right board under their feet, your child will have more fun, learn faster and hopefully avoid giving up on skating so quickly. Whether boy or girl: it makes no difference when choosing a children's skateboard. A skateboard is and always will be a skateboard and can be used by everyone the same way!
When looking for the right skateboard for the first time, there are a few things to consider. To make your decision a little easier, we have collected some useful information for you here.
In order to find the right skateboard for your child, you can take your child's body and shoe size into account. These factors are also important when choosing skateboards for adults, but especially children should pay close attention to them. After all, this is the first children's skateboard and everything should fit here!
When it comes to having a good feeling and safe steering, the skateboard's width, which is measured by its deck, is crucial. The deck is the wooden part of a skateboard and just how wide it should be can be determined by the shoe size. There are no fixed rules which shoe size fits to which deck width, but for children who want to learn to skateboard it makes sense to consider them.
The width of a board for skating is always given in inches [″]. One inch corresponds to 2.54 cm. Skateboarding originally comes from the USA and the unit of measurement was simply adopted. The bigger the feet are, the wider the board should be. For example, if your child's shoe size is EU 35 (US 3.5, UK 3), then a board between 7.375″ - 7.75″ would be ideal. If your child has a shoe size EU 38, a board between 7.625″ - 8″ would be a good choice.
Below we have put together a list that will help you to easily find the best possible deck width according to your shoe size. So you can be sure that you are buying the right skateboard for your child.
| Shoe size US | Shoe size EU | Shoe size UK | Recommendation deck size |
|---|---|---|---|
| US 1 | EU 31.5 | UK 1 | < 7″ - 7.25″ |
| US 1.5 | EU 32 | UK 1 | 7″ - 7.375″ |
| US 2 | EU 32.5 | UK 1.5 | 7.25″ - 7.5″ |
| US 3 | EU 34 | UK 2.5 | 7.375″ - 7.625″ |
| US 3.5 | EU 35 | UK 3 | 7.375″ - 7.75″ |
| US 4 | EU 36 | UK 3.5 | 7.5″ - 7.875″ |
| US 4.5 | EU 36.5 | UK 4 | 7.5″ - 7.875″ |
| US 5 | EU 37.5 | UK 4.5 | 7.625″ - 8″ |
| US 5.5 | EU 38 | UK 5 | 7.625″ - 8″ |
| US 6 | EU 38.5 | UK 5.5 | 7.75″ - 8″ |
| US 6.5 | EU 39 | UK 6 | 7.75″ - 8.125″ |
| US 7 | EU 40 | UK 6 | 7.875″ - 8.125″ |
| US 7.5 | EU 40.5 | UK 6.5 | 7.875″ - 8.25″ |
| US 8 | EU 41 | UK 7 | 8.00″ - 8.25″ |
| US 8.5 | EU 42 | UK 7.5 | 8.00″ - 8.25″ |
| US 9 | EU 42.5 | UK 8 | 8.00″ - 8.375″ |
| US 9.5 | EU 43 | UK 8.5 | 8.00″ - 8.375″ |
| US 10 | EU 44 | UK 9 | 8.125″ - 8.5″ |
| US 10.5 | EU 44.5 | UK 9.5 | 8.125″ - 8.5″ |
| US 11 | EU 45 | UK 10 | 8.25″ - 8.5″ |
| US 11.5 | EU 45.5 | UK 10.5 | 8.25″ - 8.625″ |
| US 12 | EU 46 | UK 11 | 8.375″ - 8.625″ |
| US 13 | EU 47.5 | UK 12 | 8.5″ - 8.625″ |
| US 14 | EU 48.5 | UK 13 | > 8.5″ |
The width of the deck can affect the skateboard's riding characteristics. A children's skateboard that is much too narrow could make you feel insecure, as it offers less stability. A children's skateboard that is too wide is more difficult to steer.
To make a decision within the recommended widths, you should consider the general characteristics. Narrower boards turn or flip more easily because less power is needed for tricks. Especially for beginners this is an advantage. At high speed, however, narrower skateboards can be more difficult to control, as they offer less area to stand on.
wider skateboard offers the advantage of more standing area and control, especially at higher speeds. For flips and other tricks where the board spins, however, more force is required.
Another factor to make it easier for children to start skateboarding is the right deck length. Again, a board that is too short offers less stability and a board that is too long is more difficult for children to handle or steer.
A shorter board is of course somewhat lighter and therefore easier to manoeuvre. Since your child probably does not yet have the leg strength of a full-grown skater, a shorter skateboard will have a positive effect on general handling. For example, it simplifies the leverage of an ollie (jumping with the skateboard).
Skateboard decks for children are usually between 27″ - 29,75″ (68,58 and 75,56cm) long. For example, if your child is between 130 - 140cm tall, a deck length of < 28″ is a good choice. Similar to the deck width, the bigger your child is, the longer the skateboard should be. If your child is about 150cm tall, the ideal deck length is between 30.5″ - 31.5″. Have a look at the table below to find the ideal deck length for your child's height. If your child is already taller, then have a look at our skateboard decks and complete boards for other sizes.
| Body size | Recommendation deck size |
|---|---|
| < 130 cm | <28" |
| < 140 cm | 28″ - 30.5″ |
| < 150 cm | 30.5″ - 31.5″ |
| 150 - 175 cm | 31.5″ - 31.875″ |
| 160 - 185 cm | 31.75″ - 32.00″ |
| 170 - 195 cm | 31.875″ - 32.25″ |
| 180 - 210 cm | 32″ - 32.5″ |
| > 190 cm | > 32.5″ |
More information on how wide and long your skateboard should be can be found in our Skateboard Wiki.
If you can't find the right complete children's skateboard, you can of course put together your own. The easiest way is to use our skateboard configurator.
Simply enter your height and shoe size in the configurator and in just a few steps, you can put together the right skateboard consisting of deck, trucks, wheels and bearings. You will only be shown sizes and products that match your specifications and each other. Your child can of course be a part of the creative process and you can design the right skateboard setup in no time.
If you don't want a regular skateboard, you will also find a large selection of cruisers or longboards at skatedeluxe. These boards are less suitable for tricks and skateparks, but are very popular if you want to focus more on relaxed riding or "asphalt surfing".
» Create a childeren skateboard with our skateboard configuratorEven if supermarkets or sports shops offer visually appealing children's boards for a reasonable price, the quality usually leaves a lot to be desired. It is important to us that children start with the right skateboard so that they can enjoy it from the beginning and for as long as possible. As with many other sports, the right quality skateboards are only available in specialised shops.
Complete boards from shops that are not specialised in skateboarding are often characterised by inferior quality and a very short durability. Important aspects, such as the steering behaviour of the trucks or the quality of the griptape, are often neglected. The boards from real skateboard companies last longer because they are better manufactured and the individual components are of higher quality.
At skatedeluxe you will only find skateboards for kids and complete boards from well-known skateboard companies, which are characterized by first-class workmanship. Of course this also applies to our own brand skatedeluxe. In our skatedeluxe brand shop you will find a large selection of first-class decks, kids' skateboards, complete boards, wheels and stylish streetwear.
To keep skating fun for your child, the motto is: Safety First! Even though experienced skateboarders almost never wear protective clothing in their videos, it is a must-have for children.
Beginners in particular, who are still a bit wobbly on the skateboard, should definitely wear a helmet. Protectors for wrists, elbows and knees are also recommended. In the skatedeluxe skateshop you can find helmets and protectors as well as complete sets for kids, so that nothing stands in the way of a safe start.
» To the helmets and protective clothingBesides the skateboard and appropriate protective clothing, a skate tool should not be missing. With it, all nuts and bolts of a skateboard can be tightened. No matter if you want to exchange single parts, adjust the steering or screw the complete skateboard together; with a skate tool you have directly all tools you need.
» Skate ToolsThere are also skate shoes for children. Skate shoes are characterised by the fact that they withstand the abrasion of griptape longer than regular shoes, their reinforcement in key places, and soles that have sufficient cushioning and generally offer a lot of stability. Furthermore you can find skate clothes for children in the skatedeluxe skateshop.
Besides the right equipment, fun is of course the most important thing. With a little perseverance and patience, nothing stands in the way of a good start now! If you are already doing well with your skating, you will find some useful trick tipps on our skatedeluxe blog.
» Skate clothes for Kids » skate shoes for KidsWant to know more? In our skateboard wiki you can find even more information and details about the individual components of a skateboard, the instructions for assembling a skateboard and much more.
If you need more help, please contact our customer service! They will be happy to answer your questions or give you personal advice and recommendations. With them you are guaranteed to find the right skateboard for children.
Whether in class or as a workshop: We have the right offer for high-quality skateboards and everything you need for your lesson. You can find all the information on our skateboards for schools & workshops page.
