Anyone ever had kids around the age of 6 get into skateboarding? Trevor thinks he wants one for this birthday at the end of this month. He's not a very adventurous kid...I'm worried about spending the money and then having it sit around unused...

thoughts?

Matthew, who will be 7 at the end of May, got a skateboard from his aunt two Christmases ago. He also ws not very adventerous and it sort of sat unused for a while...but now that he is a little older and we live in a cul de sac and not on a corner, he rides it ALL the time.

Same thing with his bike. He got it for his 5th birthday and he hardly ever rode it. Suddenly, one day, he got on it and tried it and he now rides it quite a bit.

Thanks, Chelle! Do you happen to know how long his board is...? I see a few online at Target that are 21" and 28"...

for that age, not having been around it much and mom just not 'feeling' that he'll take to it greatly...
I'd opt for a $20-$30 board from WM/Target/etc. They have some that ride well enough for a kid to not get completely discouraged with the performance, but without having to drop mega jack and it end up not being the interest.

maybe: http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=10795282

or for a bit more, I'd trust Tony Hawk to put out an adequate quality product for a beginner: http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/183-5407002-6100766?asin=B002BFL68W&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=B002BFL68W

Target has the Kryptonic linked at toysrus above.

That's my non-professional opinion though...I wouldn't spend over $30 unless the TH just *really* impressed me, for such a young beginner. Once the kid showed some real interest and looked like he needed 'more' I'd upgrade to the TH, then go from there...moving to a $60 board or whatever.

yeah, the 2 (diff sizes) I'd consider buying are both $19.99 or something like that...with a Cars theme to them. :)

the other thing is that he will need skate shoes. you can skateboard in regular shoes but it's very and he'll probably get discouraged because regular shoes aren't designed for it and will just mess him up. skate shoes specifically for skateboarding make it a lot easier, especially for a beginner.

and don't forget protective equipment (helmet, knee pads etc).

DS is four and he really wants a skateboard as well. Now I love my son but he is not the most coordinated child in the world so this seemed like something he more wanted the "image" of than to actually do it. DH and I bought him a pair of skates that go over his shoes and told him when he could balance well enough to skate we would buy him a skateboard. He is so scared of the skates that he has worn them twice in the last year so for us the skateboard is not in his future any time soon.

This summer we are kicking around the idea of buying him a scooter to see if maybe that helps him balance more.

I hate to call myself a cheapskate but I hate to spend $40-$50 on something that doesn't get used more than once...ya know?

Sara

Ditto the shoes...even a beginner is going to fair better w/the right shoes. Think Vans and Chucks ;) (Etnies, DC, blahblahblah...but I figure "Vans" and "chucks" conjure up the right image and you can go from there in your price range)
Definitely a skate helmet.

Just give the wheels a roll on those boards. You want it to be as smooth and free flowing as possible. That's going to be tough with mass produced cheap boards...just give 'em a feel, make the best choice you can given your budget.

Several years ago we got Eldest a cheap $20 (?) board, the wheels were the smoothest rolling of their selection...he's done ok with it. The board's still around and used by all. He never really got into tricks...he's also my scaredy cat ;) So this has been ok for him to get his feet wet. A year or two ago he briefly expressed interest in a better board, but it was only brief. He turned out to not be my stunt man and is content just rolling up and down the drive on his cheap board ;)

I'm rambling, I'm sorry. Locked up with sick kids all week LOL

wow. didn't know about the shoes. :( i just ordered him a pair of Toms for his b'day...he's been asking for them. sigh. shoes?! realllllly?! wow - never thought shoes would make a difference. hmmm...

thanks for advice.

yup, all about surface area...gripping area..you don't want running or hiking shoes, the ridges/knobs get caught and affect balance...you want flat on flat

we already had such shoes for bmx, so I didn't have to worry about that