Teach Your Child How to Roller Skate

Roller skating is just one of the fun exercises that parents and children can do together that incorporates a healthy lifestyle. Roller skating burns the same amount of calories as running, without the shock impact on your knees that running brings. It is a great workout and it also helps improve balancing skills.

Before you begin to teach your children how to roller skate make sure you have the right skates and safety equipment. Always have your children wear a helmet, knee pads, elbow pads and wrist pads, even if you are with them roller skating.

Preschool
Young children should wear skates that are specifically made for preschoolers. You can buy skates that have adjustable wheels for the stable progress of your little one, such as the ones featured on the Buy Skates* page listed below in the resources list. You can adjust your child’s skates as they learn and grow with skating.

When your children’s skates have adjusted to the highest level possible, teach them the skating stance and proper pushing techniques. The skating stance starts with your feet in a simple V shape and children should be asked to push their feet out from their other leg. If they start with the left leg have them push their left foot outward and then continue with the right foot. Be close by your preschooler as this will take time and patience for them to understand and manipulate properly.

Main points to address:

• Buy skates that are intended for preschoolers.
• Give them time to comprehend the skater stance and pushing techniques.

Grades K-3rd
Skating is merely pushing yourself with wheels on your feet. Show your children the stance of skaters (if you are unaware of this technique it is provided above). It shouldn’t take them long to get the hang of doing this, as it is a simple technique to learn. But you both should understand that none of this will come without one, two or a few hundred falls. Yet, this is a relatively easy technique to pick up for most children in this age group, so they’ll be skating like a pro in no time.

Unlike the preschooler skates, if you have given them a regular pair of skates to work with, you’ll have to teach them to stop. Which can be done by instructing them to place the ball (that is directly on the front of the skate) on the ground and pull it along until they come to a complete stop.

Main points to address:

• Teach them the skating stance and proper pushing techniques.
• Teach them proper stopping techniques.

Grades 4th-6th
Once your children reach this age group and they already know the simple techniques to skating and stopping you can teach them the proper format to skate backwards. They will take the same stance they used for skating forward but this time they will push their feet inward instead of outward. This may take a few times, because most children will tangle their feet together when they first attempt to skate backwards, and let them know that’s okay. But the trick is to push your feet outward just before they meet up. Their feet will be making connected figure eight motions. In, then out, in, then out…have them continue this backward routine a few times a day to really get the hang of it.

If interested, you can introduce inline skating with your child. The same stance and pushing techniques are used with inline skates as they are with roller skates therefore the only thing that will be different is trying to balance on inline skates. Once they get the hang of skating with them better they will be able to use them properly. Practice makes perfect.

Main points to address:

• Teach them how to skate backwards.
• Introduce inline skates to your child.
• Provide the same instructions for inline skates as roller skates.

Resources
Resources that can help you in your venture include:

• USA Roller Skate Sports – http://www.usarollersports.org/
• Club Skate – http://www.rollerskating.com
• Skating News & Articles – http://www.skatelog.com/
• Roller Skate International – http://www.rollerskating.org
• * Buy Skates – http://www.skatebuys.com

Posted in Leisure.

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