How to Get Your Children to Absolutely Love Skateboarding
How to Get Your Children to Absolutely Love Skateboarding
The long days of summer are drawing near, and it’s the perfect time for you and your child to embrace a new sport. Skateboarding can be different for all ages, but many children learn to ride at a young age. Besides being widely considered as “cool,” skateboarding is also an excellent way to get active, improve core balance, and strengthen the joints. Practiced from an early age, it helps build confidence, resilience, and keeps your outdoors (gasp!) and away from the screen.
Skateboarding for Kids
As a parent, convincing your kids to start practicing a sport can sometimes prove to be a difficult task. Beyond the initial enthusiasm of your children, keeping up motivation to get out and practice is tough for any sport. A positive method for making skateboarding and other sports a permanent item on your child’s agenda is to establish a habit. Skateboarding every day after school, for example, can become a release that your child looks forward to each day.
Photocred: Vice.com
Never Sacrifice Safety
The best way to make sure your child stays on the safe side of skateboarding is to inform yourself about the subject. You can start by browsing the internet and reading dedicated forums. You may also want to consider asking for more personalized and direct advice from your local skate shop. Also, consult our previous blog post about how to stay safe while skating. Safety is an issue you should never neglect, especially in extreme sports like skateboarding. Remind your kids that safety can be cool, and let them pick the helmets and pads they think are coolest, provided they’re equally safe. Never consider safety equipment as something optional when it comes to skateboarding for kids. Visit Nationwide Children’s for more information regarding safety and statistics.
Practice with Your Child
Sometimes the best way to make your child love and get attached to something is to practice it together. Face it, you could probably use some time away from the computer as well, rediscovering the thrill of the road without sitting behind the wheel. Rediscover your sense of balance, leave your rational thinking behind, and buy a skateboard for yourself (if you’re in appropriate physical condition, of course). You get to make sure your child is safe, while learning the basics of skateboarding, and enjoying your free time in a relaxing way few adults would even dare to consider. Really, what’s better than bonding time with your children?
Learn With Peers
Practicing any sport, particularly skateboarding, is better with others. After introducing your child to the basic principles of skateboarding, give him/her the liberty to find people of the same age to skate with. Skateboarding for kids is an activity that requires a lot of support. Kids are fast learners when knowledge is spread by personal example. In addition, outdoor activities are proven building blocks of long-lasting friendships. If your child struggles with finding someone to share his/her new acquired passion with, then take a tour of the neighborhood and become the match maker. Another way to meet children his/her age would be to go to a nearby skate park, and let your child meet a new friend. There are generally tons of kids learning to skateboard or practicing their skills. Sit on the sidelines and watch your child bond with others, improve their skills, and show off their best moves. Here’s a good database of local skate parks near you.
Photocred: Parks.lacounty.gov
Give Them Time
Everything is hard at the beginning. After a few bruises your child may hand you the skateboard claiming that this is not a sport for him/her. Allow your child some rest and time-off. Afterward, let them decide when to start riding again. Remember, we all respond better to things that we choose to do rather than are told to do. Learning to skateboard is no exception.
If you’d like to read about someone’s love and hate relationship with skateboarding and why he made it a hobby, visit Medium.com
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About The Author:
Yogin Patel is a serial entrepreneur who currently attends Arizona State University. At the age of 16, Yogin became an independent marketing consultant, along with an avid blogger and online marketer. In the past year, Yogin has worked with several small businesses, including local restaurants, hotels, and personal brands. He builds clean websites, ranks businesses on the first page of Google, and manages social media for brands. In his free time, Yogin likes to read thought-provoking books and play basketball with friends.