My son's into it now. I haven't skateboarded since college and I'm rusty af. Don't want to be that dad who can't help him learn. Should I invest in a decent board for him or get something cheap to start? Any YouTube channels or teaching approaches that actually work? Also how much does it hurt when you inevitably eat pavement lol
Gear check: helmet, wrist guards, knee pads. I know they don't look cool but I learned this the hard way when my 10yo ate pavement at 5mph. He's fine but my heart aged 10 years
The fact that you're willing to learn it WITH him instead of assuming you need to teach it makes you ahead of the game. Start at a park with smooth pavement, stick to the basics, and honestly the rest is just showing up.
This is cool that you want to learn with him. Honestly just go down to your local skate shop and ask the staff what they recommend for a beginner parent-kid situation. They get it. Don't order online if you can help it
Your kid is gonna think it's insane that you can still skate lol. Even if you're rusty, being willing to fall on your face a few times in front of him hits different. He'll respect that way more than you being perfect
Get him a decent board. Not top of the line but not trash either. Cheap boards are actually harder to learn on—they're less stable and the wheels suck. You'll just be watching him struggle and it kills motivation. Something like a $70-90 complete setup from a legit brand makes a huge difference
You don't need to be amazing at it—honestly kids learn faster when parents admit they're rusty. He'll probably have fun watching you eat it once or twice. Get a good setup and let him learn his way.
Real talk: go watch some YouTube tutorials on the basics the night before you practice with him. You won't be an expert but you'll know enough to help him not develop terrible habits from day one. That's honestly more valuable than being good at skating.
Costco/Target sells beginner boards that are actually legit for the price. Don't need to drop $300 on a pro setup yet. And yeah, go rusty with him—that's the whole point of the activity, spending time together.
Start at a skate park, not a parking lot. I know parking lots seem safer but parks are designed for beginners and there's usually helpful people around. Plus your son won't be the only one learning. Less pressure that way
went through this with my 11yo last summer. Got him a solid Enjoi setup for like $85 and he's been out there 4x a week since. Best money spent. Just make sure YOU have pads too or he'll copy your form and yours is prob bad lol
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Get him a decent board but not top of the line. A mid-range board ($100-150) actually matters for learning because cheap boards feel sketchy and kill motivation. Once he commits you can upgrade. Also: helmet, wrist guards, the whole deal.