Great Skateboards For Kids We Tested (All Ages)

We’ve skated this board for some time the deck keeps its pop for a long time. No signs of chipping or delamination, also no pressure cracks or warping. Even an adult can ride this board and it can take quite a beating.

One of the better decks on this list, and comes with graphics for boys and girls to make it more appealing. The construction consists of bamboo and maple, making it last longer compared to birch or only maple.

Colorful SkateXS brand wheels that provide enough grip and stability for younger riders. Great for cruising and they perform well in parks and streets. The Higher end version consists of higher quality Spitfire wheels.

You can either get Thunder trucks or SkateXS trucks. Thunders are the best trucks you can get but in my opinion the SkateXS street trucks are a safe choice for kids.

They are cheaper but just as good as many professional skateboard trucks out there. They turn great and come with custom bushings which don’t require tweaking. The hollow kingpin makes them lightweight and the custom bushings makes the trucks turn smoothly.

It comes with Mini Logo bearings that are a lot better than most of the setups listed here. Perhaps not for the demanding skater, but fine for beginners and kids. The SkateXS kids skateboard is our most recommended skateboard.

After riding many cruisers, the deck looks a bit cheap to me but it offers enough room to get into a comfortable stance. The transparent grip is durable and offers a decent grip but it ‘s also easy to adjust the foot placement. The concave of the deck is medium plus, which allows for quick stance adjustments while carving or riding over rougher surfaces.

The nose doesn’t really have a purpose, but the kicktail allows kids to really dig in at higher speeds. We didn’t experience any wheel bite so the wheel wells work properly.

Wheel bite is when a wheel comes into contact with the bottom of a skateboard deck when carving. This often causes you to fall because the board suddenly stops moving.

The wheels are quite big and soft, but don’t ride as smooth as the Arbor Pocket Rocket which I’ll address later. To me this makes a tremendous difference but less so for kids as they don’t weight that much.

Overall, the 60mm wheels handle cracks and rough surfaces really well and no issues when kids run into gravel. They just plow through like the pebbles aren’t there.

The trucks are fine for kids but I advise tightening them a bit because they feel really loose at first. If you ride this board straight out of the box, it will feel unstable. Very easy to fix by tightening the large nuts on the trucks. The back trucks should be looser than the front for optimal performance.

Not the best compared to the Arbor Pocket Rocket but they work well with the larger wheels. Overall the board rolls smooth and does not require too much effort to keep it going.

Deck

Santa Cruz unfortunately gets their decks from China these days and are made of birch. that doesn’t mean the boards (or decks) are bad. Not at all! This board is both great for kids who just want to ride, and kids who would want to learn tricks. Very stable and durable deck with a mellow concave (the curvature across the deck’s surface) that can handle lots of ollies and kickflips.

These decks are single pressed, this means you don’t get a warped board because pressing 12 decks at a time causes deformations and warping. They are less poppy compared to a 7-ply maple deck

The trucks are slightly smaller than the deck, the wheels don’t stick out so no worries about feet hitting the wheels when pushing forward. Bullet trucks are fine for beginners and kids, they are comfortable when turning, don’t make these squeaky noises, and help your kid correct any minor mistake when riding.

Santa Cruz makes sure they offer the best bang for your buck, the trucks are inspected during production and so far I never had any Bullet trucks fail me on arrival.

Wheels

The OJ slimeball wheels are great for skating streets and skate parks and the hardness is around 97a. This makes the wheels grippy and less noisy, but this also depends on the surface you ride. The diameter is 53mm which is exactly right for a skateboard this size. No risk of the deck coming into contact with the wheels on sharp turns.

The bearings aren’t super fast and require kids to push harder on rougher asphalt. When riding in skateparks they perform much better. You can make them a bit faster by using silicon lube.

My kid really loves this board, mainly because of the graphic. ‘Wow dad, there’s a dragon on this board’, was the first thing he said and he immediately wanted to try it out.

It’s one of the smaller boards in this list, at 7.625″ wide the deck is suitable for kids under 12 years old. The shape and concave are suitable for both riding and tricks. It’s a budget skateboard, and the pop is rather mediocre but this isn’t an issue for kids who want to explore skateboarding.

If you like to take your kids to your local skatepark, or have a reasonable smooth pavement outside, this is an excellent choice. It’s a decent board that will last for a long time but it’s rather heavy.

Reliable mini logo trucks that are fine for kids. One thing that makes this board stand out from the others are they way they carve. We didn’t notice and deformations when doing tricks meaning the bushings are hard enough and don’t require much tweaking.

My son was able to ride and correct his riding direction when needed, still one of his favorite boards even though we have many pro skateboards lying around.

The wheels are grippy and stable; they are softer compared to professional skateboard wheels which is a good thing. We tested the wheels on asphalt, steel, concrete, and wood and they hold up fine.

Sure, if your kid is a really skilled skateboarder, the wheels won’t suffice. For example, a trick like a powerslide will cause tiny flat spots on the surface of the contact patch (the part of the wheel that comes into contact with the riding surface). But if you worry about that, you better get the kid a professional custom setup.

Standard bearings that work fine, not too fast and not too slow. No weird sounds or wheels blocking because of faulty bearings. I advice to use some silicon lube to increase their performance, just a tiny drop will make a difference. When riding on rougher surfaces (like in the video) it requires more effort to get some speed, still manageable though.

This the smallest skateboard on this list, and very lightweight.  It’s 7.25 wide which is great for younger kids. The benefit of a smaller board is that kids are less likely to hit the rear wheels with their feet when pushing the board forward.

The concave is very low which means its easier to maintain balance but harder to do advanced tricks. Most kids at this age just like to ride a little or even sit on the board, so that’s perfectly fine.

Enjoi 92a/51mm wheels which means your kid won’t have issue when encountering gravel, pebbles or small cracks. Even though the wheels are small, they handle rougher surfaces pretty well. This will help your kid to balance on this board without falling as often.

It comes with standard Tensor trucks and from our experience they are reliable and strong. They won’t fall apart after a few weeks and will last for years. I had a couple of locals test these trucks and they weren’t able to break them even after jumping a 7-stairs.

Another big plus are the soft 92A bushings that are perfect for kids. These are the plastic cone-barrel shaped parts that help the trucks (and your kid) turn. Very easy to adjust and correct the direction of the board.

I advise to tweak the trucks a bit, depending on your kids preference you might want to tighten the kingpin nut. Because the bushings are soft, they might feel to.

Nothing special, they spin but that’s all. Use a bit of silicon lube to make them spin faster, it will make the ride more comfy. Easy to replace by the way.

While a kid can learn to ride on an adult sized skateboard, a smaller size popsicle skateboard is recommended. The proper size depends on their height. Note that it’s about the width, not the length of a skateboard. The length of a skateboard is adjusted to the width. Here’s a kids skateboard size table as a general guideline:

There are 2 types of skateboards you can pick for a child, some are meant for tricks and some for cruising. We only recommend popsicles and cruisers for kids, and advice against longboards for kids under 13.

The classic popsicle: The name comes from its resemblance to a popsicle stick, with a symmetrical shape where both the nose (front) and tail (back) are rounded, and the middle section is largely straight. Popsicle skateboards are great for skate parks en learning tricks. They have smaller and harder wheels which makes them less suitable for riding on rougher surfaces.

Cruiser Skateboards: Cruiser skateboards are great for learning how to ride and have a directional shape. They consist of big soft wheels which don’t get blocked by cracks or pebbles making it a safe choice. The downside is that they aren’t meant for tricks and skate parks. It’s a bit of a mix between a classic skateboard and a longboard.

Longboards: A longboard is longer than a typical skateboard or cruiser. Longboards are bulky and heavy and not great for kids. Longboards reach higher consistent speeds than cruisers and skateboards.

The first to consider is protective gear, get a helmet and a set of decent knee and elbow pads. Not only does it help to keep kids unharmed when they fall, it also is a big motivator and makes it all less scary. A kid will not enjoy skateboarding if they hurt themselves, at least most kids.

Often overlooked but very important are skate shoes. The shoes need to have a flat outsole (like Vans) to provide grip and stability. Snickers with thick outsoles make it very hard to control a skateboard. So at least get a helmet and skate shoes (often on sale).

All things considered, this seems like a huge investment. If you compare it to other sports, it’s not that bad. You can save a lot buying stuff on sale!

Smaller harder wheels are suitable for tricks where softer and larger wheels offer a stable ride.

Riding on rough terrain requires different wheels than riding on smooth concrete. Think about where the skateboard is going to be used and what the main purpose is. Just keep in mind that softer wheels make less noise, and roll smoothly over small pebbles and cracks.

Consider a popsicle skateboard with slightly softer wheels for outdoor skateboarding on surfaces like asphalt, sidewalks, or front yard (brick) pavements.

For skate parks (usually concrete) a popsicle with harder wheels work well. Consider a cruiser if a kid just wants to learn to ride.

Here’s a very simplified overview of wheel hardness and their purpose.

Graphics are important. Not related to how a board performs but to get a kid stoked (as skateboarders often say). A nice graphic speaks to a child and motivates to go out there and skate. Skateboarding is a great way to make friends and a good exercise, so any positive encouragement is a plus.

As a skateboarder that bought many cheaper skateboards, I strongly advice against unknown brands you often see on Amazon. If a skateboard is under $50 USD, it’s very likely a low quality skateboard. Brands links SkateXS, Enjoi, Santa Cruz, and Powell Peralta are a safe choice.

Most people pick a complete or per-assembled skateboard. They are cheaper than a custom skateboard but have flaws. If you buy a complete from a reputable brand, you’re usually safe. Amazon offers many low quality completes which are cheap but don’t ride well and break easily.

A complete skateboard costs between 70 and 100 bucks, a custom starts around $130 and requires you to do extensive research picking the right parts.

Keep in mind that you often have to adjust a new skateboard if it turns too fast or too slow. All it requires is too loosen the trucks or tighten them a bit. This is a very common issue.