Ice skating

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For helmet and gear, what does kid wear to learn to ice skate for protection? Does bike helmet work? Mitten or snow glove? And, does kid need to wear elbow or knee pad?

And, what do they wear in summertime when they go to indoor ice skating arena to ice skate?

Bike helmets work (I think; I grew up figure skating and don't remember wearing anyone ever wearing a helmet but I think they're standard these days/around here). Gloves should be tight so kids can grip things with them on. I'd only provide knee pads if the kids ends up consistently falling on their knees/gets bruised. For skating indoors in summer, same as in winter (although obviously in layers to avoid overheating on the way there). But I think unless they get serious about it, most people just do casual ice skating in the winter. And if you're serious about it, it's a good workout, so you're not really wearing a lot of clothes -- leggings or tights and a practice dress, maybe a sweater and gloves.

Also endorse the PP's suggestion of buying kids their own secondhand skates. If they're only skating socially, skates last for ages and can be resold/passed on when the kids grow. Rental skates aren't well maintained or sharpened frequently enough and can be a big hindrance in learning to skate.

I am not familiar with ice skating, what are the main differences on ice skating if ice skates are not sharpened frequently versus a sharpened ice skates?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For helmet and gear, what does kid wear to learn to ice skate for protection? Does bike helmet work? Mitten or snow glove? And, does kid need to wear elbow or knee pad?

And, what do they wear in summertime when they go to indoor ice skating arena to ice skate?

Bike helmets work (I think; I grew up figure skating and don't remember wearing anyone ever wearing a helmet but I think they're standard these days/around here). Gloves should be tight so kids can grip things with them on. I'd only provide knee pads if the kids ends up consistently falling on their knees/gets bruised. For skating indoors in summer, same as in winter (although obviously in layers to avoid overheating on the way there). But I think unless they get serious about it, most people just do casual ice skating in the winter. And if you're serious about it, it's a good workout, so you're not really wearing a lot of clothes -- leggings or tights and a practice dress, maybe a sweater and gloves.

Also endorse the PP's suggestion of buying kids their own secondhand skates. If they're only skating socially, skates last for ages and can be resold/passed on when the kids grow. Rental skates aren't well maintained or sharpened frequently enough and can be a big hindrance in learning to skate.

I am not familiar with ice skating, what are the main differences on ice skating if ice skates are not sharpened frequently versus a sharpened ice skates?

Dull blades make it more difficult to stop, more difficult to stay on an edge when pushing and gliding. Most rinks do sharpen their rental skates regularly - so there's no reason to assume a rental skate does not have adequate edges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For helmet and gear, what does kid wear to learn to ice skate for protection? Does bike helmet work? Mitten or snow glove? And, does kid need to wear elbow or knee pad?

And, what do they wear in summertime when they go to indoor ice skating arena to ice skate?

Even in the summer, please dress them to be cold - long pants, a jacket, mittens or gloves. Any beginner will end up falling on the ice and it is cold. If you want your kids to enjoy it, make sure they are set up for the best time with enough clothes. Even bring snowpants and put them on in the lobby over their shorts if you feel like it's too hot to wear long pants to the rink in the summer.

[Anonymous]

Yes. If they only want to skate as a hobby, it's not necessary to buy the full set of equipment and dresses. But if you are serious about being a professional ice skater, then it is a wise choice to invest in leggings or tights and a practice dress, maybe a sweater and gloves.
https://skatingboutique.com/collections/skating-dresses