Skateboarding was first invented in the 1950s in California by surfers who wanted an alternative sport when the waves were low. The sport grew in popularity until it peaked around 1963. Arriving in the UK in the 1970s, skateboarding bubbled away with a small fanbase until growing in popularity again in 1990s with the rise of punk & hip hop culture. After appearing in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics where 13-year-old Sky Brown took home a bronze medal, skateboarding is now more popular than ever with a growing following of young skaters!

Skateboarding is a great sport for teaching kids a variety of new skills. Here are some of our top learnings!

1. It helps develop coordination.

Skateboarding is great for helping develop coordination & balance. The physical act of skateboarding relies heavily on using the entire body to balance, push and propel forward. There’s a real knack to coordinating all body parts so that everything is working in tandem to keep you from falling off!

2. It’s a full body work out!

Skateboarding is a full body workout! It requires a whole range of muscle and movement skills to propel, stop and steer the board. Riders exercise their feet, legs, arms, and torso as they twist and balance with each trick and turn making it a perfect form of exercise that looks super cool too!

3. It teaches perseverance.

Mastering tricks on a skateboard is hard work! It requires huge amounts of practice but is a great way to teach kids about the benefits of persevering! Walking with a skateboard may seem super easy but learning ollies or kickflips takes much longer. It may take a while, but once they get the hang of it, it’ll all seem worth it!
It may take hundreds of attempts to get it right, but once they land that trick, it’s the best feeling in the world!

4. It builds critical thinking skills.

Skateboarding encourages critical thinking and decision-making skills in children. Just like other physical activities, skateboarding improves overall brain function by increasing blood flow to the brain. By practicing a new trick thousands of times or mastering a new routine, kids will become more creative as they go. All great skills to help throughout life!

5. It builds courage.

Skateboarding is all about facing your fears! There are so many initial fears that kids may come across when they first start skating such as injury or struggling to find their balance, but by facing their fears and overcoming them kids will become braver. With plenty of support, they’ll soon let go of any worries and wont let anything be an obstacle in front of their target!