How to roller skate

Learning how to roller skate is all about balance, confidence and a bit of practice – but most of all, it’s about having fun.

Start by choosing roller skates that fit well and offer good ankle support. Make sure you’re kitted out with protective gear too: a helmet, wrist guards, elbow pads and knee pads will help you skate with confidence from the start.

Begin on a smooth, flat surface and focus on your stance. Keep your knees slightly bent, feet shoulder-width apart and arms out for balance. Take small steps to get moving, rather than trying to glide straight away. As you build confidence, push one foot out to the side and then bring the other foot in to meet it – this is the basic skating stride.

Don’t worry if you wobble – everyone starts somewhere. Practice stopping by using the heel brake, usually on the back of one skate, and learn to fall safely by bending your knees and leaning slightly forward. With patience, practice and a few laughs along the way, roller skating can become a brilliant way to stay active and have fun outdoors or at the rink. Ready to roll? You’ve got this.

Once your child is kitted out in the right roller skates and safety gear, it’s time to help them build confidence on wheels.

Teaching kids to roller skate can be fun and rewarding ,and using a few simple techniques can make the learning process smoother for everyone.

1. Give clear, simple instructions

Start with your child’s full attention. Use their name, speak at their level and keep instructions short and easy to follow. Use gestures to demonstrate what you mean – sometimes a quick mime says more than words.

2. Show them how it’s done

Modelling is one of the most effective teaching tools. Let your child watch you slowly go through each movement. Highlight key actions like bending the knees or how to step. Then, give them plenty of time to copy and practise what they’ve seen.

3. Break it down step by step

Skating takes coordination, so break it into manageable chunks:

First, get them to bend their knees and lean slightly forward.

Let them practise walking in their skates to find their balance.

Support them as they start to roll gently.

Once confident, guide them to push off diagonally, alternating skates to move forward.

Every child learns at their own pace, so don’t rush. Practising indoors on carpet can help nervous skaters get comfortable with balance and falling safely. And when falls happen – because they will – keep things positive. Falling is just part of learning.

Once they’ve cracked the basics, they won’t forget. Roller skating is a brilliant mix of movement, independence and fun – and a great way to stay active together.

Roller skates have significantly evolved over the years, making significant advances in a relatively short period. And they’ve come a long way from the earlier roller skates, which had wheels made of wood or steel, and were strapped onto your shoes. Modern-day inline skates have polyurethane plastic wheels arranged in a line so that the gliding action is much like that of an ice skating blade. Let’s take a look at the different types of roller skates in a little more detail:

Quad roller skates are the traditional kind many of us had as children. They were also a 1970s icon, as roller discos were popping up worldwide.

These skates have four wheels in a two-by-two configuration, giving them extra stability. They are used in artistic skating and roller derby, are standard on most indoor tracks and are considered beginner-friendly. Quad skates come in either a high-top or low-top skate boot.

- A little slower
- More stable (good for beginners)
- Better for indoor skating
- Not much ankle support

Inline skates (or rollerblades) also have four wheels, but they’re arranged straight. This makes them better for outdoor use, making it much easier to manoeuvre and avoid obstacles. Inline skates also provide more ankle support and speed compared to quad skates. They feel like ice skates and are generally used in roller hockey and speed skating.

- Made for exercise and speed
- More suited for skating outside
- Provide greater ankle support
- Takes more practice to master

Children can learn to roller skate at around three years of age as most kids don’t require concentration on their balance for everyday movements such as walking, running and jumping.

Though they may still have to concentrate on more complex moves like standing on one foot, children don’t usually develop the balance and coordination of an adult until four or five years old, so it’s best to wait until around this age before introducing them to roller skates.

Roller skates can be either quad skates or inline skates. Quad skates are generally easier to maintain balance due to their wider wheelbase. This makes them a great choice for younger children and beginner skaters.

They’re also more manoeuvrable than inline skates, allowing your little ones to do tricks and fancy footwork with practice. Inline skates are harder to balance when first starting out, making them better suited for older children or more competent skaters.

Inline skates are usually more comfortable for long periods of skating because of their padded boot, and they make it easier to build up and maintain speed.

Roller skating is a fun activity for kids offering lots of health benefits. But it can be dangerous, so wearing the proper safety gear is essential. As well as buying your child a pair of skates, it’s also advisable to invest in the following:

A helmet: Choose a roller skating helmet specifically designed for skating or skateboarding. They will be lower at the back (towards the base of the skull) for better protection if they fall backwards. Make sure the helmet fits your child correctly, and always fasten the chin straps snuggly, so the helmet doesn’t bob around.

Knee pads: It’s inevitable your new skater will fall over while learning the basics, so knee pads, elbow pads and wrist guards will help prevent scrapes, as well as cushion the bones. You can usually buy all three together in a set and often find designs to match the helmet or even the skates.

Light gloves: Yes, even in the summer! These can help keep little fingers safe in the event of a fall.

A mouth guard: This one might seem extreme, but a mouth guard will help protect the teeth and mouth in case of a crash or fall.
You should avoid buying used safety equipment as you don’t know how it’s been stored or what damage it may have sustained previously. There can be microscopic damage you can’t see, which massively lessens the level of protection.

Roller skates are an ultimate icon of the 1970s – but their history goes back further. Roller skating was invented almost 300 years ago by Belgian John Joseph Merlin. He famously introduced his new metal-wheeled shoes at a party in London and promptly crashed into a large mirror. That probably wasn't the best advert for the new invention, but that didn't stop the idea from catching on. Monsieur Petitbled patented the roller skate in 1819, although the Frenchman's skates were inline, with only three wheels and no way to turn!

Then in 1863, clever American inventor James Leonard Plimpton designed 'modern' roller skates with four wheels aligned two by two. This allowed skaters to turn on a smooth curve and even skate backward (something not possible before), greatly increasing their popularity.

Skating fell out of favour in the 1900s until the servers at drive-ins started wheeling meals out to customers. Roller skating became a popular hobby, hitting its peak in the roller disco era of the 70s and 80s. Inline skates took over in the 90s, but quad skating is now making a comeback.