SO, my 9 year old daughter has decided that she would like a skate board for Christmas this year. She has actually asked for one for the last few gift giving holidays, but I was apprehensive. My nephew suggested that a rip stick would be easier, and she thought that would be fun too. I am trying to decided which one to get for her. While she loves to play outside, she is not overly atheletic, so I want her to be able to do it, before she gets frustrated and gives up. Of course, we will require full protective gear! Any moms with girls around the same age that have one or the other..your advice would be much appreciated! Thanks a bunch:)
Thanks for all of the info ladies..keep it coming! I am leaning towards the skate board for several reasons, most of all the price. Until I am certain she will actually play outside with something like this, I prefer the price of some of the cheaper skate boards. Maybe, after she has mastered that, we can do a rip stick next year. I am always concerned about broken bones, and road rash up her legs, but I cant keep them in a bubble:) Trying to find the balance between safety and fun...a never ending pursuit!!
Get her a rip stick, my sons have them and there is a 5th grade girl that plays with us after school and it took her about a week of trying, but she rides it very well. With proper gear, she will have lots of fun!!
My son loves his ripstick, but he was also a very good skateboarder before. It took a little more practice for him to get the hang of the ripstick. My 10 yr old daughter loves her powerwing scooter...and so do all the other kids on the street.
I would say skateboard. They are much easier to use. My daugter is younger then yours but she loves her skateboard. She first learned to ride going down a slight inclined driveway... that way she could learn to balance without trying to push. That will help with the frustration (my daughter is very impatient and used to things coming easy to her).
My son also has a skateboard (he is 10) and can skateboard well. He tried a ripstick (friends) and wasn't able to do it. He enjoys his skateboard alot and other than a few roadrash type injuries none of my kids have gotten hurt and they are daredevils. A mother sometimes just can't watch without having a heart attack LOL.
Hope this helps :)
We have a 9 yr. old daughter who, like your daughter, isn't overly atheletic although she continually surprises us! She has a skateboard and absolutely loves it. She has tried a ripstick and "it is hard." She says that she prefers her skateboard and she gave up on the ripstick fairly quickly. HTH
I have a 12 year old boy with both and I can tell you from my own experience that a rip stick is much more difficult. I am not a child but was an athlete as a child and teen so I am pretty coordinated. It look me a while to learn to use the rip stick. It is fun and she will not be tempted to go on ramps or jumps but it takes a good amount of coordination. Please encourage her no matter which you choose to get. there were several things that I wound up being good at that my parents never thought I would be able to do. As far as coordination goes just because you are uncoordinated at one thing does not mean you can not do another. I fell over myself at dance class and my fingers were never in the right place on the piano but put me in a swimming pool, on a diving board, or on a soccer field and I was as graceful as a swan. Good luck.
Be careful! I know several kids that have broken their arms using those things!
My grand daughter who is 11 loves all of it Skate board, Rip Stick, roller Blades. She has been skate boarding since the age of 5. She got on the rip Sitck and fell and broke her wrist, which put her off all of it for about 5 months. Lesson learned make sure she has the wrist protection before she gets on them again because she can't wait to prove she can work the Rip Stick. It is a lot harder so I would start out with the skate board. I am glad that she would rather master her skills on these items then on the TV and video games.
My 16 year old daughter says ripstick is easier...my 17 year old son has both - they have had them for several years and still love to ripstick....
Speaking from personal experience, I would purchase a skateboard for the beginner. It balances by itself, and you just stand on it and push. That way, you learn to balance gradually as you push off whereas the Ripstick requires immediate body motion, coordination and balance just to move it. Good on you for not keeping your daughter in the anemone (Nemo reference) !
I have a 14 year old girl and an 11 year old boy that have had their ripsticks for over a year. It is more cool than a skate board (their point of view). It is a little more difficult to figure out, but once you do it is a blast! I am very athletic and it took me some time, but it is a lot of fun and I do it with them now. My daughter was not at all athletic when we got it for her, and she figured it out before either my son or me. Now she rides it with my 5 year old on it with her.
As always, they need to be careful and use safety gear, but I would definitely go for the Ripstick. You can buy them for different levels as well, so make sure you read the info on the one you purchase to ensure you aren't just getting the color you like, but the style you want as well.
Good Luck,
K.
i have a 10 yr old son and a 9 yr old daughter..they both love to skateboard..and my son has a ripstick..skateboards are much easier.. you do have to balance but not nearly as much as the ripstick..i would suggest the skateboaed first and then maybe a ripstick.
A. I hate to be a killjoy but I've known 3 kids to get their arms broken on rip sticks. They were all the rage in our neighborhood last summer and it seemed like every week another my daughter's friends got hurt on one. I don't know if skateboards are safer or not, but they seem like they would be.
