One of my co-workers has enrolled his daughter in the Canskate Program at the local skating club. She's 3 years old. He's wondering what kind of skates to get for her. Does he get her hockey skates or figure skates?

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March 28, 2003, 10:40pm...The Golden Moment.

March 26th, 2010, Shae and Victor get some company.

My granddaughter was four when I started her in Canskate. I got her Reidell Figure Skates.

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I suggest figure skates, as most Canskate or Learn to skate programs focus on the basics, and then progress more into the figure skating side of ice skating, basic jumps and spins etc, but that won't be for a while yet.

Figure skates are also easier to learn on, as the blade in somewhat "thicker" than the blade of a hockey skate, although on the other hand, hockey skates can be found cheaper.

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Santa Claus went to Zellers and bought $29.95 white figure skates for my daughter for Christmas when she was three. The instructors thought they were fine and they took her through CanSkate stage 3 where she grew out of them. The skates laced up like traditional figure skates and had a small toe pick. I noticed the kids with the hard plastic boots with buckles were not as comfortable nor did the blades seem to have any edges or picks. SportMart and Wallmart also have a good selection of "figure" skates for under $50.00.

I found the most important thing in the kid's eyes is that they be clean and white!

DO NOT buy the hard plastic ones!!!!

The ones at Canadian tire..little CCM bauer will do since she is so little. If the parents want to invest a little bit more, get them to a skate shop for ridells, gams, etc. Most skate shops have consignments so they can trade them in.

I also don't recommend the skate trade in that most clubs have at the beginning of the year

Thanks for all the responses.

One of the other guys in the office was suggesting hockey skates as they'd be more supportive of her ankles???

I was thinking figure skates for the toe pick.

The dad is concerned that she'll want skates like everyone else in the group. It's a co-ed group and she's going with her male cousin who I think will be in hockey skates.

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Bladers Forever!
March 28, 2003, 10:40pm...The Golden Moment.

March 26th, 2010, Shae and Victor get some company.

Go for hockey skates, and that's from a figure skater at heart.

1. There's tons of used ones out there
2. You can lace them tight and even tape the ankes for support
3. There's no toe pick
4. And although it will take them longer to get up and get going, with lots of falls, once they get their balance, they've got it.

The plastic skates are good in that if you have wide fat feet they fit well. If you have skinny feet, there's no way of tightening them. They're also good because they have the front of a hockey skate (no toepick) and the extended back blade of a figure skate which is easier for balance. If given the choice between a pair of vinyl figure skates with no ankle support and plastic ones, I'd go for the plastic ones.

Although figure skate are perfectly fine, kids who have toepicks at an early age tend to use them, inappropriately. Toepicks are for jumping and it is harder to unlearn toepick pushing than anything else, although a couple of sessions in hockey skates can cure that.

Spend your money on a hockey helmet. You don't need the faceguard. Protect your little one's head.

actually, hockey skates are harder to skate in and they don't have as much support. BEcause of the way they lace up, you can't get as much support around the ankle. Watch little kids in hockey skates skate around. Many have turned in ankles..yes some from poor fitting skates, but mostly the laces dont go up that high on your ankle.

As a coach.. NO HARD MOULDED PLASTIC SKATES!!! We do not endorse them and if wee ones come into the program with them on we often will suggest to parents to get different ones. One fall the wrong way and ...snap...there goes an ankle.

Yes, for the hockey helmet..a must have. Skip the snow pants...layers work better. And only one pair of socks. You'd be surprised at parents who have 3-4 layers of socks..LOL

You might want to ask who else will be on the ice other than the stage 1 kids. Here we have stage one through early figure skating academy on the ice at the same time. If this is the case, chances are the little girl will look down the ice and want the same kind (ie look) of skate the big girls have. I know this was a big thing for my daughter. We also saw a hugh improvement when she went from fleece to tights and a skirt - she was 4!

Much of how they progress at this age IMHO is in their attitude. If they feel like a figure skater they will believe they can do it and that makes all the difference in the world. My daughter's little buddy went from walking to gliding and from stage 1 to stage 2 when she switched from hand me down hockey skates to S&P vinyl skates from Canadian Tire. It may have had nothing to do with the skates, but her whole attitude changed when she had "real figure skate" - her words.

The vinyl skates have loads of support for this level. She will probably only be walking on the ice for most of time anyway.

IMHO stay away from those awful hard plastic things!

Another coach ringing in here. I teach tots all the time, and hockey skates are worse than the hard plastic ones. Because hockey skates do not have toe picks or tails, the slightest shift of weight forward or backward sends the tot falling in either direction. Those backwards falls are terrfying for many little ones, and I've had kids quit after just one such fall. Also, as jp1andOnly said already, there is little ankle support in hockey skates. Two of the schools I work for put "NO HOCKEY SKATES AND NO HARD PLASTIC SKATES" on their skate info handouts.

The best beginner skates for tots are the new soft ones that look almost like sneakers and have velcro straps. They come with either figure or hockey blades and are comfortable, wide enough, and made well enough to pass on when outgrown. I've seen kids transformed by a switch to that kind of skate. LL Bean sells them, as do the better sporting goods stores like Paragon. You should be able to find a new pair for about $50.

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I am another one suggesting strongly against the plastic hard skates. They break ankles.

I would go for figure skates, mainly for the "look" and the toe pick. It's much easier to get used to a toe pick at a young age, rather than change later. A CCM starter or beginners Reidells (which is what I had 22 years ago when I was 4!). Definitely layers, make sure her gloves aren't too thick (what are some people thinking!! You need to be able to hold someone's hand or maybe the barrier at that age!). A helmet is a must.

About me recommending hockey skates, I'm feeling a little heat.

Out of 121 canskate kids in our program last year, over 75 of them went into house league hockey the next year.

Five girls went into Advanced Canskate, aka figure skating.

See where our market is? If the kids can't learn how to balance on hockey skates with the skating club, then they're toast when they get to hockey. Sure, it's hard as heck to learn to skate with no back blade or toepick, but if a child has to get up from the ice somehow and stand up, within a couple of weeks they figure it out. If not, we give them their money back.

Obviously some kids want nothing but figure skates, and we're well equipped to deal with that.

We also provide learn to skate, no matter what the financial circumstance, so if a sponsored parent shows up with plastic skates, and that's all they can afford, and they fit half decently, welcome to the club. Here, let me lend you a helmet.

I don't want to argue, but please consider that on this board we're a narrow subset of figure skaters, mostly with money and who can bandy about the names of GAM, Jackson, Reidell with ease. The average kid who is signed up for Canskate isn't like any of us here. They come, they go, they have fun. I care about them all.

Interesting... I've also noticed the same effect, though I'm about 8 times older.... It's like - since you've got the dress, you have to skate as if you know what you are doing.

Re plastic skates. At our rink most of the kids in Skate UK programme are on rented ones, and what they have at the rink's rental shop is ugly dark blue plastic figure skates - a sort of heavy duty kitchenware plastic. It was a shock to discover them in the first place: rental shop at my home town rink always had leather skates when I was a kid, as far as I can remember. Sure, not the best kind, but still not plastic. The inside padding is worn out and at times the top rim cuts straight into flesh.

I tried them on once and decided immediately - either I'm skating in my own pair or not skating at all. But I see some kids still wearing them as far as Grade 10 - amazing!

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I agree with most of you here. I teach Learn-to-Skate program with the city, and here are my little pet peeves and 2 cents.

Befor I go on ranting (which I'll usually do during the first few weeks when skating lessons start), I don't have a preference for hockey skates or vinyl figure skates. Little kids wear figure skates tend to use toe picks to push. If you find your children using their toes instead of their foot, make sure you get the coach's attention to fix the problem.


1) Do not buy buckled-up hard plastic skates.
I could not stress this enough. Here is a very bad example of a pair of skates you would like your kid to wear. (I snatched the picture from Canadian Tire's website.)



The blade part of this pair of skates is exceptionally tall and it is very hard to achieve balance. I had 5 kids last year wearing this particular kind of skates and all of them struggled with it.

2) Buy skates that fit.
I know children grow really fast, but buying an over-sized skates will not work for your kid. A properly fitted skate is about 1 to 1.5 size smaller than the normal shoe size. If your child's normal shoe size is 6, you should go for a size 5 or even size 4.5. Buying a size 6 or bigger size skates will hinder you child progress. Always wear think socks when fitted. The last thing as a instructor wants to see is a kid feeling discouraged because he/she is not progressing due to an "equipment issue".

3) Please sharpen the skates before you kid's first skating lesson.
So the kid got the new skates and he/she is very excited about it. Now please take the time to go to a pro shop to sharen them first. New skates come with a thin protective layer on the blades that needs to be remove by sharpening. Otherwise you will only see your kid skids and slides on the ice.

3) Tie the skates properly and snuggly.
Always tie the skates snuggly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Snug" means you cannot put a finger through the laces. Skates should be tied loose at toes, snug in the middle and ankle, and loose again at the top so your kid can bend. One of my own little observations is (I'm not dissing anyone), I found most moms don't or can't tie their kids' hockey skates snug enough and the kid will stand and skate like this --> / \. If parents find it hard to tie up the laces, buy a hook to help lacing up.

4) Avoid wearing thick and long snow pants.
First of all, skating is an exercise and your kid will sweat. Thick snow pants can hinder a kid's movement, ie. kid cannot stand up after a fall because the pants are too thick. Also make sure the pants are not too long, your children's coach would appreciate it if they can see how your kids are skating.

5) A CSA approved helmet is a MUST.
Bicycle helmet will NOT work. Again don't buy something that's too big or too small. It looks funny when a 3 years old wearing his/her older brother's helmet. Adjust the screws when needed. Helmet should cover your kid's forehead. The strap should be fastened under your kid's chin and not hanging loose. Face mask is HIGHLY recommended for kids, especially beginners. If you find the helmet is sliding/moving, adjust it before an accident happens. (Touchwood, but the helment is there for a reason.)

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Aww, VGL, you had me all excited for a minute- I thought you were going to try skating!

Anyway, I'd go with what others have said- figure skates, some ankle support but not too much, if the boot can be bent over from the ankle it's too floppy to be supportive. If she's only three the Riedells might be too much, plus she'll outgrow them right away; the firmest CCM's should be good, or, like DBNY suggested, the SoftTec ones that look like sneakers are good too. I have yet to hear a kid complain about the SoftTec ones hurting. I can't suggest too many brands because I know you have a lot of different ones in Canada that we don't have in the States and vice versa.

As far as lacing, I've had the opposite experience of the other poster who mentioned it; I find a lot of the hockey dads lace the figure skates way too tight. I tell parents they should be able to get two fingers (for a three-year-old, maybe only one since the skates will be tiny) down most of the way to the kid's instep.

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I'm not sure what CanSkate is like now, but when I was in it in the late 80s, the program was not suited to hockey skates for anyone who wanted to go beyond the first or second badge. For the first badge or two, we learned the basics of forwards and backwards, falling, an snowplow stops. But if a kid goes far enough to start learning edges, turns, jumps and spins, hockey skates will be a nightmare. I remember learning forward inside and outside threes, inside mohawks, all 8 edges, two-foot spins, waltz-jumps, toe-loops, salchows, and half-flips.

When I was in CanSkate and CanFigureSkate, I always just had Canadian Tire Skates. Went through a few pairs of CCMs, and another pair of a brand that escapes me now...

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