Children can start skating properly from around four, with a helmet, skates in the right size and something to hold on to the first few times. Stockholm has artificially frozen rinks in parks such as Kungsträdgården and Vasaparken and at sports grounds across the city, usually from December to March. Check the city's website to see whether the ice is open before you go.
A Saturday in January in Vasastan, minus two and sunny. A four-year-old got skates for Christmas and wants to try them now. What decides whether it turns into a good day is not the ice but three things: the helmet, the size of the skates and going home after thirty minutes. Here is what our nannies do on the ice with the children, and where in Stockholm you can skate.
Where you can skate
| Rink | Where | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Kungsträdgården | City centre | Beginners and small children, often busy, skate hire usually available |
| Vasaparken | Vasastan | Families, next to the playground, good for a short session after preschool |
| Rålambshovsparken | Kungsholmen | Calmer than the centre, combine with the park |
| Östermalms IP | Östermalm | Large rink, good for children who already skate |
| Zinkensdamms IP | Södermalm | Large rink, public skating at set times |
| Sports grounds in the suburbs | Across the city | Usually the least crowded, check times for public skating |
| Brunnsviken and Trekanten | Hagaparken and Liljeholmen | Natural ice when it is thick enough and ploughed, for children who skate confidently, never without checking |
Which age can manage what?
- 2 to 3 years: on the ice in a sledge or in ordinary shoes holding your hand, for a few minutes. The aim is for it to be fun to be there. Skates on their feet is mostly frustration.
- 3 to 4 years: skates on, helmet on, and something to hold: a chair, a skating aid that some rinks lend out, or your hands. Ten to fifteen minutes, then hot chocolate.
- 4 to 6 years: now it works. Most children skate on their own after three to five sessions. Penguin walk, falling and getting up, then gliding.
- 6 to 9 years: skating lessons or simply lots of skating. The child wants to go fast and stop by hitting the boards. Teach them to brake.
- 9 and up: long-distance skating on checked natural ice with adults and safety equipment, hockey at the sports grounds, skating in the park with friends on their own.
How to teach a child to stand on the ice
- At home first. Skates on in the hallway, with guards on the blades, and walk on the carpet. The child feels how their feet behave without it being slippery.
- On the ice: fall first. Show them how to fall forwards onto knees and hands, and how to get up: one knee on the ice, hands on the knee, up. Practise three times before you skate a single metre.
- Penguin walk. Feet in a V, small steps, arms out. That is all that should happen the first time.
- Support. A chair to push in front of them is better than your hands, because then the child is upright over the skates instead of hanging off you.
- Short sessions. Twenty minutes on the ice, then somewhere warm. Better three short sessions a week than one long one.
- No praise for not falling. Praise for getting up. Children who are afraid of falling stiffen up and fall more.
The equipment
A helmet on every child, every time. A cycle helmet will do if you do not have a skating helmet. Skates in the right size: a thumb's width behind the heel is too much, the child should fill the boot. Adjustable children's skates solve the growing problem. Thick gloves, because hands are what hit the ice first. Padded trousers or an outer layer make the falls less dramatic. And dry wool socks in the bag, because feet get cold on the ice faster than anywhere else. More on clothing in Dressing children for the cold.
Safety
- A helmet, always, including for adults who will be holding on to children.
- Artificially frozen rinks have boards and are ploughed. That is where small children should be.
- Natural ice only when the municipality or a skating club has announced that it is thick enough and ploughed, and then with ice claws around the adults' necks, a rescue line and one child at a time within reach.
- Keep away from ice near bridges, outlets, reeds and jetties, where the ice is weak even when the rest holds.
- A child who has hit their head on the ice, even with a helmet: skates off, go home, keep an eye on them. More in Child hit their head.
Hire or buy?
The first winter, hiring is enough, and the rink at Kungsträdgården usually has skates for hire on site. It is a good way to see whether the child likes it at all before you buy. If they want to skate again, buy second-hand: children's skates get used a few times and are sold on in almost new condition, and sports shops often take trade-ins. The one thing that should not be second-hand is the helmet, unless you know it has never taken a knock. Blade guards cost next to nothing and save both floors and fingers.
What an afternoon looks like
At three o'clock the child is picked up from förskola (municipal preschool, from age one) with the skates in a rucksack. Twenty minutes to the park. Ten minutes to get everything on, because mittens and skates are the hardest part. Twenty minutes on the ice, with pauses to get up five times. Hot chocolate from the flask on the bench, and home before dark. The whole outing takes an hour and a half, and the child sleeps like a log. That is not ice skating, it is a successful afternoon with a four-year-old.
How we do it with our families
Esther has two children on Kungsholmen on Thursdays and takes them to the rink in Rålambshovsparken from December. The four-year-old got skates in the autumn, and they walked on the carpet at home with guards on the blades twice before the first day on the ice. On the ice he got a chair to push, and after the third session he let go of it. The seven-year-old skates on her own within an area Esther points out, and comes back when she waves. The flask sits in the bag on the bench. On the note to the parents: skating, both fell, no tears, hot chocolate at half past four, dinner can wait until six.
Our nannies are out and about with children in Stockholm every week: parks, libraries, swimming pools and playgrounds. Would you like someone to take the afternoons? Book a free first meeting with the nanny at your home.
Read more: Sledging hills in Stockholm · Dressing children for the cold · Sportlov in Stockholm with kids · Prices
Frequently asked questions
From what age can children ice skate?
Most children can stand on the ice with support from around three and start skating on their own at four to five. Two-year-olds can come onto the ice in a sledge or with skates strapped to their shoes for a few minutes, but that is mostly to get used to the feeling.
Which skates should we buy for a child?
Hockey skates or figure skates with ankle support, in the right size, not to grow into. Skates two sizes too big mean the child cannot stand. Adjustable children's skates that grow a few sizes are a good compromise. A helmet, always, and ideally thick gloves.
Where can you ice skate for free in Stockholm?
The city's artificially frozen rinks in the parks, such as Kungsträdgården and Vasaparken, are normally free to use with your own skates, and hire is often available on site. There are more rinks at sports grounds across the city. Check current times and whether the ice has been resurfaced on the City of Stockholm's website on the day.
Is it safe to skate on lake ice with children?
Only on ice that has been checked and ploughed by the municipality or a skating club, and never on your own with small children. Ice claws, a rescue line and an adult who tests the ice first. Brunnsviken and Trekanten are usually ploughed when the ice is thick enough, but it varies from year to year. Uncertain ice is no ice.