Your Kiddos Can Hit the Local Roller-Skating Rink for Free — Here’s How
If your kids are getting cabin fever after a long winter indoors, this program might help them work off some of that extra energy.
Sure, this activity will keep them indoors, but it’ll have them going in circles, not you.
Kids Skate Free provides children with two free weekly roller-skating passes to use at their local rink. Offered by the Roller Skating Association International Program and sponsored by Pepsi, this ongoing freebie hopes to connect 1 million children to this sport.
The program’s website says roller-skating is easy to learn and a good way to improve balance, flexibility, strength and endurance while getting aerobic exercise.
The website does not remind you how awkward it was trying to ask someone to accompany you during those couples skates in your high school years. But I’m here to remind you of such cringe-worthy experiences. You’re welcome.
How to Take Your Kids Roller-Skating for Free
To get free roller-skating passes for your family, visit Kids Skate Free and enter your ZIP code to find participating rinks nearby.
You can view age restrictions and additional fees for each location. The age cap varies by rink, and skate rental may cost extra. Most participating rinks have at least four or five open times to choose from each week.
Once you pick the rink you’d like to visit, you can register up to four children on your account.
You’ll pay a $4 administrative setup fee per child that grants you weekly passes to your local rink. Print your passes, and show them at the door for free admission.
Kids Can Bring Friends, but Plan Ahead!
If your kids want to bring a friend, you can easily add another child to your account as long as there’s space on your list of four. But you have to plan ahead for this bonus, because you must add participants before your weekly passes are prepared each Sunday.
Don’t want to pay for skate rentals? Check a secondhand sporting goods shop or your local thrift store. A Facebook garage sale group could be a source for cheap wheels, too.
Your Turn: Will you sign your kids up for free roller-skating passes?
Lisa Rowan is a writer and producer at The Penny Hoarder. She could never figure out how to skate backward.
