We bought these for our daughter while learning to ride her bike without training wheels.  They are a bit big for a small 8 year old, but they stay on fine - just a little bulky.  We had a cheap Barbie set of pads that came with some plastic roller skates, but they were hardly padded at all.  These gel pads are well padded and comfortable.  They go on easy with the velcro wrap arounds.  Very helpful to prevent scrapes and cuts while learning to ride!