Anyone can learn to skate. My local rink has children young enough to count their age in months up to octogenarians who are just getting started.
Many people worry about falling over. It's true that it's easier to get up from falling over for younger people, but there are ways to avoid hurting yourself.
Another fear is getting your fingers sliced off. That's very, very unlikely! First, most people on the ice aren't falling, so they'll move around you pretty quickly. You should try to fall with your fingers inwards, rather than splayed outwards. Best though is remember the right equipment.
You don't need much to get started, and the ice rink will usually let you rent all of it.
There's a fairly standard structure of things to learn, step by step.
Shuffle forward. A "marching" style of movement. Turn your feet outwards a little and shuffle along.
Getting up safely. With your butt on the ice, swing your feet around and stand up from your knees. Prop up one knee and push up from that. Avoid getting up in such a way that you might fall on your head.
Gliding smoothly, taking ten steps. Instead of marching, try to stay on one foot for a moment, moving your weight from one foot to another.
Snowplough slowdown. Whilst gliding, you can push both feet apart quickly. That interupts your forwards momentum and quickly slows you to a stop.
Forward lemons. Turn both feet outwards, pushing out a little, and then pivot your angle inwards quite sharply. Then, point your feet outwards again. To start with, this will probably slow you to a stop, but later on you'll find the right way to "bounce" into it and give you a good amount of propulsion.
Curving left or right. You can keep two feet on the ground for this. Build up a bit of speed and lean the direction you want to go. That will push you onto an "edge" and make a curve.
Snowplough stop. Mastering the snowplough means you should be able to come to a fairly quick stop. It's just a more deliberate snowplough.
Moving backwards. Just a shuffle backwards. Whilst leaning just the tiniest bit backwards, with your heels pointing outwards, you will automatically start going backwards. Then, step back in and do the same again.
Backwards lemons. Now you've gone some backwards movement, we can try to do lemons too.
Forward stroking. Time to get pretty with our skating. This is forward skating with a bit of elligence. Both feet together. Image a box around you. Push backwards with one foot, out to the back corner. Glide a moment on your forward foot. Then bring your feet back together. Now switch to the other.
Backwards snowplough stop. Like going forwards, snapping your legs outwards whilst going backwards will bring you to a stop. Just remember to lean forwards just a little to offset the momentum.
Turning backwards from forwards. Practice this whilst around around a circle, which will reduce the amount you have to "spin" by. Whilst moving around the circle, turn your shoulders to face the centre of the circle, then swing your hips around. You'll need to tiptoe ever so slightly, with a little push (like jumping, but you shouldn't leave the ice!). Then, you'll be going backwards around the circle.
One foot slides on outside edges. You've been making curves on two feet so far. The foot on the inside is close to being on an outside edge (if it's not already). Our job now is to lift up that outside foot, putting our weight on just one foot.
Slalom. A fun wiggle on the ice. Without pulling your feet off the ice, push one direction and quickly pull the other direction.
Forward chasses. Whilst going around a circle stroke forwards with your outside leg. Then, bring your feet back together. Then, lift your inside foot just a little (inside ball of your foot against the ankle of your outside foot).
Backwards stroking. Going backwards, remember our box around us. Push to the forward corners to move backwards.
Forward outwards edges. When going around a circle, one foot slide with your inside foot but with the glide lasting at least three seconds. Eventually, you'll want to do this indefinitely (until you slow to a stop).
Forward inside edges. Same as outwards but with the the foot on the outside of the circle.
Two foot 3-turn. This is the same as turning backwards from forwards but with a more controlled exit, allow you to go into backwards gliding.
Check out this next page for Level 5 and onwards.