Alongside M.Red's suggestion of using a club (blunt weapons do great against skeletons), I'd also suggest getting used to using a club alongside a shield. It takes practice, but getting used to timing your blocks right now will pay dividends later down the road.

You could also make a bow and get used to using that weapon as well. The bow is really useful for certain monster types later on (don't want to spoil things for you with naming them), so getting used to it and getting your weapon skill up now will help.

1h+shield and bow are my go-to choices personally, though you can get along just fine with practice and weapon skill in time. Happy hunting and good luck!