If you’re a parent or guardian to a kid or toddler, you probably heard about the craze surrounding balancing bikes. As the name suggests, a balancing bike doesn’t have any pedals and solely relies on the rider’s balance for it to move. Kids and toddlers have to regularly push the balance bike so that they can propel themselves forward.
Reasons Why Learn to Ride Balance Bike for Kids
Balance bikes seem like hard work but do you know that these can bring countless mental, social, and physical benefits to kids and toddlers? Balance bikes for kids are better options than tricycles and bicycles with training wheels.
Here’s why kids and toddlers should learn to ride a balance bike:
1. Makes Exercising More Fun
Exercising is a necessity in every stage of life, which is why it’s important to introduce kids and toddlers to physical activities as early as possible. Exercising regularly improves fitness, boosts self-confidence, and enables kids and toddlers to socialize with peers.
Instead of merely telling your kids to go out and play, introduce balance bikes. A balance bike for kids and toddlers is a great tool to encourage them to engage in physical activities and make exercising more fun. Your kid might not even realize that they’re already exercising when they’re riding their balance bike!
Balance bikes encourage kids and toddlers to use their arms and lift their legs. When done repeatedly for long periods, these actions will make them sweat and help in building up their physical strength.
2. Allows Them to Master One Skill at a Time
Although traditional bikes are conveniently available almost anywhere, giving one to toddlers isn’t the best option. Learning to ride a bike will require many things from your little ones as they have to balance their bodies and pedal their feet simultaneously.
Another reason why kids and toddlers should learn the balance bike is because it allows them to master one skill at a time. Unlike traditional bikes where they have to do a lot of things at the same time, a balance bike will only require one thing from a toddler: to balance.
The ability of kids to learn how to balance can be useful in a lot of activities. Kids will likely excel in dancing, gymnastics, and sports if they’ve successfully learned how to balance at a very young age.
3. Boosts Development
Kids’ and toddlers’ minds and bodies are still developing, which is why it’s important to expose them to the right activities. Their daily routines today will lay the foundation on how they would react and behave as they grow up.
One of the biggest reasons why children should ride a balance bike is because it boosts their development in many ways.
For one, a balance bike encourages them to practice motor planning as they have to learn how to turn corners. Riding a balance bike also helps your little ones understand spatial awareness as they have to learn how to avoid obstacles.
Most importantly, regularly riding a balance bike will also activate children’s vestibular systems as they’ll need to learn how to move and balance at the same time. The vestibular system is important for kids and toddlers because it improves visual tracking and maintains normal muscle tone.
4. Safer Than Other Types of Bikes
The safety of your children is always a priority. This is why parents and guardians are very careful on the type of activities they allow their kids and toddlers to engage in.
A balancing bike is safer than tricycles and bikes with training wheels. With a balancing bike, children will eventually have the instinct to put their foot on the ground if they feel they’re falling or need to stop. Other types of bikes don’t teach that instinct.
Moreover, tricycles and bikes with training wheels will likely cause kids and toddlers to fall as their feet are on the pedal all the time, not planted on the ground to stop or balance. These types of bikes are also low on the ground, which can prevent drivers from seeing your kid on the road.
5. Increases Confidence
As a parent or guardian, it’s crucial to build your kids’ confidence early. Children who feel confident about themselves are more likely to succeed in school and life in general as they’ll learn how to resist peer pressure and confront problems.
Another reason why kids and toddlers should learn to ride a balance bike is because it helps increase their confidence. Riding a balance bike will enable your children to learn new skills, and this is something that can boost their self-confidence.
Whenever your children ride off a ledge or manage to maneuver the bike without stopping for a few minutes, watch as their faces beam with pride. These small achievements will make it easier for your little ones to be confident, especially when you’re always cheering them on!
6. Encourages Them to Spend Time Outdoors
Most kids and toddlers won’t have any problems spending the entire day indoors—and with the available online platforms and devices today, it’s easy to see why. Children are easily entertained by the World Wide Web, which is why most would prefer to spend time indoors.
Excessive exposure to gadgets can be detrimental for your children as this puts them at risk for addiction, depression, stress, and emotional problems. Too much screen time can also delay the cognitive and moral development of kids and toddlers.
If you’re looking for ways to encourage your children to spend time outdoors, introducing balance bikes to them is a great solution. Since a balance bike requires a large space, giving one to your kids and toddlers will surely encourage them to lessen gadget use and spend more time outdoors.
Conclusion
For kids and toddlers to enjoy using balance bikes, be present whenever they’re riding on one. Teach your kids to stride and glide, especially when using their balance bikes for the first time.
Your little ones might easily get frustrated when they can’t move the balance bike on their own, which is why your presence is a must!