As your kid grows up, they’ll get better at moving around and exploring the world around them. But there may come a point where getting around on foot won’t be enough to satisfy their need for adventure; they’ll want to explore their surroundings in style. In other words, they’ll be wanting to try out a bicycle.
Why Should a Kid Learn to Ride a Bike?
There are several reasons why teaching your child how to ride a bicycle is beneficial. For one, bike riding is exercise, which will help your child stay healthy and improve their mood since exercise releases mood-boosting endorphins. Another reason is that bike riding can be a teaching moment for you to teach your child lessons about road safety so that by the time they start learning to drive, they’ll already be deeply familiar with the rules of the road.
A tricycle seems like the ideal starting point for teaching biking, but if you want to teach your child biking fundamentals they can carry over to a full-size bike when they’re older, you should opt for a balance bike, which stands out as a teaching tool for four reasons.
1. Developing a Sense of Balance
Tricycles teach kids how to pedal, but balance bikes teach them how to balance on a bike properly, hence the name. However, balance bikes can also help improve your child’s overall balance, giving them confidence in their movement and guiding them towards greater physical activity.
2. Improve Confidence
Many young children look up to older child peers for role models and inspiration, aspiring to be like them. Taking advantage of that and setting your child up with a balance bike can give them a massive boost in confidence. Balance bikes look like the kinds of bikes big kids ride; giving your child one can make them feel a little closer to being a big kid themselves, which can inspire them to keep practicing riding their bike.
3. Social Benefits
Balance bikes are great since they’re built with outdoor terrain in mind, allowing your kid to practice riding while playing outside with their friends. This is beneficial, as socializing with their friends can increase their drive to learn, and interactions with their friends, especially those who are also learning how to ride a bike, can give them insight that can help them improve quicker.
4. Builds Up the Body
Lastly, a balance bike is great for learning how to ride a real bike, as it helps tone the body and train the muscles that will be used when your child switches to a pedal bike. This will have a twofold effect: it will build up their posture and help them develop finer control over how much power they put into moving forward, allowing them to ride at the speed they’d like.
A balance bike can teach a child a lot about riding and give them a heightened sense of independence without being too advanced or dangerous. If your child wants to adventure and engage with their world in a new, exciting way, a balance bike may be something to consider.
