By: Viraj Shah

From a very young age, you’ll see children trying to get their chance to ride a bike. Whether your child enjoyed rocking toys as a toddler or has been enjoying you towing them along on bike rides, it’s exciting to finally have the opportunity to teach your child how to ride a bicycle. Choosing a balance bike for your preschooler’s first rides offers these impressive benefits that they’ll enjoy for the rest of their life.

Encourage Gross Motor Development

Physical strength, coordination, and endurance are just a few elements of your child’s gross motor development that balance bikes help strengthen. Many preschoolers struggle with balance and coordination, and a pedal-less bike allows them to develop these skills before moving on to more complicated maneuvers. Being able to avoid the frustration that can occur with using a bike that isn’t made for their size and abilities also helps your child to want to ride for longer. Those longer practice sessions help to strengthen your child’s cardiovascular and respiratory systems, which helps them to enjoy longer bike rides in the future.

Cultivate Safety Skills

In the early stages of learning to ride a bike, it’s hard for children to steer and pedal simultaneously without losing their concentration. Balance bikes allow your child to use their feed to move the bike, which makes it easier for them to concentrate on navigating their way around obstacles in their path. Your child will also find it easier to brake efficiently when all they need to do is plant their feet on the ground rather than trying to remember to backpedal or use a hand brake. Allowing your child to learn safety skills one step at a time helps to reinforce them in their mind. You can even use cones to help your child learn to steer efficiently or hold up red and green paddles to teach them how to stop and go. Having fun together helps your child see that following safety rules is just part of learning how to ride their new bike.

Develop Positive Social and Emotional Traits

Watching as your child glides across their riding path with their feet up is a special moment since this also means that your child is finally gaining confidence as a bike rider. Children who learn how to ride on a balanced bike experience more success than spills, which boosts their confidence faster. Your child will also gain a sense of community when they are able to ride their bike with friends or around local parks with your family. Making exercise fun also helps your child to develop a love for riding bikes that can stimulate better physical health as they grow.

Setting your child up for success involves choosing a first bike that meets their physical needs and abilities. While preschoolers can ride other types of bikes, the learning curve tends to be wider. Getting frustrated or having a major spill can slow down your child’s progress. Choosing a balanced bike not only keeps your child focused on success, but it provides additional benefits that boost your child’s confidence and physical development every time they go for a ride.

Published by: Martin De Juan