Keeping your kids off devices is hard with the ‘Go Digital’ mantra everywhere. Most kids have lots of screen time from their toddler stage. While controlled screen time can benefit your kids, providing excess can ruin their development.
Activities that keep kids active are perishing slowly; hence, parents find it quite challenging to introduce their children to the real environment. Biking is a simple and entertaining way to keep your children active yet entertained.
The health benefits of bike riding for kids are unmeasurable, and you should get them into this activity. This article is about biking benefits for kids and how to ensure their safety while at it. Let’s begin!
Some Health Benefits of Bike Riding for Kids
Before you buy a bike for your kids, millions of thoughts cross your mind. Some thoughts can make you give up the idea of getting your kid to learn a bike. However, we are here to convince you and let you know all the possible ways your kids can benefit from it. Let’s go:
1: Build Stamina
Some parents try getting their kids into a sport to help build stamina, but that doesn’t happen. Smaller kids tend to dislike a lot of sports, but biking is something that most of them love. It helps in developing their cardiovascular system and keeps them active.
Most children gain weight due to frequent junk; biking can help shed excess fat. It also helps in getting the heart rate up and stimulating happy hormones.
2: Having Fun Offline
Children depend on phones, tablets, laptops, etc., for entertainment. Excess time online or on a digital platform can make them a procrastinator and disrupt their mental health. Biking is one of the activities that help kids explore nature and spend time outdoors.
It is like a breath of fresh air for children as it helps their physical and cognitive development. Spending time in the fresh air can help reduce the stress of daily life and help regulate mood. It can also help activate the brain and improve creative skills.
3: Stimulating Happy Hormones
As most people know, exercise is a great way of stimulating happy hormones. However, kids don’t get to be that active or sweat that often. Biking is a form of cardiovascular exercise that can release endorphins, also known as happy hormones.
After a stressful day at school, kids need some activity to tip off the stress and relax. Biking can help them get a change of scenery and clear their mind. The happy hormones are something parents would be thankful for. The regulation of mood undoubtedly helps, in the long run, make your child a happy person.
4: Better Sleep
Most adults complain about not getting enough sleep, but the same can happen with kids. Nowadays, our lifestyle is such that insomnia has become a reoccurring event in most kids’ and adults’ lives. Stress and anxiety are the main reasons why kids don’t have a good night’s sleep.
If kids are not active, you can get them into biking. Biking is a great activity to get you physically exhausted. Physical exhaustion helps your kids sleep better. Biking helps you fall into a deep sleep and a more peaceful one. You will notice a positive change in your kid’s sleeping pattern once they start biking.
5: Become Socially Active
Socializing is essential for every human being, but it is even more important for kids. A social kid has a more fulfilling childhood and gets to experience a lot more. While kids can make friends at school, it is even better if they make them outside of it.
Biking around the community can help kids mingle with other kids around. The experience is more fun-filled, and it further motivates your kid to go out and play. The daily interaction with newer kids helps your kid become wiser and more fun-loving.
6: Improves Brain Power
Some kids are naturally born with cognitive skills, while some have difficulty developing those qualities. Biking is one of the best activities to help your child’s overall development. Besides gaining muscle mass and cardiovascular stability, your kid’s brain power can also improve.
Blood circulation is an important aspect of every human’s life. Biking can help improve blood circulation in the brain, activating it. It also helps in improving mental health and reducing anxiety in children. If your kid’s school is nearby, you can encourage them to bike daily. It also helps your kids bond with siblings and friends.
Safety Tips for Biking (for Kids)
Biking may have few benefits, but it has also caused serious injuries. Parents are often too concerned about their kid’s safety that they don’t let them ride the bike. However, if you use safety precautions, your kid will not have any issues. Here are the safety tips that can help protect your child:
- Invest in high-quality protective gear, including gloves, knee and elbow pads, and a helmet.
- Please ensure the bike size you are getting for kids is appropriate, neither too big nor small.
- If your kid is a toddler or below 6, keep the assist wheels for more stability and support.
- Oil the chain regularly to ensure its smooth functioning and avoid potential accidents.
- Teach your kids the traffic rules, read signs, when to stop and where to park their bikes.
- Let your kids have a small fall here and there; it will only toughen them up.
Conclusion
The health benefits of biking for kids are numerous, which kids undoubtedly enjoy. If you are an overprotective parent, you need to let loose and let your kid have a liberating experience. You will be surprised how biking can have positive physical and mental effects.