How can you make teaching bicycle safety fun for children?

Riding bicycles can be a fun way for your family to spend time together and enjoy the beauty of your neighborhood in Washington. Cycling can also be a valuable form of transportation for your children in getting to and from school and other activities.

Teaching your children how to be responsible while riding their bikes and the importance of following laws designed to protect them, can encourage them to practice safe riding and help them avoid preventable accidents on their bikes.

Implement creativity

One way to make learning exciting and enjoyable for your children is to be creative in the ways you introduce and instruct certain principles. Momentummag.com suggests that one thing you can do is to watch a movie together as a family where children are riding bicycles. One idea they presented was the movie E.T. During the movie, you can pause at certain scenes and quiz your children on bicycle safety.

Another activity you can do is to discuss road safety and the meaning of different road signs. You can provide coloring pages with different road signs on them and ask your children to color them the right color. You may also consider making a matching game with road signs and their meanings. Quizzing your children in these interactive ways can provide both fun and education.

Be consistent

Discuss what consequences are appropriate if you find that your child has “broken” a bicycle safety practice. For example, if you catch your child riding his or her bike without a helmet after being asked, perhaps taking their bike away for one day would be appropriate. Consistently discussing bicycle safety, encouraging bicycle safety and disciplining where appropriate is instrumental in helping your children develop healthy safety habits that will carry into their adult years and provide many more years of enjoyable and safe cycling.