Physical education is one of the most vital parts of the curriculum where children engage in physical activities/play. Scooter/Bike sports are one of them.
Kids enjoy outdoor games. In specific, they love any sport on wheels. Yes, even bikes and kick scooters. As much fun and excitement children receive from bicycle or scooter games, there are other hidden beneficial results derived out of it. We will look at what those benefits are in a moment.
First of all, is there a difference between a bicycle and a kick scooter? Yes, there is.
In simple technical words, a kick scooter is a basic combination of a board, handlebar and wheels(much smaller). A bike, on the other hand, is a construction of two wheels held by a frame one behind the other, steered with handlebars at the front wheel, and propelled by pedals.
There are different variations of bikes and kick scooters meant for kids 2 to 15 years of age, which we will not be talking about right now (But, you could read more about bikes here – https://kidsbikesadvisor.com/). The point here is, with both these outdoor sports, kids are expected to nurture self-balance, sense of direction and regulation of speed on the vehicle. Besides, any of these sports can invigorate ample opportunities for a multitude of physical movements, simulations, and independent responsive behavior in children.
Well, how can a kick scooter/biking activity help in the overall development of children’s growth?
Most of the kick scooter-based activities provide movement-oriented tasks that consequently help in the child’s social, emotional and cognitive development, along with physical development.
In this article, we will look at how kick scooter/bike-riding affects a child’s social, emotional, cognitive and physical development, in short.
Kick Scooter/Bike Riding and Social Development
When children use scooters in groups, they are directly developing the skills of teamwork and communication. Teamwork creates opportunities for kids to greet, work, play, explore, enjoy, learn, observe, care and share with each other. Social connect can inculcate values of working in a team, activities done as a team and sportsmanship.
This is an add on to building their sportsmanship together. Scooter riding can also teach kids independent behavior to an extent where they will be able to address issues as an individual and as a group. They learn from each other even with the overpowering concepts of winning and losing.
They even do things acceptable by their peers in order to be accepted by them. In the bargain, they nurture problem-solving, cooperation and communication skills.
Kick Scooter/Bike Riding and Emotional Development
Kick Scooter and bike riding are great ways to bring out various emotions in children. They don’t hesitate to exercise their emotional quotient while on wheels. In fact, it could be the best moments to express various emotions. They open up to one another when they are out on their own. Biking helps children manage and regulate their emotions while on the ride.
It is possible for kids to store up their emotions, without having to express it with their family members at home. But when they are with their scooter-friends or team-mates, they get a chance to share some of their pent-up emotions more freely.
There are possibilities for children to develop virtues such as self-control, empathy, sensitivity and unconditional positive regard towards others during the process of scooter/bike-riding. Plus, fine-tune their emotions.
Kick Scooter/Bike Riding and Cognitive Development
While kids condition their bodies, they are training their thoughts and mind on the parallel. They are constantly observing, thinking, interacting with the surroundings, including their peers and groups. There is more room for multiple cognitive exchanges between one child and the others. There is thought-based stimulation. Conversations provoke thoughts, with a translation into actions and behaviors subsequently.
Independent challenges and scouting as a team could let children hone their decision-making skills, conceptualization, creativity, innovation and flexibility as individuals. This is a fantastic idea to develop their own personal capabilities, imagination and coordination skills side-by-side.
Kick Scooter/Bike Riding and Physical Development
There are tons of physical benefits your child can get by biking/scooting experiences. We will not get into the details of it here. But, let’s look at some of the core physical values cycling/scooter-riding can contribute to the development of a child:
- It enables kids to gel their body with the environment. As a result, they are also exposing their body to ultraviolet rays of the sun, which in turn prevents anaemia and rickets. Fresh oxygen has the ability to improve metabolism and add sterilization effect.
- It is one of the brilliant forms of physical exercises which boosts power in children’s limbs, muscles and bones. Gradually making kids stronger and keeping them active.
- It enhances the growth of the whole body of a child including the long bone. The long bone has epiphyseal cartilage at its ends which is the growing section of bone. Riding scooter helps children improve their blood circulation and increases bone nutrition. This process gradually increases kids’ height, gastrointestinal digestion and appetite as well.
- Biking and scooter-riding aids in strengthening arms and legs, abdominal muscle, back, hips, waist etc. in addition to providing amazing conditioned reflex movements for children. Also, it facilitates fine motor skills and boosts their immune system.
- Scooter/Bike sport tunes up body-balance in children.
To add to the differences between a bicycle and a scooter, take a look at the chart below:
Kidsbikeadvisor has many articles on various topics pertaining to bikes. For instance, best balance bikes, top ten bikes for kids, single-speed vs gear-bikes, balance bikes vs training wheels, and more.
On protective gear, there are articles such as Hand Gloves, Best Helmets, Knees and Elbows Pads
Besides, there are articles on Bike Trailers, Child Seats and Bike-storing options as well.
In concluding, riding kick scooters or bikes swell creative play and it captures the opportunities to prepare a child to be a responsible human being. It facilitates kids to own up to their actions and enable them to respect other people during the process. It allows children to express themselves without being biased or judgmental. Here, when we refer to expression, we mean it in terms of social expression, emotional expression and cognitive expression of oneself. Scooter/Bike sports facilitate energizing activities leaving children feeling better about themselves at the end of the day.
Thank you for reading this article. We hope it was of gain to you.
If you would like reading our other articles on Kids Bikes, visit the link below:
kidsbikesadvisor.com/