Children are really fond of cycling. It’s not only fast, but also great fun. It gives them freedom and independence to get around. Most importantly, you do not have to wait for your kids to grow old enough to ride themselves and start to enjoy the benefits of cycling as a family. Cycling is simply brilliant for kids. It provides the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity every day, which is not achieved by one-third of children at present. Above all, once you have invested in a basic kit and a bike for your child, it provides amazing benefits at very little cost.
Health Benefits of Cycling for Kids
Cycling not only benefits adults for various health issues, but also provides amazing health benefits for children as well. Some of the general benefits provided by cycling are:
- It helps the kids to get acquainted with the local area and feel part of it.
- Many kids feel much more exciting while cycling than travelling by car.
- It has also been reported by many teachers that kids who walk or ride a cycle to school are more alert and ready to learn than those arriving by car.
- Good travel habits learned young last for a lifetime.
- Cyclists breathe in less pollution from traffic as compared to car drivers.
Talking further, cycling plays a crucial role in all round growth of your child. Right from gaining strength to decision making ability, it nurtures the all round development of kids. This not only helps with physical development, but also allows for mental and emotional growth. Some more health benefits of cycling for children are listed ahead.
Keeps Kids Active: Inactivity can lead to various health issues, not only in adults but in children as well. Besides, the poor example set by many parents affects children, especially those spending more time indoors, stuck to the mobile devices and forming part of the global obesity epidemic. Cycling is a great way to get the heart racing. It is the most moderate form of exercise that is highly appealing to the kids.
An Excellent Cardiovascular Workout for Kids: It is never too late to get your kids’ little heart pumping. Cycling involves the large muscle groups in the legs, thus raising the heart rate while simultaneously increasing the stamina of kids. Kids involved in regular cycling find their staying power to be much greater as compared to that while practicing other sports like swimming and football.
Builds Strength and Muscle Mass in Kids: Cycling is considered by many people as the workout for the legs. But, it actually strengthens the whole body, including the cyclists’ core. Furthermore, unlike other workout activities to build strength, which are excessively intense for young children, cycling builds muscles gradually.
Great Way to Create Parent-Child Bonding: Rather than watching TV or working on your respective tablets, it is more fun to go for a family ride on respective bicycles. You can cycle together by the sea or enjoy a tandem ride during your next holiday. This would not only provide an effective and healthy workout, but also fill your afternoon with laughs and memories that you will cherish a lifetime. Besides, this would also show a positive effect on your child’s mental and emotional health, reducing the stress levels, and keep anxiety and depressions at bay.
Great to lose Excess Fat: Childhood obesity is a major concern for most parents. Research has shown that cycling is the best way to battle this problem for it keeps the child active. Most children can manage this sport very easily and it doesn’t put too much stress on the knees as well. Even those who want to lose a significant part of body fat can trust and practice this sport, indoors as well as outdoors.
Cycling Provides Emotional Benefits for Kids: Another health benefit provided by cycling is a boost in self-confidence. It allows children to become more aware of their own body, while feeling less intimidated by their peers and surroundings. The more cycling they can do, the more comfortable they are in their neighborhood, and the more people they are more comfortable to interact with. This further boosts their confidence when they are stuck in a situation where they are unsure about what options to take, they will be acquainted with multiple safe routes to home.
Cycling Allows the Kids to get outside
Children love to get outdoors. They get natural sunlight, that provides them vitamin D and ample fresh air. This further helps them to get a good sleep at night. A better sleep indicates better health and a better growth of the body. Cycling around makes them learn the lay of land while making them equally comfortable in their surroundings. Allow your children to spend time outdoors when the weather is nice. Also, let them go off on their own at times.
Safety Tip
Cycle clothing is different for kids than adults. Children are more likely to fall while cycling. Therefore, usually more safety features are put into their cycling clothing. The knees of the pants are generally more reinforced, as are the elbows and the wrists of the attire.Also, this enables the bike protective gear to help keep the skin intact in case they happen to slide or fall down on the gravel.
Most importantly, most cycle clothing for kids contains built-in areas where pads can safely fit on the top of the clothing so as to make sure that it does not slide or inhibit your child in any way while they are cycling. Therefore, make sure that your child wears safe cycling clothes for a safe experience during the activity.
