One of the highlights of watching children grow is teaching them new things – including how to ride skateboards, scooters and bicycles. It gives parents a chance to be protective while also teaching their children to be independent. While riding a bike or a skateboard can be fraught with danger, learning to ride a scooter is a much safer proposition.
Teaching a child to ride a scooter is the perfect introduction to using a personal mobility device because it requires the least amount of balance to operate. Using a scooter usually leaves one foot free, helping the child learn to slow themselves down and prevent falling over. In addition, it can foster independence, build up motor skills, teach the child about being aware of their surroundings, and it will toughen them up a bit when they do inevitably fall down, like all kids are apt to do.
To read more about scooters you can visit thrillappeal.com. Besides that, here are some of the main reasons why teaching a child to ride a scooter is such a great idea.
Learning balance and direction
Using a scooter begins with using the foot to power the rider, but staying on requires balancing yourself to stay upright.
Learning how to use your body to balance on a moving object is a fundamental part of growing up. Kids must learn to balance to do more complicated things like ride bicycles and play sports. This in turn will help the child grow and become stronger.
Developing fine and gross motor skills
Another of the important parts of early childhood development is learning to use both fine and gross motor skills. Using a scooter is a great way to develop both of these skills because you use both when taking a scooter out to play. The basic movements for propelling the scooter forward with the foot and holding on to the handlebars use basic gross motor skills.
Since many types of scooters require them being unfolded or put together and taken apart before and after their use, a child will have to use fine motor skills to complete these tasks. Not only is the development of these motor skills vital but they are skills that people will use every day of their life. The earlier a child masters these skills, the faster they will develop mentally and physically.
Building confidence
It shouldn’t take too long for a child to master the basics of riding a scooter and as this happens, they will gain confidence in their abilities. This confidence will push them to trying more difficult tasks and help them gain independence from their parents.
While no parent truly wants their young child to be completely independent of them, they all know that kids need independence to learn and foster new interests on their own.
Teaches safety awareness
Many municipalities require children under certain ages to wear helmets and protective gear when riding scooters, bikes and skateboards. This is an excellent introduction to personal safety. A child will fall off their scooter at some point, and that will teach them how to avoid getting hurt badly next time.
Riding a scooter will also cause them to pay attention to their surroundings so as to avoid running into other people, and to look both ways when they are crossing the street. These are all things (most) adults take for granted now, but had to learn at some point in their life.
Conclusion
Watching a child grow is one of the greatest parts of being a parent – and teaching them to ride a scooter is an excellent way to help them grow.
It not only will help the child develop skills that they will need as they get older, but it’s also a great way to boost their confidence while teaching them to be safe. These are qualities that all parents want for their children.
