Cycling is a beautiful option for parents to ensure their children engage in regular physical outdoor activity. It is simple to learn and is a great family pastime. Also, it may be an opportunity for your child to take cycling as a career.
There are several positive health benefits of cycling for kids and children as It can help your kids build endurance, reduce childhood obesity, enhances balance and motor abilities, etc.
According to Healthline experts, Cycling is seen as a low-impact and entertaining activity. But in the beginning, your child may find it difficult, but if you support them, it will quickly become one of their favourite outdoor activities.
Also, Cycling on roads is unsafe, so make sure you and your child wear a good quality helmet while cycling for safety purposes.
Related: Top 7 Best Bicycle for 10 - 15 Year Old Kid: The Coolest Gifts for Kids
9 Incredible Benefits of Cycling for Kids and Children
The modern day’s catchphrase is “Get digital” because technology advances quickly. Although digitisation offers a unique set of advantages, you might notice kids are lured to technology i.e., tech-gears, video games, cartoons, etc. and engagement in outdoor games is slowly declining.
Cycling is enjoyable and one of the finest activities to keep kids active, healthy, happy, and renewed you can introduce it to them. Let us examine the advantages of cycling for kids:
1. Improves Heart Health
Exercise of the leg muscles raises the heart rate, which quickens the body’s stamina pace by enhancing the cardiovascular system and keeping track of their weight, it aids your child in achieving their ideal weight and good shape.
2. Keeps them Engaged
Children who play indoor virtual games on devices are less active since they are forced to stay indoors, which results in laziness and inactivity. This could lead to childhood obesity in some children.
The best way to stay active and lose weight is cycling as it helps kids stay completely active, gets them outside, and helps their bodies stay toned & healthy. Also, they lessen their dependence on TV and gadgets as they love going out more.
3. Getting Fresh Air
Youngsters leave their houses and enter the sunshine. They are thus exposed to the sun, a natural way to obtain vitamin D. They are exposed to fresh air, which revitalises and soothes them. They typically get good rest.
4. Better Knowledge
They gain knowledge of their neighbourhood and their living structure. Children typically explore more and discover more about their surroundings when they start cycling.
5. Improves Social Skills
Cycling makes socialising with neighbours and young people easier. Kids have the chance to meet new people, share opinions, trade information, discuss problems, and have fun while honing their communication skills. Perhaps even more pleasurable than cycling alone is riding with the company.
6. Improves Emotional Well-Being
The kid’s confidence is boosted by cycling. They feel more confident because they are now starting to live freely. As adolescents become more aware of their surroundings and bodies, they feel more accountable.
It aids in their understanding of the world around them and prepares them to adapt to their surroundings. Their self-assurance makes them feel at ease when they are away from home without slipping into a state of powerlessness or terror.
7. Reduces Stress and Tension
Cycling is a great way to reduce stress. Youngsters endure a rigorous day in class and feel tired in the evening. They can regenerate their energy through cycling.
Being left alone after a tough school day reduces stress and increases contentment. They typically feel less stressed and more relaxed after their bicycle rides.
8. Increases Muscle Mass
Although cycling is well known to be a wonderful leg workout, it also strengthens the full body. It gradually and steadily supports and grows muscles.
If you are concerned that forcing your child to cycle would stress them out, put that concern to rest because cycling is a slow but effective activity that will benefit the child in the long run.
Cycling for 15 minutes a day will result in a great health benefit for your child, so allow him or her at least 15 minutes to cycle.
9. Helps in Increasing Height Faster
Cycling strengthens the bones of the legs and helps to release height growth hormones in children and kids and hence cycling helps in height growth. It is one of the best and easy ways to increase height.
Related: 7 Best Ways to Lose Belly Fat by Cycling
Essential Safety Tips to Keep in Mind While Cycling
Bicycle riding is fantastic for various reasons, including enjoyment, independence, exercise, and environmental benefits. Families and children should ride bicycles as frequently as possible.
Although riding a bike or bicycle is a great pastime but you may meet with accidents sometimes. Due to bike injuries, several children require medical attention or visit the emergency department yearly.
Here are some guidelines to help you stay safe while riding bicycles:
- Use a bicycle helmet that is adequately sized. It serves as the best defence against fatalities and head injuries.
- When possible, ride on the sidewalk. If not, ride with the flow of traffic and maintain a proper distance from other vehicles.
- Use your hand signals and abide by traffic laws. Be predictable by riding in a single direction and avoiding swerving into oncoming traffic.
- When cycling at night or in the morning, wear bright colours and utilise lights. Reflectors on your bike and clothing will make you more visible.
- Your kids should ride along. Stay close until you are confident that your children are comfortable riding alone.
- Hazards, including potholes, glass shards, stones, puddles, twigs, and dogs, should be avoided. A crash may result from any of these risks. When a hazard is present while your child is riding, shout out to the riders following you and point to it.
- Tyres should be adequately inflated before riding, and brakes should function properly. See the bicycle tyre pressure chart for all kinds of bicycles.
Conclusion: Benefits of Cycling for Children
Compared to other sports, riding a bicycle is suggested as one of the strategies to get a child more active. We struggle to prevent our children from using devices because we do not want to be seen as strict parents.
Indeed, cycling has astonishing advantages for kids that no parent should disregard. Swimming comes in second place behind cycling as a low-impact exercise that works every muscle in the body. Almost all of your child’s primary muscle groups are used when riding.
Hence, even though the lower body muscles are primarily responsible for riding a bike, the upper body muscles are also used. Kids who tumble often wind up with skinned knees and bruises. It can be perilous at times.
It would be best if you still introduced cycling to your child despite this. These mishaps teach kids to be more watchful and compel them to take safety measures.
FAQs: Health Benefits of Cycling for Kids and Children
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What is the best age for kids to learn cycling?
Children can learn to ride a bicycle at different ages. Generally, kids start learning between the ages of 3 to 8 years old. Because at this age, children have a high curiosity and eagerness to learn new things. So, this is the best time to learn cycling for kids.
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Does cycling reduce weight for kids?
Yes, Cycling is one of the easiest ways to lose weight for kids, particularly when combined with a healthy diet. According to studies, cycling is a low-impact exercise which increases cardiovascular endurance and burns calories, which results in weight loss.
You May Also Like:
- 10 Reasons to Wear a Bicycle Helmet While Cycling
- Gear or Gearless Cycle for Weight Loss: Which one is Better?
- Road Bike Vs Mountain Bike For Weight Loss: Which is Better for Exercise?
Sources:
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21496106/
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/51054095_Health_benefits_of_cycling_A_systematic_review
- https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/cycling-health-benefits
