It is essential that specific safety rules are integrated into the initial teaching of how to ride a bike. Children should know the importance of wearing a helmet at all times. According to a blog post by Steve Calechman, on the Harvard Health Publishing website there are four tips that are integral to initially teaching a child how to safely  ride their bike on the road without training wheels.

Get on a bike yourself.

Like with cleaning or table manners teaching by way of example is very important. Children look up to adults in their lives as role models, and subsequently will try to emulate their behavior by any means necessary. If you show safe and secure bike riding techniques, they will likely follow your lead and perform the task similarly. Additionally, by riding the bike yourself you will be able to feel the terrain and see the situation from their point of view. This shared experience and empathy will help you more adequately give advice and guide them during the initial first steps of their ride

Predict routes.

Take a walk, jog, or light bike around the neighborhood in order to scope out the best possible area for their practice. Try to avoid super rocky or uneven areas as those can be harder to balance and learn how to bike smoothly. Predicting the routes will not only help ensure their bike riding success, but will also give you peace of mind knowing that no large obstacle or rough road will cause bumps, scrapes, and bruises along the way

Practice passing.

Assuming that your child will not simply ride their bike alone in an unpopulated area means that you need to prepare them for how to deal with certain variables, including passing other runners, walkers, or bikers on the road. Riding in a straight line on a smooth road isn’t the challenge, Calechman argues. It’s when a speeding car passes, or if you’re riding in a line with a group of friends that can pose difficult and fast paced decision making. This rule also incorporates rule number one, as you can help provide an example of passing for your child by riding alongside them.

Be prepared to repeat yourself.

Generally, a new skill or pattern is unlikely to be mastered on the first try. Therefore, you will need to say reminders about safety and riding habits as your child begins learning and practicing this newfound skill. The old clichéd saying of “practice makes perfect” correlates to this notion. Repetition and practicing the new skill correctly will help cement the skill and safety rules of learning to ride a bike for your child. Make sure to offer praise and well wishes for a job well done. Calechman suggests making games out of practicing and repeating safety rules. For example, have the child shout “I’m crossing” whenever they are at an intersection.

Overall, riding a bike is a lifelong skill.

These four tips will help your child move beyond tricycles and training wheels and gain a sense of independence. It will also help their self confidence with the acquisition and mastery of a skill they will never grow out of. Making sure to repeat the importance of safety is crucial and cannot be overlooked. By riding yourself, this may even help you hone your own bike riding skills. Mastering a skill at any age makes creates a sense of accomplishment and in the child’s case, maturity. Going through and learning something is a great life lesson. People are always learning new skills, and mastering different things. The earlier children learn how to adapt and learn, the better students they will be for a lifetime of learning new skills, concepts, and ideas.

How did you teach your child to ride a bike? Do you ride together sometimes? Share your experience and tips.

The post 4 Tips for Teaching Your Child How to Ride a Bike “on the Road” appeared first on Novak Djokovic Foundation.

Ages vary widely, from 4 in Northern Ireland to 5 in England to 6 in Germany and 7 in a number of European countries such as Finland, Denmark and Sweden. ¹ The age at which children formally begin education has complicated roots from country to country based on social concerns such as the provision and cost of childcare, historical tradition, in some countries going back to anti-exploitation and labour laws in the 19^th century. It is also worth mentioning that all the countries mentioned also have pre-school options which are non-compulsory for parents to enrol in, but which can be so popular that almost all children partake in them.

Last month more than 100 academics and experts in early childhood education wrote a letter condemning the British government’s approach to early years education and that they believed that starting formal school so early, with a focus on assessed academic achievement rather than play based learning and discovery, was even damaging to children. They are even concerned that policies coming from government officials for pre-schools are too focused on preparing children for the formal structures of learning and that their physical, social, emotional and cognitive development is being hindered by lack of access to active, creative and outdoor play. In other words, there is too much focus on them learning information and the academic skills of reading and writing than allowing them to explore, imitate and develop their social skills through play. Part of the answer could be in delaying the compulsory school starting age in conjunction with the provision of high-quality, play based nurseries:

Children who enter school at six or seven – after several years of high quality nursery education – consistently achieve better educational results as well as higher levels of wellbeing. The success of Scandinavian systems suggests that many intractable problems in English education – such as the widening gap in achievement between rich and poor, problems with boys’ literacy, and the ‘summerborns’ issue – could be addressed by fundamentally re-thinking our early years policies.’²

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My own experience of teaching children from 2 years old leaves me a little conflicted. I am in no doubt that play based learning in the early years is of paramount importance for all aspects of the development of our children. I have seen many young children start full time, formal school when they are clearly not ready for it and yet on the other hand, I have also seen many children, who at the age of around three are keen and ready to begin more formal academic tasks (in an interactive, balanced way) such as learning letters, sounds and numbers. It seems a shame to discourage this when some children are so clearly motivated to learn and are developmentally able. Whilst there is no such thing as your average child, this makes it incredibly hard to legislate on an age to begin compulsory, formal schooling.

The academics and experts who wrote the letter mentioned above, cited credible studies. On the other side however, there is also evidence to support early schooling with focused academic activities rather than a play based approach. The Perry School project carried out between 1962 and 1967 does provide us with a wealth of data. The children who were taken into account were children living in poverty and they were assessed to be at high risk of school failure. The study was followed up several years later showing:

At age 27

• Completed an average of almost 1 full year more of schooling
• 44 percent higher high school graduation rate

At age 40

• 46 percent less likely to have served time in jail or prison
• 33 percent lower arrest rate for violent crimes
• 42 percent higher median monthly income
• 26 percent less likely to have received government assistance ³

With regards to looking at the data from this study, it should be remembered that these were children who had a much higher probability of disengaging from education and the associated problems that come with it. This also brings up another problem when deciding on legislation, what parents do with their children outside a formal educational setting. Some parents spend huge amounts of time engaging, playing with and enabling their children to explore, learn and wonder at the world around them, whereas others for a vast number of reasons do not or cannot.

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It seems that this debate will continue for some time and the compulsory school age in whichever country we live in is not something we have much control over. In the meantime here are some suggestions of things to do with your child at home which will enable their personal, social and emotional development and ensure that once they are introduced to the academic side of learning (at whatever age), they will be more likely to be ready to acquire these skills:

• Allow children the opportunity to have free and unstructured play with other children. Play is one of the primary ways children learn to interact, learn the rules of friendships and try out different roles.

• Talk to your child and encourage them to talk to you without the distractions of televisions or computers. Have the patience to let your child finish talking without interrupting and ask for their opinions.

• Share books and games. Jigsaws and board games are great for concentration and learning how to win and to lose!

• A regular routine helps children to know when to expect different times of the day. It’s amazing the difference that regular meals and sufficient sleep makes to your child’s concentration.

• Have rules and stick to them with consequences for infringing them. Be firm but fair!

• Allow plenty of time exploring the outdoors and running around especially with friends. It really does fire not just the muscles but the imagination too.

1  http://www.nfer.ac.uk/nfer/publications/44410/44410.pdf
2  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/letters/10302844/The-Government-should-stop-intervening-in-early-education.html
3  http://evidencebasedprograms.org/1366-2/65-2

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