Top 10 Tips for Cycling With Children This Easter
A biking riding trip to explore the great outdoors with your loved ones is nothing short of exciting and fun. Plus, it's something unique and different than what most children are used to, such as family dinners, going to the movies, having fun at the amusement park, etc.
Organizing a cycling adventure with your children is going to provide you with the opportunity to not just further strengthen your bond with them, having some quality time, but you'll also be helping them understand the advantages of physical wellness and the need for regular exercising.
Moreover, a bike trip can be just as beneficial for the entire family as it will promote a sense of familial bonding, siblings will learn how to look out for one another, parents will get to teach their kids how to have fun in nature, and much more.
But what's even more fantastic about it gives everybody an excuse to keep fit. Lastly, as parents, you won't have to plan and organize fun and healthy family events separately as going bike riding can help you achieve both.
Understanding the Basics of Family Biking
A lot of parents, these days, embrace organizing fun cycling trips with their children. So, it is safe to say that family biking is fast becoming a cultural thing. And there are some excellent reasons as to why families adore cycling adventures during the holiday seasons. It's affordable, gives them a good opportunity to spend quality time with their loved ones, and can be easily planned. This is also why Easter cycling is becoming a trend for many families to enjoy the incredible weather and flora and fauna brought on by spring.
So, if you're excited about the coming Easter holidays and want to do something special, other than to stay at home, then bike riding is surely the way to go. However, it is equally important to consider making an organized plan well before the holidays arrive, ensuring your kids know how to properly ride a bike if they are not of age, then you should also arrange bikes that come with rear seating arrangements to ensure the safety of your child.
In light of this, we're going to provide some important tips and tricks that you need to keep in mind before setting your Easter bike riding plan in motion.
Planning the Trip: Some Vital Essentials to Keep in Mind
While you wait for the Easter holidays, it is important to organize a functional plan for your family biking trip. This can include teaching your children how to safely ride their bikes, arranging the necessary bike accessories and supplies, making sure you have all your essentials packed for the trip and more. Let's take a look at how you can start planning for the trip.
1. Choosing the Best Bikes and the Necessary Accessories
This is one of the most vital things you should consider. While you can use traditional bikes, you can tremendously boost the fun and excitement of the trip if you opt for an electric bike. One of the best things about ebikes is that they come with an electric motor, which means you can choose to rest your legs and use the motor to ride longer distances.
In addition, ebikes come equipped with all the necessary features and accessories you would need to make your trip stress-free. For example, they're built-in with LED headlamps, some feature robust rear cargo attachments and front-mounted baskets, and more.
Take the Nakto Fashion ebike, it comes with a built-in 450W peak rear hub motor and a 36V-10A battery that generates a top speed of 21 mph and has a total range of 25 miles. In addition, the bike is equipped with LED safety lights and reflectors and a rear rack that has a maximum load capacity of 300 lbs.
Moreover, you have to also ensure that the bike you choose for your kid is appropriately sized for added control and balance. Plus, before embarking on the journey, be sure to check the tires for air pressure and make sure the brakes are in order. For safety, ensure that your kids wear helmets at all times when riding their bikes.
2. Educate Your Kids on the Rules of the Road
Another aspect of a safe and hassle-free riding adventure this Easter is duly teaching your children how to observe the rules of the road when riding their bikes. As parents, you are ultimately responsible for keeping your kids safe at all times.
So, the best way to prepare them for the experience is to teach them the basics of how to follow traffic rules, including how they should always look both left and right when riding their bikes across the road, teach them to use their arms has turning signals for any other riders or cars behind them, and to ride to their bikes at one side of the road.
Again, you should also reinforce the notion that your children should always wear a helmet when riding their bikes. For added safety measures, have them wear reflective clothing to make it easier for oncoming traffic to spot them.
3. Select the Safest Routes to Chart Your Journey
It is always a good idea to choose the best and most safe routes to enjoy your bike riding adventure. This is even more important when you have kids riding bikes as well. One advantage of taking safer routes is the fact that you will not have to contend with busy traffic conditions.
Plus, you won't have to be overly stressed managing your kids when it is time for them to cross a busy intersection. Choosing bike-friendly pathways and routes is a surefire way to minimize the chances of accident-related injuries and navigating traffic hazards.
You can select safer routes by checking the map of the areas you wish to visit. It is also very likely that the region will also contain designated roads and paths for bike riding, which are routes specifically created for cyclists and adventurers. However, at the same time, you need to choose paths that won't take a lot of time to traverse.
4. Visibility Should Be Among Your Top Priorities
Making sure that your child can clearly see the path, signs, and potential road hazards is very important. This is even more true if you plan to ride during the darker part of the day. To do that, your kid's bike must be equipped with LED lights both at the front and rear.
In addition, it is also good to ensure that the bikes have reflectors installed as well. Moreover, have them wear reflective clothing such as ankle bands or vests. Furthermore, instruct them to turn their bike light on when riding in low visibility no matter what time of day it is, especially if it is foggy. Take the Nakto Camel Cruiser ebike, for instance. It comes equipped with a front-end LED light and is built-in with a cutting-edge ventilated disk brake system for peak performance and safety.
5. Focus on Time Management
It is also important to ensure that your child creates a good routine before you take them on the riding trip. For example, have them get up a bit earlier than usual on the day, ensure they have a nice breakfast, take care of their essentials, and take off on the adventure without a care in the world. It is vital to make sure your child is stress-free and positive.
6. Reward Your Children for Good Behaviour
Another critical aspect of ensuring that your children observe the rules of the road and follow your instructions during the bike trip is to reward them. It is like reinforcing positivity, helping them understand that they should always observe the rules of the road no matter whether they are riding with their parents or are out and about alone. The reward can either come as praise for their good behavior or attitude or giving them or giving them treats.
7. Pictures, Or It Didn't Happen!
A biking adventure with family is truly an exciting and wonderful experience. Plus, everything is going to be so new for the kids! They'll be experiencing the joy of being out and about in nature, riding their cycles along with their siblings and parents. Those events will be unforgettable, which is why it is so important to immortalize those moments. So, be sure to take loads of pictures and videos so that you can all have a good laugh when your kids grow older.
8. Hydration is Important
It is a good idea to keep essential supplies packed in your bag and ready to be used at all times. Remember, riding bikes can be tiring and you along with your kids will need to be constantly hydrated. So be sure to pack energy bars and loads of water to make the journey hassle-free and enjoyable. Also, make sure that your kids are also carrying their own individual water bottles in their backpacks.
9. Let Your Kids Enjoy Themselves
While it is true that kids need to be supervised and look to their parents for leadership in a variety of different facets throughout their lives, it is also true that they look for a degree of independence from time to time. And when it comes to adventure trips, as parents, you should provide them with room to enjoy discovering things on their own.
A good way to teach your kids leadership capabilities is to allow them to take over. For example, if you're riding in an open space, let's say a park, let your kids direct the way while ensuring that the path is safe and secure. Bike riding can also be a confidence-building exercise.
10. Practice Makes Perfect
Last but not least, before you embark on the journey and are in the initial planning stages, it is equally important to help your kids practice riding bikes. You can take them on a short trip near a park and teach them essential bike maintenance and safety tips and tricks that they would need to count on.
Important Tips for Parents: The Essentials You Need to Have On You At All Times
Here is a list of items that you need to make sure you take along on the bike-riding journey:
- A couple of inner tubes that you will be able to use for towing.
- Pack 2-3 first aid kids for fall-related injuries (pack plasters or arnica globules) for severe injuries.
- Energy bars, fruits, and other snacks and items for when your kids get really hungry during the bike trip.
- Pack plenty of water bottles to keep yourself and your kids hydrated. In addition, the drinking water will also be used to clean cuts and scrapes or minor injuries on the road.
- Pack a couple of rolls of tissues for when your kids need to go to the bathroom. They will come in especially handy if they need to go in the middle of the bike trail.
- Items and accessories for body protection for when the time comes for a trail descent.
- The weather can be unpredictable, so pack wind and water-proof jackets for your kids.
- Pack bike riding eye protection goggles for when your kids are riding downhill. The goggles will help keep the wind and dust out of their eyes.
Things You Should Not Do
- Avoid steep or gravel-ridden bike paths or trails as they are going to suck the fun out of bike riding.
- Avoid riding on slippery trails or potentially dangerous routes.
- Refrain from riding amidst a populated bike park on the weekends.
- Make sure that your kid is riding light. Packing heavy and unnecessary materials is only going to make it harder and tiring for your kids to pedal through the day.
Bottom Line
So there you have it, a comprehensive dive into some very important and necessary tips and instructions you need to consider when planning a safe and fun Easter bike-riding adventure with your kids.