Top tips to get your kids on their bikes this half term
18 February 2020
When it comes to spending quality time together as a family, a bike ride can be just the ticket. Whether you decide to do a ride local to you or go on a day trip, you can create a memory that will last.
Cycling can improve your fitness and help relieve stress too. Vivup’s online Bike Shop is a great way of ordering yourself and your kids all the bikes and components you’ll need, whilst spreading the cost via monthly salary reductions.
Here are some top tips for getting out and about on your bikes this half term:
Planning your ride
To begin with, choose a route that isn’t too long as you’ll want your kids to enjoy themselves and not feel like they’re being punished! Wooded or grassy areas can be a good choice as can routes that include a playground or ice cream shop/café. You’ll need to take plenty of drinks and snacks, and don’t forget to look at the weather forecast before you set off. Extra clothes and waterproofs could come in handy and plan to have lots of short breaks.
Let the slowest person set the pace, whether that’s a child or a grownup. Inviting a friend to come along can help build the excitement for your child, just make sure they’re a confident rider.
Fun in your close
If you live in a quiet street or close, you could get creative with some chalk and design a bike skills track on the road outside your home. Your kids will love following the wavy lines and you could make it more fun by adding balloons that they’ve got to avoid popping. A tightrope challenge (getting them to stay on a straight line) can be good for older children.
Photo competition
If you do go on a bike ride, encourage your kids to take ten photos of things that interest them. When you get home, you can have a great time looking through everyone’s photos and picking a winner. You could create a collage of all the photos and proudly display them in your home.
Getting from A to B
Planning on heading to your local library or leisure centre? Why not take your bikes rather than the car for a change? The exercise and fresh air can help blow the cobwebs away for a better night’s sleep.
Check out the National Cycle Network
Planning a day trip can be easy when you head to the Sustrans website which has all the National Cycle Network routes. There are over 500 to choose from, and you can select according to location, route type or distance.
The National Cycle Network passes through the centre of every major town in the UK and most of the routes are traffic-free which is ideal if you’re cycling with young children. It can be very exciting for a child to journey down canal towpaths, forest tracks and quiet roads for the first time.
For more information on the online Bike Shop and the physical and wellbeing staff benefits offered by Vivup, please click here >