Family Biking and Bike Safety for Kids

Today is National Bike to School Day! We've been loving all the family biking happening this spring and look forward to seeing all the kids biking home from school today. Here are a few reasons why you should get the family on bikes and 3 tips for bike safety for kids.

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Why family biking?

Family biking is the perfect way to spend time together, get exercise, teach your family healthy habits, and explore your neighborhood. And with the abundance of carriers, trailers and bike seats, it’s never been easier to travel with your little ones.

1. Spend time together

In this day and age, it can be hard to find time for the family to do an activity together. Why not try biking to a nearby destination together? Whether to school or to the park or to piano lessons, family biking is a refreshing change of pace to sitting in traffic, distracted. Try a tandem bike or cargo bike for added adventure.

2. Family health

Sometimes it can be difficult to get your kids (or your partner...) to be conscious about health. If we’re being honest, it’s difficult to be health conscious ourselves! Family biking is an easy way to insure you and your family are getting enough exercise. Plus, there are other benefits to family bike rides besides a good workout. Just 30 minutes of biking revs up your system, sends blood around your body faster and floods the lungs with oxygen. It keeps immune cells healthy and ready to fight off infection. And, regular cycling is proven to cut your risk heart disease by half! (source)

3. Explore

No matter where you’re located, exploration is necessary! At Po Campo, we believe in having daily adventures and seeking out opportunities to have fun. Family biking make it extraordinarily easy to get around your city and explore. You might even discover places you could never get to in a vehicle. We promise that there are adventures everywhere you look.

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Bike Safety for Kids

What to do about bike safety for kids is a common question. Kids are smart and from a very young age they begin to mimic the people around them. Set a good example for your family by always practicing safe biking habits.

1. Visibility

Reflective gear and bike lights are vital when considering bike safety for kids. The more visible you are the safer you are. An easy way to make yourself visible is by pinning one our reflective pins onto your family’s jackets or back packs! As for bike lights, the brighter the better.

2. Helmets

This is a no brainer, pun intended. Protect your heads with a high quality helmet. It could make all the difference if an accident ever occurred. Nutcase's Little Nutty helmets are a great place to start your helmet hunt when you're thinking about bike safety for kids.

3. Routes

It can be tempting to take the quickest route, especially if you and your family are running late. The benefits to taking the quickest route do not outweigh the risks and it’s simple to find another, safer route if you take 5 minutes to plan it out. Side streets and trails are great bets. So are roads with protected bike lanes. In addition, you’ll teach your children to choose the safest routes, which is an important lesson when considering bike safety for kids.

Here's a video of a Q & A that Maria did with a local cycling mom about how to bike to school with kids: Want to talk to other parents about the joys of family bike rides and get tips for bike safety for kids? Look and see if there is a Kidical Mass in your area or leave a message on their facebook page.