September is here and school is back in session! No matter how your kids are learning this year, we’ve got a few tips and ideas to help your kids stay active and get outdoors.
1. Start a Bike Train in your neighborhood.
Bike trains are a great way to help your kids make social connections, learn bike safety basics, and adopt active transportation habits at an early age. The basic structure of a bike train is simple: parents or guardians supervise a group of students as they bike to and from school. That’s it! Parents can work together to determine a “train conductor” schedule and to designate specific “train stations” where kids can join in the ride along the way. Once the supervisors are identified and a schedule is created, bike trains are an easy, fun way for kids to start their day with physical activity and burn off some extra energy on their way to-and-from school. For more tips on starting a bike train in your neighborhood, check out this resource page from Safe Routes Partnership.
2. Take a mid-day bike ride.
If your kids are taking virtual classes or homeschooling, lunch and recess provide a great opportunity to add physical activity to your child’s day. Biking to a local park for a picnic lunch or simply taking a 15-minute ride around the block lets kids expend some of their pent-up energy and refocus their minds for the second half of their school day. Also, it’s fun!
Bike rides can also be a great addition to classwork. Take a ride through your neighborhood and help your kids identify the birds, bugs, and plants they see along the way. Or, bring math outdoors with real-world applications by having students calculate their average speed based on the distance traveled and time spent on a bike ride.
3. Don’t forget PE!
Just because the school day looks a bit different, doesn’t mean students should skip physical education. Bike basics and traffic safety are useful and important skills that deserve a place in any PE curriculum. Teach kids the importance of wearing a helmet, fundamental traffic rules and signals, and basic biking etiquette before testing their knowledge with a bike ride around your neighborhood.
Don’t forget to include some heart-pumping physical activity as well. If you have access to a safe, protected street or bike path, create a racetrack for your kids to test their speed and agility by racing in a straight line and weaving through cones or other small obstacles.
No matter what changes this school year brings, you can add fun and fitness to your child’s daily routine with one these bike-focused activity ideas. Have you found other fun ways to keep your kids active during the day? Share them with us using #BurleyDesign on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
