Social Distancing Survival: Strider Bike for the Win!
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Warmer weather is here and more opportunities for outdoor play along with it! We are so excited to go out and play with sidewalk chalk, run through the yard and dig in our garden. Our favorite activity has been using the Strider Bike my son received as a gift for his 2nd birthday.
Here is a link to the bike we have. . .
Strider Sport 2-in-1 Rocking Bike, for Ages 6 Months to 5 Years, Red
There are a lot of reasons we love this bike. Here are just a few of them:
This bike along with the rocker base is a fun toy for children 6 months to 5 years. My son's birthday is in February so it was still too cold to go outside to ride it when he first received it. However, we had the rocker base and were able to start working on some of his balance reactions by allowing him to rock on it in our living room. Currently this is how we use the bike for my 1 year old. He is learning to hold on to the handle bars and practice righting reactions in a safe and controlled environment. The one we have is for children 6 months to 5 years, but there are larger versions available for children ages 3 to 7.
Research supports the use of balance bikes. Studies published by Shim et al. between 2013 and 2020 show that Strider bikes increase balance and stability in children 3 - 5 years old, provide better stability and more success in learning to ride a bicycle in children with Autism and result in decreased risk of injury during daily routines.
We have seen first hand how the Strider bike has improved many of the skills my son struggles with. This bike encourages my son to use the muscles on the right side of his body equally to those n the left. In addition, he is happier, less likely to meltdown and easier to calm for sleep when we take daily bike rides.
Success and Independence. He is successful at independently riding his bike around our very long block and often asks to go for a second round. Our first attempt took 45 minutes, but within a week he was going the whole block in 20 minutes or less. Now he showboats a little, holding his feet up off of the ground while he coasts. He kind of looks like Mario jumping over a toadstool.
Here are some links to other options including one for older children. Once your child has mastered the strider bike, there are pedal conversion kits available.
Strider - 12 Classic No-Pedal Balance Bike, Ages 18 Months to 3 Years, Red
Strider Bikes provide a great opportunity for teaching good balance reactions, building core strength and developing coordination between both sides of the body. These skills are important for being able to cross midline, sit with good stability and use body awareness to help respond to physical demands in an efficient manner. As a child gets older this can translate into better attention to task, greater ease with reading and writing tasks and increased ability to participate with peers. In addition, Strider Bikes provide input to several sensory systems at the same time, helping children learn to integrate a variety of sensory information. Playing outdoors is important for keeping our spirits up and our bodies healthy. Physical activity is essential for the same reasons. Our Strider Bike is absolutely essential in helping us survive social distancing.
Here is a link to his super cool helmet!
Bell 7073384 Spiderman SPIDEY EYES Toddler Helmet
Watch for more posts about some of our favorite ways to Survive Social Distancing and play outdoors in the coming weeks!
Lauren Jurczak graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy. She has worked with Ability First Pediatrics since January 2011.
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