No PE lessons, hardly any club sports - children suffered greatly from a lack of exercise during the coronavirus era. Even cycling to school fell victim to homeschooling. This lack of exercise can have an impact on road safety. For example, untrained children have problems keeping their balance and show coordination weaknesses.
We present a few simple exercises that children can use to improve their coordination on the bike and have fun preparing for road traffic.
1. dismounting on the "wrong" side
What sounds banal is a challenge in practice. "All cyclists unconsciously have a favourite side when getting on and off the bike. Training the untrained side improves coordination and reaction times, for example, which is extremely important in road traffic," explains Guido Meitler from children's vehicle specialist Puky. For example, cones help with training, where the "wrong" foot must be stepped on when called. As a variation, the children can also take turns dismounting in both directions.
2. finish
The children have to ride over small objects (e.g. beer mats, wooden boards or cardboard lids) with their front and/or rear wheel or brake directly on the obstacle. It is important that the children can feel or hear the objects as they ride over them. "This encourages spatial and movement perception in a playful way and gives children a sense of distance and speed," explains Birgit Greif, Brand Manager at bike manufacturer Winora. One type of exercise, for example, is for the children to bring the bike to a halt by rolling over the obstacle without using the brakes.
3. stop without touching the ground
An exercise for balance skills: The children should cycle slowly towards a fixed object such as a lantern or a tree, slow down and hold on to it with one hand. Remain seated on the bike in this position without their feet touching the ground. After a few seconds, you can continue cycling.
4. building a tower by bike
An exercise that requires a little more equipment, but is also a lot of fun: The children should take a box or can from one table during the journey and place it on another table. The same procedure is followed for further rounds; however, the new items are stacked on the second table to build a tower. "This exercise promotes balance, coordination and body control - and it's also great fun," says Felix Pätzold from bike manufacturer Ghost.
5th slow race
A short distance is sufficient for this exercise: The children should ride as slowly as possible for around 20 metres - the last one to arrive wins. The lane can be bordered at the side so that the children do not ride in serpentine lines. They are not allowed to put their feet down. "A race to see who is the slowest snail? It's fun for children and they can train their balancing skills in a playful way," says Guido Meitler.
6. scooters
Using the bike as a scooter: unfamiliar but great fun for children. To do this, you put one foot on a pedal (either with the right foot on the left pedal or vice versa), push off and scoot off. "Scooters are a sensible purchase for children of pre-school age. They train motor skills and a sense of balance. Exercising on a bike has a similar effect," explains Meitler. Incidentally, scooting around on a bike is officially permitted in pedestrian zones, for example - even for adults.
7. bounce the ball
This exercise requires coordination and concentration. While travelling slowly, a ball is bounced on the floor with one hand. If this is successful, the exercise can be extended. Who can turn a corner? What happens when you change speed? How do you manage to bounce the ball more often? Another possible game: two children throw the ball to each other while driving.
8. right before left
For adults, the right-of-way rule "right before left" is a matter of course, but for children it is a challenge. Although the rule can be explained in theory, it is difficult to teach without practical exercises. One possible exercise is a marked course in which two cyclists take it in turns to pass a crossing point in the centre. As the children keep turning round the markings, they have to keep focussing on who has right of way.
9. messing up
This is actually a simple exercise, but it requires a lot of coordination and attention: Several children simply ride wildly through a separate area. It quickly becomes clear that collisions can only be prevented by adhering to the rules. "The children learn to perceive other road users and their speeds in a playful way and can draw conclusions about their own behaviour. This teaches consideration and respect for others," says Volker Dohrmann from Stevens Bikes, explaining the training effect.
10th guessing game by bike
An exercise for older children that requires a lot of concentration and coordination: The children ride on a marked-out, preferably winding track. Signs with either words, numbers or mathematical symbols are attached to the edge of the track. The signs can be colourfully distributed and placed at different heights. At the end of the route, the children have to say either a solution sentence from the words or the result of the maths problem. "This teaches them that cycling works automatically while they concentrate on their surroundings. An important prerequisite for road traffic," says Meitler.
11. bicycle limbo
A simple exercise for bike control is "bike limbo": who can make themselves small enough on the bike to get under the tape without touching it?
Source: Press service bicycle; www.pd-f.de
