Whether your little ones have just received their first two-speed bikes to ride around the neighborhood or whether they’ve already sharpened their skills and advanced to riding around town on an electric tricycle, ensuring your kids wear their helmets when biking is essential for their safety and well-being. Helmets are one of the simplest yet most important pieces of biking safety equipment, and can go a long way in preventing serious injury and even death in the event of a bike accident. If you’ve been having a tough time convincing your kids to keep their helmets on when biking, here are a few tips to encourage them and instill this good habit.
Let Your Child Choose a Helmet and Encourage Friends’ Parents To Do the Same
If your child asked you for a new comfort bike with his or her favorite cartoon character printed on it because his or her friends had similar bikes, you may already be familiar with the positive potential of small amounts of peer pressure. Since children naturally gravitate towards the items their friends have, you may want to talk to your child’s friends’ parents and encourage them to get their kids helmets as well. Additionally, allowing your child to find his or her favorite helmet could act as a powerful incentive to wear the helmet. To wield this strategy, you should:
- Allow your child to pick a helmet he or she truly likes and is excited about
- Offer to get your child his or her preferred helmet as a special gift
- Make sure you set a good example by wearing a helmet every time you get on a bike, especially around your child
Carefully Explain Why Wearing a Helmet Is So Important
In order to be truly cognizant of the importance of wearing a helmet, you may need to sit your child down before he or she gets on a brand-new hybrid comfort bike to explain what can happen if he or she forgoes wearing a helmet while biking. This conversation should be concise and empathetic. Make sure your kids know that:
- Helmets help protect them in case of an accident and can help prevent injuries
- Skipping a helmet could have serious consequences
- Helmets are an essential part of bike riding and your child’s bike is essentially his or her first vehicle
Take Your Kids To Watch Professional Cyclists Wearing Helmets
Finally, having good examples of other people wearing helmets while biking can make all the difference for young children. You may want to take your kids to watch professional cyclists who wear helmets. These cyclists could help with:
- Setting a good example
- Drumming up interest in helmets and excitement to wear them
- Helping kids understand the importance of wearing a helmet
No matter how advanced your kids are at riding their bikes, wearing a helmet is an essential step in keeping them safe and preventing serious injuries in the event of accidents. In order to encourage your kids to always wear their helmets when biking, try letting them pick out their own helmets, explaining the importance of helmet-wearing and setting good examples for them. Together, these tips could help keep your kids safe while they’re riding their bikes.
