Riding a bicycle is one of the joys of childhood and promotes a child's sense of mastery and independence. It is vital that children observe safety rules as they gain more freedom on their bicycles. The most important safety rule is to wear a bicycle helmet, whether riding on a street, sidewalk or bike trail. Look for a helmet that meets safety standards and fits your child's head properly. Remind your child that unless the helmet is strapped, it provides no protection.
Step 1
Discuss the importance of wearing bright clothing to increase your child's visibility to motorists. Remind your child to wear closed-toe shoes when biking and to avoid loose pants or shoe laces that could get caught in the bicycle's spokes or chain.
Step 2
Tell young children under the age of 10 to ride on the sidewalk, as recommended by the National Highway Traffic Safety Commission. Teach older children to avoid busy streets and to avoid playing or performing stunts in the middle of a road.
Step 3
Instruct your child about how to approach an intersection when on a bicycle. Use a protected area such as your driveway and the sidewalk to teach them to always stop and look left, look right and left again before proceeding.
Step 4
Discuss the importance of always obeying stop signs, given that nearly a third of all car/bicycle collisions occur when a bicyclist rides through a stop sign or red light without stopping, according to the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute website.
Step 5
Teach your child basic hand signals--outstretched left arm for a left turn and either an outstretched left arm bent upwards at the elbow or an outstretched right arm for a right turn. Hold the left arm out with the lower arm down at a right angle to indicate a stop.
Step 6
Stress defensive bicycle riding to your child. Make sure he understands that just because he sees a car does not mean that the car's driver sees him.
Step 7
Warn children to slow down when they are bicycling down a slope, recommends the website Teach Kids How.
Step 8
Stress to your child the importance of making independent decisions when riding his bike. Warn him to never blindly follow another bike rider into a street or an intersection without first assessing the situation himself.
Step 9
Teach your child to ride with traffic, even when he is still young enough to ride on the sidewalk, recommends the International Bike Fund website. This reinforces rules of the road for when he begins riding in the street and makes him more visible to motorists.
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