Every adult--from parents to teachers, caregivers to park employees--can support children as they learn how to navigate streets and trails safely on a bicycle. One of the best ways to reinforce safety information is to have children participate in bicycle safety activities. Age-appropriate bike safety games heighten a child's awareness and potentially save lives.
Safety Games
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends bicycle safety games for children as young as 4 years old. Have children make stop signs, yield signs and other key traffic signs, using appropriate shapes and colors, so they learn to identify and respond to these signs when they encounter them on their rides. Use toy signs for their toy cars and trains, and practice slowing and stopping the toys in response to the signs. Place a sticker or a stamp on your child's right hand and play the Hokey Pokey to have them practice distinguishing right from left. Remind them that riders and pedestrians look right and then left before crossing the street.
Obstacle Course
An obstacle course can help beginner, intermediate and advanced bicycle riders refine their skills and improve their response times. Locate an empty lot or field and set up traffic cones, roadblocks, stop signs, yield signs, flags and even pretend pedestrians. Riders practice navigating the course and responding appropriately to various obstacles. Time their attempts through the obstacle course until they have improved their time. Remember that children should wear all their bicycle safety gear when they go through the obstacle course.
Online Games
The Pennsylvania Department of Safety supplements its basic bicycle safety tips with various online games and interactive quizzes. Children can learn the rules of the road with the "Bike Driver's Test" and discover how to equip their bicycles for optimum safety in "Have a Safe Ride." Other quizzes address how to ride on roads and trails safely. A series of interactive graphics cover topics such as checking your bicycle's parts, using proper hand signals, wearing a bicycle helmet correctly and interpreting the meaning of different traffic signs.
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