Tips & How-to · Jul 28, 2021

Biking To School This Fall: Back-To-School Bike Tips

Did you know that biking to school can help increase classroom performance? 🤔 It also helps to instill independence and responsibility in children. Biking to school offers a myriad of benefits. So, when you’re planning for back-to-school this year, consider adding biking to your plans.

Benefits of Biking to School

Get in those steps, or pedals rather

Many children today, no matter what age, are not getting enough exercise, and a daily bike ride to school and home will benefit them in a variety of ways. Getting regular exercise is important, and riding a bike daily helps to maintain a healthy weight. It also increases flexibility while strengthening muscles and bones. Exercise, particularly low impact exercise like riding a bike, helps to improve lung function, heart rate, and blood circulation without causing stress to joints and muscles; especially if exercise hasn’t always been a high priority.

Increase brain performance

Biking to school is a great way to get the brain ready for the day. Biking not only provides physical benefits, but being active also helps improve brain function. Improvement may be seen in areas such as: cognition, hand eye coordination, comprehension, emotions, attention, and attitude. If your student is stressed or anxious, biking to school may help reduce the feeling of being overwhelmed by those emotions. Students with ADHD who ride their bike to school can experience an increase in their attention span. They may also experience a boost in their mood, sometimes as soon as the first day.

When the heart and lungs work harder, the brain has to work harder as well. A regularly scheduled bike ride can promote an increase of neurons in the brain, doubling or even tripling them. Neurons are communicators. They tell the muscles when to move. They also tell the body when there is pain, so an increase in neurons is an increase in communication capabilities.

Kids will begin learning even before they step foot into a classroom

Help your child or teen learn independence and responsibility by signing them up for a bicycle safety course. Allowing your child the opportunity to plan and test different routes to their school can help build confidence. This keeps them involved in the process, and will instill a greater desire to follow through because they were involved.

Some other things to consider are working with your child to develop a backup plan in case of inclement weather, allowing them to make suggestions and then talk through those suggestions to see if they are feasible options. By giving children or teens the opportunity to choose and test their routes, they get to take responsibility, which can lead to a feeling of accomplishment.

Bike to school shopping

Adding a few new accessories to your back-to-school shopping list can help make the ride to school easier and much more fun. Whether this is your child’s first year biking to school or you are a seasoned rider, the Kid's Collection at Po Campo has fun and functional accessories.

This book bag is as unique as your student. The Zinger Backpack Pannier will hold all the necessities for the school day without the added strain of trying to ride with it on their back. It securely fastens to the bike rear rack or can be worn as a normal backpack. Check out the Zinger Backpack Pannier here.

The Blip Water Bottle Bag attaches to the handlebars which makes carrying a lunch, water bottle, or snacks very convenient. It can attach to the Zinger Backpack Pannier to streamline and simplify keeping track of belongings.

Another compact bag option is the Speedy Kids’ Handlebar Bag. It easily attaches to the handlebars of any bicycle or scooter to carry smaller items. It also converts to a crossbody bag, making it ideal for a variety of uses and outings.

For teens or college students, consider the new Ara Backpack from Po Campo’s new City Lights collection. The spacious main compartment and extra pockets make it a desirable option. It also features a helmet harness and reflective panels. A retractable hook makes it easy to attach to scooters or bikes.

Get off on the right foot and make this school year the best one yet! Biking to school offers so many wonderful benefits that it’s worth trying. Riding a bike is a fun, easy way to get exercise, boost brain power, and instill independence and responsibility. Parents can even join in on the fun and ride along for individualized attention and a great experience for everyone.

Sources:

Wgu.edu, Bicycling.com, Marshmma.com

Note: This article is not intended as medical advice and is for informational purposes only. Please consult a physician for anything health related.