Whether you’re teaching a toddler how to balance and improve their motor skills, riding a push scooter is one of the best hobbies for kids. This boosts their confidence and independence while having lots of fun.
Image by Arek Socha from Pixabay
Safety is always every parent’s priority. As a matter of fact, before dad or mom wrap that scooter—a gift for their toddlers birthday or any special day, surely they’ve contemplated it many times, even heard news and insights that this toy is-not-a-safe-toy.
However, kick scooters come with tons of benefits you must not compromise, especially if this will hone your child’s fine and gross motor skills beneficial for sports, learning, balancing, and more.
Are Scooters Good For Toddlers?
You’ve heard several negative feedback and issues about kids hurting themselves when riding scooters. While it’s inevitable, you must not always dwell on the negativity. Most scooters for toddlers have passed safety protocols that allow your kids to learn various skills while having fun and are completely safe to ride on.
A toddler that learns how to ride a scooter improves their balance, hand-to-eye-coordination, and various fitness skills. For kids who’ve never tried riding a bike or scooter before, it’s highly recommended to start using a three-wheel scooter. The wheel of the scooter provides easy handling and agility (small wheels) or speed and stability (large wheels).
Once you’ve decided on which wheel suits your toddler’s capability, then you can check the brake mechanism and other functionalities. Regardless of which scooter you choose for your toddler, always include the helmet and other safety gear when riding this toy.
Stunning Benefits Of Kick Scooter To Your Toddler
Assuming you’ve already decided to buy your toddler their first-ever scooter (and the essential safety gear), then here are several benefits to cheer them (and you) up when scooting;
It helps develop gross & fine motor skills.
One of the best ways to help your child develop their gross or fine motor skills is scooting. This improves the child’s independence as it allows new ways to explore, learn, and be creative.
With your child riding the scooter, they easily develop these motor skill sets beneficial for their daily routine. This toy must be transported for the child to play, properly maneuver, and even increase their imaginary play.
Improves direction and balance
Most kid scooters are powered and designed with a kick and directed by balance. A child riding a scooter is more likely to develop hand-to-eye coordination at a young age easily. This toy is an excellent way to teach your toddler to balance using their body weight.
With frequent scooting, your toddler can easily manipulate the direction they want to go with little to no effort.
Increases your toddler’s confidence
Kids are fast learners, and before you knew it, your toddler already had mastered the art of effectively kicking their scooters. Once they can kick and control their scooters, this helps improve their confidence that they can do and handle anything.
Once they feel confident with this skill, they’ll more likely want to learn another skill to show their independence and confidence.
Enhances pre-reading skills
Aside from balance, direction and developing motor skills, riding a scooter can also improve the child’s pre-reading capabilities. Like riding a scooter, your child easily understands and learns direction, which is left and right, like reading books.
Aside from direction, a scooter improves your toddler’s grip, which gives them an edge for holding the pencil. This also hones skills on how to brush their teeth and more.
It provides fun and freedom.
Kids love the freedom and fun they experience whenever they ride scooters, either with their parents or playmates.
It helps them to understand the importance of safety.
Wearing a helmet while riding a kick scooter allows your child to understand the importance of playing safely. In several areas, young riders below the age of 18 must wear safety gear, including helmets for safety purposes.
This process allows kids to understand the importance of safe playing and to protect themselves against potential injuries or the risk associated with not wearing one.
Essential Factors To Consider Before Buying A Scooter
While there are plenty of toys available in the market right now, all promising quality, safety, and honing your child’s motor skills, balance, and confidence, there are several factors you may want to check first. This will help to buy a new scooter easier and assure that you’ve made the right choice.
- Comfortability
While there are plenty of toys available in the market right now, all promising quality, safety, and honing your child’s motor skills, balance, and confidence, there are several factors you may want to check first. This will help to buy a new scooter easier and assure that you’ve made the right choice.
- Scooter weight
The weight of a scooter varies with the manufacturer, functionalities, and rider’s age. This element helps you decide whether this unit will help your child or if this will be cumbersome for you later on.
- Noise
The quality of your scooter varies with how much you are willing to spend. Some low-quality scooters are terribly noisy, and you can hear them even miles away. So it’s worth checking before buying a scooter, whether it rattles, smooth, bump-free, and more.
- Longevity
The key to the scooters usability and durability varies to how, where, who, and frequency of use. These factors play an important role in how long the scooter lasts.
Conclusion
As your toddler starts exploring and conquering new terrain, they should learn and have fun at the same time. Riding a scooter is one of the most exciting ways children learn and develop various skill sets beneficial when they grow up. Your child will surely appreciate having one to play outdoors, indoors, or with their friends.
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