Scooting comes with many health benefits, especially for kids as they learn and develop. Yes, of course like any sport it comes with some risk of injury, but with the right equipment and supervision, the benefits far outweigh the bumps and scrapes. Once you’ve found the best kids scooter for your child, or if you’re still considering getting one – consider these great benefits of scooters for kids!
Balance
Learning and developing a sense of balance is key to any child’s development. That’s why scooting is so great. It requires the child to stand upright and balance with one leg while kicking with the other. Some of the beginner scooters for kids like the Globber Primo 3, have a ‘lean to steer’ and a steering lock feature, further promoting strong balance while leaning through a turn.
Read: The Best Folding Kick Scooter for Travel
Motor Skill Development
Scooting requires the rider to use the arms and legs independently from each other helping to fine tune their motor skills. One foot kicks while the other balances, and the hands are on the handlebar balancing the scooter. All this occurs while the head and eyes are watching where they are heading and looking around for possible obstacles. If the child wants to stop, they will use one foot to press the rear fender brake pad, while simultaneously turning the scooter, or slowing enough to safely put the other foot on the ground.
Muscle Development
Balance requires core muscle strength, propelling the scooter with the foot requires leg strength, and the quick decision making skills require mental strength. Kids riding scooters are developing their muscles every time they ride. When the child pushes off from a dead stop, the ankle, the calf, the hamstrings and the glutes are engaged, and re-engaged every time they push to pick up speed. Staying upright means their core muscles, including abdominal and lower back muscles, are working. Scooters for kids are a great way to promote muscle strength and development.
Coordination
Along with motor skill development comes good coordination. Being able to steer, kick, balance and brake simultaneously works wonders for a growing child’s coordination. When they progress from a 3 wheeled kids scooter into two wheeled scooters, coordination development will kick into high gear when they start to time their movements to not break up their momentum, avoid obstacles, brake and stop and learn to do tricks.
Read: How to Find the Best Scooter Helmets for Kids
Decision Making Skills
Believe it or not, riding one of these kids scooters requires critical thinking and decision making skills. Every child riding a scooter is tasked with choices that need to be made quickly – when to slow down, when to stop, when to turn, how much to lean into the steer without falling over. Looking out for obstacles and deciding how best to avoid them is a great example. The child will need to quickly think how much force to apply to the brake in order to stop in time, or which way and when to turn to avoid it. Scooters for kids are a great way to help your child learn to make decisions, and weigh their options quickly.
Cardiovascular Endurance
Once the child has graduated from a 3-wheeled kids scooter, they will want to go faster, and to go faster, they need to kick harder. The harder they kick the more blood their hearts need to pump and the more their lungs work to get oxygen. The real benefit here is that it’s so fun, they don’t even consider it exercise!
Find the Best Scooters for Kids: 2-5 Years Old, 5-8 Years Old, 8-13 Years Old
Social Skills
Kids scoot together, and kids who scoot will seek out other kids who scoot. It’s a great way to build confidence and social skills to watch and learn from other riders. Whether it’s at school, in the park or at the skate park, there will be lots of precious human interaction!
Get Outdoors
Go play outside! Get off the sofa! Most parents I know agree that they wish their kids played outside more rather than on their computers. In addition to the social skills being developed, you have to go outside to scoot, get those muscles developed and get some fresh air!
We’d love to hear from you! Do you have any other side benefits of scooters for kids? Let us know in the comments!