Greetings!
A few days ago I borrowed colorful small blocks from my son's auntie to help develop his motor skills especially his eye, hand, and fingers coordination by building something using the colorful small blocks. The blocks also help in developing his building skills, creativity, and imagination since he is building something (like a bridge). The blocks also help develop his patience since they keep on tumbling down while he is building something testing his patience in the process. But he is always patient in finishing what he is doing even if his blocks keep on tumbling down.
Yesterday I and my wife decided to buy a bicycle to further develop our son's motor skills and also strengthen his cardiovascular system. We bought a bicycle that is fitted exactly for his age.
Right of the bat, after he saw the bicycle he jumped into it and tried to pedal it forward just like what he always watches on online videos. Since this is his first time riding a bicycle he couldn't get it to move forward continuously because he still has trouble with his pedaling coordination (just like in the gif below). But a few minutes in he's now able to pedal forward the bicycle without any interruption.
A Newfound Knowledge and Experience
The next morning he woke up at about 9 o'clock he immediately asked me if we could go out and ride his bicycle, I said, "no, the sun is hot now, we need to wait until before sunset", he understood what I said and left me at peace without bugging me until we got out before sunset.
And then we got out. Armed with his newfound knowledge and experience he enthusiastically rode his bicycle and then slowly pedals forward in a consistent manner (just like in the gif below). He couldn't get his pedaling much faster because he is still afraid of speed. I immediately recognized his fear so I thought him how to use his bike's brakes (when to brake, and how to brake) and then continues his slow biking.
At about 30 minutes in he is now able to pedal a little bit faster than he did a while ago (I'm always tailgating him in case something bad happens). At this time he's just going forward and was not able to turn his bike while pedaling. If he wants to turn back he would get off the bike and turn the bike back. So, I taught him how to turn his bike while pedaling and he immediately got it. As you can see on the photo below he is now able to turn his bike while pedaling and not getting off the bike. I also made it clear to him that he cannot turn his bike at a fast speed or else he would tumble down and get scratches.
A Lesson on Road Safety
At this moment he is now able to pedal at any speed that he wants but still forgetting to use the brakes once in a while so I am always telling him to use the brakes. He's now also able to turn his bike more smoothly while pedaling as opposed to a couple of minutes ago.
While he is getting comfortable with his pedaling speeds and on turning his bike he is still very afraid of vehicles that approach him. Just like in the photo below, it may look like a normal photo but he is actually rattled because a car is approaching him from a distance. At this moment it is obvious that he doesn't know what to do whenever a moving vehicle is getting near to him. So, I taught him that he needs to slow down and get to the side (out of the way of the moving vehicle) or he could fully stop to the side (out of the way of the moving vehicle).
After gaining more knowledge in using a bike and on situational awareness he continues to bike back and forth (I am still tailgating him at this time). It's a good thing that he is biking on a dead-end road where vehicles are not frequently passing by only the residents' vehicles are entering and leaving the road (with the exception of occasional taxi of course).
Happy Fatigue
At his moment I am now feeling some fatigue and starting to sweat. But it all worth it because of the happiness that I felt while teaching my son the basic knowledge that he could use when he grows up. I think my son is also feeling some fatigue right at this moment. But we know toddlers, they are very energetic and they only stop when it is time to sleep.
A Lesson on "No Tailgating"
While he is biking one of our neighbors joined in biking. She is using a pink BMX bike (as can be seen in the photo below) while her little sister is riding with her. I noticed that my son got excited because there's someone that he can bike with. I noticed that my son kept tailgating our neighbor's bicycle so I stopped him and we have a little talk. I said, "We can't do that, you can't go near the bike while pedaling fast or else you will bump her bike if she suddenly stopped, bumping her bike will get you scratch or worse.". He understood what I said and from then on he's keeping his distance from our neighbor's bike.
How Biking Develop His Motor Skills, Strengthen His Cardiovascular System and Introduced Him to Road Safety
Biking helps in developing his motor skills by means of pedaling thus improving his foot, leg, and thigh coordination by learning how to pedal in the correct manner countinously.
Biking helps in developing his motor skills by improving his hand, fingers, and arm coordination by means of using the bicycle's brakes and handlebar.
According to doctors, biking or cycling improves the heart, lungs, and circulation, reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Biking or cycling strengthens the heart muscles, lowers the resting pulse, and reduces blood fat levels source.
By biking, he has now some knowledge and experience about the dangers of the road and how to be safe while biking.
I am an I.T. professional (Computer Engineer) working in a private company, a blogger, a father, and a husband.
