Every child enjoys the excitement of rolling or speeding inside the house or outdoors. If you are wondering how you will help your child have fun as well as develop important life skills, I’m here to help you. Ride-on toys are an excellent way to help your child achieve all that and much more.
What exactly are ride-on toys? The toys mainly refer to wheeled devices that give your child the chance to propel themselves either with the help of a motor or using their energy.
The toys provide your little one with great memories, and they also make the work easier for parents because you don’t have to keep monitoring your child all the time.
Ride-on toys are available in different types ranging from rocking horses, mountain bicycles, tricycles, electric bikes for kids, small motorised vehicles and much more.
Do ride on toys benefits your child in any way? Apart from providing recreation, there are other many benefits that your child will enjoy when they are using the drive on toys.
Find Out More Benefits Of Ride-On Toys For Your Child-
1. Promotes Physical Fitness
A large percentage of adults take exercise as a difficult thing, and they end up passing this notion to kids. So when the kids grow up, they will live to hate exercising.
This is not a good parenting aspect because exercise is fun for both kids and adults. When you buy your kid a ride-on toy at an early age, they will love exercising, and this is very effective way of keeping their body active.
With ride on toys, kids have the freedom to move around and they can play for long hours until they are completely worn out. Your child ends up developing strong leg muscles with pedaling and upper limbs when they are engaged with steering.
2. Makes Children Creative
Introducing ride-on toys to kids allow them to practice role playing. Kids become more creative, and this continues even after they grow up. With ride-on toys, children can pretend to be parents, policemen or firemen driving.
At the end of it all, your kid will grow to be a creative thinker making it very easy for them to handle different life situations.
3. Promotes Balance
Another benefit of ride-on toys is that they allow your child to develop perfect balance. Because the toys are mobile, your kid will learn how to distribute their weight evenly on the toy so that they can ride comfortably.
Some of the best toys that promote balance include scooters, trikes, and practice bikes among others.
4. Improves The Kid’s Mobility
Ride-on bikes are perfect for toddlers who are learning how to walk. The toys help them to gain balance hence they can develop their motor skills.
The toys allow the smaller kids to engage different parts of their body such as feet, legs, hands and arms so they find it easy moving their body.
5. Promote Independent Play And Group Play
In as much as you should monitor your child when he or she is using a ride-on toy, kids will largely enjoy riding when they are independent.
They can easily teach themselves how to get in and out, move from one place to the other and make decisions and conclusions on their own. Therefore, kids can develop independent thinking which is an important life skill.
Apart from promoting independent play, ride on toys also promote group play. When the kids are together, they can enjoy playing, role playing and explore the outdoor world.
They get the opportunity to learn different things and teach each other, and this helps them develop. Some of the things that kids can learn from each other when out playing with ride-on toys include teamwork, leadership, and empathy just to mention a few.
6. Allows Exploration And Adventure
The good thing with ride-on toys is that they can be used both indoors and outdoors. You just need to ensure that the toy your kid is using is safe for use outdoors.
Kids can enjoy exploring and adventure which helps them familiarize themselves with nature and the world. Through this, your child can think, ask questions, look for answers or even provide solutions to problems.
7. Build Self Confidence
Apart from having fun, kids also gain self-confidence as they use the ride-on toys. As they try the different movements with the ride-on toys, they develop confidence, and they can easily graduate to other bikes without any difficulty.
The confidence they develop by interacting and using different types of ride-on toys greatly helps them in other aspects of life. This means that your kid will have the power and ability to handle any difficult situation throughout their life.
8. Allow Kids To Develop Coordination
Coordination is an important skill during pedaling. When your kid is using a ride-on toy, they learn how to engage their legs and arms so that they can pedal and steer with ease.
As they do this, they also learn how to coordinate their eyes and control different muscles of the body. Therefore, they can ride in a stable and comfortable way without any chances of wobbling or tipping.
9. Boost Social And Emotional Development
When kids meet with other kids and have fun riding their toys, they end up boosting their social and emotional development.
As they imagine things, live their dreams or even role play, they can have better thoughts about themselves, and this greatly helps them to develop their emotions. They are also able to interact with other kids hence promoting their social life.
10. Easy To Teach Kids Rules
With ride-on toys, it is very easy for the parent to make traffic rules familiar to the kid. When you teach them different rules, they learn how to become responsible people or else responsible drivers.
Your kids will not find it difficult to follow the rules when they grow older because it is something that they are familiar with right from an early age.
Ride- On Toy Buying Guide
There are so many different types of ride-on toys that are available on the market. As parents, how do you select the right toy that suits your child? What are some of the most important things that you should consider when buying the best ride-on toy?
The following are some important things that you should not miss out when you are selecting the best ride on toy for your child.
Safety Features
The safety of your child is an important thing that you should not overlook. You don’t want your child to experience injuries out there while they should be having fun. As you know, ride on toys are associated with different risks such as tipping or falling.
It is crucial to ensure that the toy you buy possesses some safety features such as brakes that minimize the occurrence of accidents.
Age Of Your Baby
Do not just buy any ride on toy without considering the age of your child. Can your child sit up without assistance? Depending on the age of your child, you should look for the best toy that suits them well.
Fortunately, most of the ride on toys you will come across feature back support which prevents your baby from falling backward.
Types
You should also know that there are different types of ride on toys that you can buy for your child. The most common toys that are available include rocking toys, foot powered toys, pedal toys, battery powered vehicles, bicycles, scooters, wagons and sleds among others.
You need to select the right type of toy based on the age of your child or his balance and coordination skills.
Size
Pay attention to the size of the toy. Your child should reach the pedals or the floor without any difficulty. Giving your child the right size also ensures that they ride comfortably hence reduce the occurrence falling.
Maintenance Of The Toy
The best ride on toys should be easy to maintain. Before you make a purchase, it is important to check the type of screws that join the toy together and ensure they are well screwed. You should also consider the durability of the toy and the ease of maintenance.
Other Considerations
- Test for the balance of the ride-on toy
- Do you want a kid-powered or a battery powered ride on toy?
- Consider the child’s fit
- You can also consider the brand, price, and warranty
Final Words
As we have discussed above, the benefits of ride on toys cannot be overlooked. They are essentials things that your child needs for them to develop different aspects of life. The toys promote balance, coordination, fitness and creativity among other benefits.
Parenting involves a lot of things, and the most important part of your child’s growth is their social, mental, emotional and development. Ride on toys are a great way to promote these aspects and help your baby to be all round.
Once you have bought the right toy for your child, you will greatly help them develop their physical, intellectual and emotion aspects among others. They also provide many hours of fun and creativity hence benefiting your child.
