Bike Training Starts With 'Jumping' For Joy
When young children crack the skill of gliding during their balance bike training, it’s not unusual to hear a loud ‘WHEEEE!’ of sheer delight. It’s a feeling we can all identify with (some of us adults will even admit to the occasional ‘wheee!’ when we’re free-wheeling on a bike – and why not?).
Long before children get their hands on any of your school’s balance bikes, you’ll get them doing a load of jumping, stepping and balancing games. It’s never difficult to persuade children to join in; because you’re simply encouraging them to do what comes naturally: finding that ‘wheee’ feeling.
It starts with movements such as jumping. We take jumping for granted but, in fact, it’s a very complex movement. You first have to flex at the hips and knees to generate (and sense) the force of a rapid upward movement, then you have to straighten your hips and knees to get your feet to leave the ground.
Most children learn to jump at around 12-26 months old. Some take a bit longer, particularly if they’re getting too much vestibular stimulation. This makes them feel as though they’re at risk of losing their balance and falling over. The Balanceability equipment bag is full of things to help you encourage all children of all abilities and confidence levels to develop their balance skills, particularly by jumping.
The other thing about jumping is that, like gliding on a balance bike, it is pure fun. We now know that the vestibular system is closely linked to happiness. If children feel happy, they jump and dance around. It works the other way, too. We get vestibular stimulation from activities such as jumping and dancing, and so doing these things makes us feel happy. In other words, jumping not only reflects how a child feels, it can also make them feel happy.
If you want to know more about balance, see our Feature Focus about the vestibular system.
So the next time you see a child jumping around, you’ll understand exactly what they’re telling you: “Hey! Look at me! I’m alive, and I’m happy, and I want you to know! WHEEE!”