Riding a bike used to be a favourite pastime for kids. Today though, screen time seems to be interrupting outdoor play and bike riding. Between smartphones and tablets, video games, and the Internet, kids just don’t seem to be riding bikes as much as they used to. However, the younger you introduce your child to riding, the more likely they’ll continue enjoying their bike throughout their childhood and even into adulthood. Strider Balance Bikes are the best way to teach toddlers how to ride. In addition to being an excellent exercise for kids, balance bikes for toddlers can help your child develop crucial life skills! Here are five ways a Strider Balance Bike for your toddler will help them develop those skills, and feel like a Rock Star while they’re at it.

1. Builds Confidence
   The hardest part about learning to ride a bike isn’t learning how to pedal; it’s learning how to balance and steer. Strider Balance Bikes teach your young toddlers how to balance and steer by allowing them to propel themselves with their feet. They learn to steer and lean into turns just like downhill cyclists, BMX riders in a half-pipe, or motorcyclists. There’s nothing better than watching a child beam with pride when they figure out how to stride. If there’s one thing Rock Star’s are known for, it’s confidence.
2. Creates Independence
   Once your child learns how to balance and stride on a Strider Balance Bike, a whole new world opens. Your child now has a taste of the freedom and independence that comes with two-wheeled transportation. Those two wheels will be able to take them places for their entire life. Independence promotes critical thinking skills, which reinforce self-esteem and develop the ability to meet any challenging situation with ease and optimism. Allowing children incremental independence creates a better self-image, enthusiasm, and happiness with themselves. And, they get all of that from having some fun riding a bike!
3. Risk/Reward
   Now that your little Rock Start has confidence in their abilities and the independence to achieve the goals they set for themselves, they are ready to learn the potential risks and rewards that come along with riding. There may be a few scrapes and bruises along the way; however, those scrapes and bruises are valuable lessons. Strider Balance Bikes help them learn those hard lessons now so that they can make wiser decisions in the future.
4. A Sense of Adventure
   Children have an active imagination and an endless sense of wonder. Once your child learns how to ride a Strider Balance Bike, they’re free to explore, imagine, and experience the world in a way that was previously limited by their mobility. There are countless adventures to be had on a Strider Bike and your child’s imagination can let loose.
5. Become a Part of the Strider Family
   From the first time your child gets on a Strider Balance Bike to the day your child gives one to their child, they’re part of the Strider Family. Being part of the Strider Family means that you have access to official Strider events all over the country, even across the globe! They will experience healthy competitiveness, hone their riding skills, and learn the value of good sportsmanship, and most importantly, bond with other kids and families who love to ride.

At Strider Sports, we have a passion for riding. We want to share that passion with the world. Strider Balance Bikes are the best way to teach toddlers how to ride a bike and gives them the confidence, independence, and ability to explore the world around them. These things inspire our kids to adventure—a real, tangible adventure that they can’t find within the pixels of a smartphone. Whether it’s a 12 or 14 inch balance bike, the confidence, self-esteem, laughs, giggles, new friends, and sheer fun that come from the Strider Balance Bikes stay with them long after they’ve put the Strider away and moved on to a dirt bike, mountain bike, or motorcycle. That’s something they’ll take with them for life.