Ages up to and including 17 years old

Helping your kids be safer, healthier & more confident.

Remember riding a bike when we were kids? The sense of freedom, the control, the enjoyment? And let's not forget the the energy. (We never thought of 'exercise' then.)

Many kids growing up today will never experience the thrill of knowing how to ride, for many reasons. The lure of the T.V. and the Internet, X-Box, PlayStation, Nintendo. Parents' fears. Not wanting to because "none of my friends ride a bike." Not 'needing' to ride a bike, because they're driven where they need/want to go.

Deciding to give our kids the gift of learning to ride — and ride safely — can be one of the most important decisions we can make, and can have a significantly positive impact on their lives.

See the menu at left for details on cycling safety courses from The CCE for teens and kids.

Safer.

Parents are right to pay attention to the safety of their children when riding a bike. Traffic is busier and faster than when we were kids, and the thought of sending them out into this mix is more than many will even consider.

At a young age, this makes sense. Until they are between roughly nine and 12 years of age, most kids don't have the analytical and motor control abilities to safely navigate a bike on the roadway.

The actual age at which they have the abilities depends on many factors, including their knowledge of how traffic should — and actually does — work, and their experience in handling a bike. (See our article on riding with kids.)

The sooner they start learning, the safer they will be when they first ride on the road, or when they begin driving. Many studies show that a well-trained cyclist has a much lesser chance of injury or death than the average driver.

Healthier.

Childhood obesity is on the rise. Cycling is an excellent fitness activity, and is much easier on the joints than many other forms of exercise.

Knowing how to use a bike for transportation can set up a life-long habit that will see them hopping on the bike to get to their friends' places, to the store, to school or work, rather than driving.

More confident.

Competence in an activity, independence, control and health all help increase the confidence of a child or youth. Learning to cycle properly, in control and negotiating effectively with other road users, benefits them in many ways.

The Center for Cycling Education has a range of courses that can help bring these benefits to your kids.