Cycling as a family can be a wonderful experience that brings everyone together. Having a shared interest can strengthen family bonds while making unforgettable memories. Because cycling is so great as a family, parents often don’t want their children to lose interest or no longer love cycling as much as they used to.
As your children get older, they’ll want to do other activities outside of family biking. While it’s important to encourage them to find other things they love, you can also find ways for them to continue to love this family activity as they get older. The best way to do this is to start chatting about it with them now!
Tell them how much it means to you
If you want to keep family biking a traditional activity for years to come, be sure to tell your children how much it means to you. Don’t be shy about expressing your love for cycling and how happy it makes you feel that you all can do it as a family. Kids will be more inclined to keep doing what they love when they know you love it too. They’ll also probably start to look more forward to their bike rides with you when they know how much it means to both you and them.
Ask about their biking goals
A great way to help your children love bike riding as they grow older is to ask them about their goals. Ask them if they want to enter into their first bike race or challenge themselves for a more difficult ride. When they’re continually working towards goals, they’ll be more likely to continue their love of cycling for years to come. Perhaps, as their parent (assuming the kids haven’t got beyond your fitness on a bike) you could do the cycling race or event with them? Especially with you and their family by their side as they take on new challenges, their joy for biking will only grow.
Encourage them
Once you know their cycling goals, talk to them about how you can help them to succeed. Let your children know that you’re there to take the challenges on with them. Be sure to encourage them to keep trying and lift their spirits if at first they don’t succeed. Encouragement is an incredible boost to keep them going.
Make sure they’re having fun
When asking them about their goals, also make sure that they’re having fun! Family biking should be a good experience and something they look back on with a smile. If your child isn’t enjoying themselves, they’re much less likely to love biking as they get older. Make an effort to ensure each bike ride with them is a fun adventure and a wonderful experience. Even if there’s a flat tire or scraped knee, there’s always a way to have fun as a family while cycling.
