Most parents will agree that raising a child into a responsible adult is tough, but it’s one of the most rewarding jobs in the world. It’s all about making sure that your child is going to be able to take care of themselves when it’s time to handle the big stuff in life. However, there are some things that are more difficult at first, like riding a bike.

Even once your children handle the actual use of the bike in a closed space (like the neighborhood cul-de-sac), you will still need to sit down with them and encourage them to embrace basic safety practices. This is the only way that you can rest easy knowing that they’re going to be riding their bike. Children are naturally curious, and you’re essentially giving them a vehicle to check out the entire world with. This means that you can’t be afraid to let them go out and explore — that’s where good bike safety comes in.

So let’s get right down to it.

First and foremost, you will want to sit them down and let them know the ground rules. You will know your neighborhood a lot better than anyone, so you can set down where they can go and where they can’t better than we can. Until they’re comfortable riding their bike, we suggest that you don’t allow any nighttime riding — that can be something that family does as a whole.

You will also need to show them how to wear their helmet. Yes, you need to make sure that they have a proper helmet. If they didn’t wear a helmet, they could get badly injured in an accident.

Yet it doesn’t stop at just a helmet. You will want to show your child how to use the brakes on the bike. It’s very easy to think that your child will automatically know how to stop the bike, but you might be surprised. Using the reverse peddle mechanism on the bike can make things a bit difficult at first — but you don’t have to worry. Once your child realizes that it’s the only way to really stop the bike at higher speeds, then they’ll definitely use it.

Overall, it’s really straightforward to use a bike. The key is that you want to impart upon your children a sense of safety and common sense. You will want to let them know that they don’t have to feel like it’s impossible to make the most out of a bike, but you don’t want them to think that they can just ride recklessly. In fact, most accidents on bikes are caused by either lack of attention or just an overall recklessness. Every child wants to feel like they’re part of a group, so you will need to ensure that they aren’t following the safety patterns (or lack thereof) of their friends. If you really work on building a solid safety foundation, your children will follow your tips to the letter and stay safe all year long — talk with them today!