Kids love ride on toys and in addition to being tons of fun, there are many benefits of ride on toys.
Ride on toys for children run the gambit from rocking horses to battery operated cars and trucks, and it’s not uncommon for many parents to buy their toddlers one or more ride on toys.
But ride on toys are not just lots of fun, they also offer your child many benefits that can help with their development.
Here’s a look at the benefits of ride on toys for kids of various ages.
Benefits of Ride on Toys for Toddlers
Ride on toys for toddlers normally include toys such as rocking horses, cars or trucks kids can sit on and push with their feet, and pedal free tricycles.
These types of toys can provide toddlers with the following benefits:
- Help develop a sense of balance since they need to keep an upright position while they’re riding on the toy
- Help develop gross motor skills. Propelling ride on toys with their legs is an excellent way for toddlers to develop gross motor skills and strengthen their leg muscles
- Help develop fine motor skills. Many ride on toys have buttons for toddlers to push or reins to grasp, which helps them develop those necessary fine motor skills they will need later to do write and do a variety of other things
- Teach lessons in sharing. Toddlers who spend time in day care or have siblings are often required to share riding toys with other children. This teaches them about sharing, taking turns, and other social skills
- Ride on toys are a fun way to encourage your kids to get exercise
- Can help toddlers expand their vocabulary. Even before children begin talking in complete sentences, they learn many word. And they quickly pick up the names of their riding toys, such as horse, car, etc.As they begin talking in short sentences they will actually express their desire to play with these toys such as “ride bike now”. They’ll also start telling you when something is wrong such as “wheel broke”.
Keep in mind that parents should closely supervise toddlers when they are playing with ride on toys. The younger the toddler is, the closer they will need to be supervised.
Benefits of Ride On Toys For Preschoolers
Tricycles, balance bikes, regular bikes with pedals, and scooters are some examples of ride on toys for preschoolers.
These types of toys provide the following benefits for preschoolers:
- Help further develop fine and gross motor skills
- Encourage kids to exercise
- Help give preschoolers a sense of independence
- Continues to help kids develop a sense of balance
- Help develop a sense of exploration and adventure. Ride on toys make children look at the world around from a different vantage point and they feel like they exploring new ways of doing things
- Help develop spatial awareness: Children begin to have some understanding of space and the objects contained within the space. They quickly learn which way to turn to avoid hitting objects while they’re on ride on toys
- Build self confidence: As kids learn how to use various ride on toys such as bikes without training wheels, and scooters, they gain self-confidence. This, in turn makes them want to try even more new things
- Help children learn and follow rules: Parents set safety rules that children are expected to follow in order to use the ride on toys. They learn about safety and the reasons behind following these rules
- Help develop their imagination. When children use ride on toys, their imagination soars. Ride on horses that move by children pushing on the stirrups allows kids to play cowboy or cowgirl or pretend they are running a ranch. Battery operated cars allow children to pretend that they driving to the store or going on vacation
Ride on Toys for Older Children
Older children use ride on toys such as scooters, skateboards, bikes, hoverboards, and snow boards.
Older kids also get benefits from ride on toys, and these benefits include:
- A growing sense of independence, as they often use these ride toys to go to the park, the store and friend’s homes
- Continued growth in self-confidence as they learn to do different tricks on ride on toys
Increased knowledge of safety rules and even rules of the road - Increased social interaction: Older kids tend to play with other kids and share their toys with others, which leads to increasing social skills and interaction
- Continued healthy exercise
In conclusion, there’s no doubt about it: Ride on toys that we buy for our kids give them hours of fun!
And for many parents, grandparents and care givers, it’s great to know that in addition to fun, these types of toys also give our kids all kinds of wonderful benefits at different ages and stages of their lives.