Almost 20 rambunctious kindergartners had their first gym lesson in bike riding on Monday at George Washington Elementary School in Baltimore’s Pigtown neighborhood.
The school received “24 Strider balance-to-pedal bikes, pedal conversion kits, fully adjustable student helmets, an instructor bike with pedal conversion kit and helmet, two rolling storage racks, and access to a resource portal with live support for the life of the program,” from national nonprofit All Kids Bike, a news release about the program says.
“We have a really simple mission,” said Lisa Weyer, executive director of the organization, “which is to teach every child in America how to ride a bike in Kindergarten P.E. class.”
The program includes teacher training and certification, as well as an eight-lesson curriculum to prepare kids for success.
“We feel it’s one of the most important things that we can teach a child,” Weyer said. “It’s truly a milestone for every child, and unfortunately, not every child gets that opportunity.”
One in four children doesn’t know how to ride a bike or will not ride a bike nationwide, a number that’s increased along with the rise of technology, she said.
Balance-to-pedal bikes may not be familiar to a previous generation of riders who recall learning with training wheels. Bike maker Schwinn says training wheels “are not absolutely necessary,” as learning riders can become overdependent on them for balance.
George Washington Elementary students spent the afternoon balancing on their bike seats and walking and gliding with their bikes, an approach that Schwinn says helps develop balance skills more quickly.
Kindergartner Kayden Barbosa was the first student to be outfitted with a bike and helmet. Barbosa, 6, beamed while physical education teacher Jonathan Tribble helped secure his helmet. Tribble led the students as they walked and glided around the perimeter of the gym, with members of the Life Time Foundation and school staff looking on.
The afternoon’s biggest snag was when kindergartner Teighan Brown stopped riding. Aaliyah Cash, event coordinator for the Life Time Foundation, pulled her over and adjusted her seat, getting Brown back to zooming around the gym.
Students will graduate to pedals when they’re ready, Tribble said.
After the kindergartners were dismissed, the school’s first graders got to take a spin.
Tribble said his father taught him to ride a bike when he was about 6 or 7 years old. Biking was his primary mode of transportation until he was about 15. However, the younger generation might not be spending as much time outside as he did.
“Looking back at the youth now, it’s a difference. It’s more internet-based and influence. So things like this, recreation activities like this, is a blessing,” Tribble, 25, said. Some older students in the school don’t know how to ride a bike, he said.
The national nonprofit Life Time Foundation donated $90,000 to All Kids Bike for the current school year, according to a news release. That money will power 10 Kindergarten P.E. Learn-to-Ride programs nationwide, “helping more children develop the confidence, coordination, and healthy habits that come from learning to ride a bike,” the release says.
Over 1,700 schools have active kindergarten programs, Weyer said. “That means over 170,000 kids every single year are getting the opportunity to learn to ride a bike in their P.E. class.”
Beyond the physical benefits a lifelong love of biking can bring to a child, she said the hobby can introduce children to a social activity, giving them a “sense of community” and promoting social-emotional growth.
A team from Life Time Foundation assembled the bikes this morning, Principal Tanisha Sheppard said. The boxes that the bikes and all the other accoutrements came in and lined the left wall of the gym. The equipment from All Kids Bike can last seven to 10 years, potentially getting up to 200 children on bikes at the school, the release says.
George Washington Elementary is a Title I school, meaning it receives federal funding because it has a high level of students from low-income families. It’s also one of the smallest schools in the district, Sheppard said. Just under 140 students were enrolled there, according to the most recent Maryland State Department of Education Report Card data from July.
“They came ready to learn, and they caught on fast,” Tribble said of his students.
“I think they loved it,” Sheppard said. “Some of them are [already] pros and couldn’t wait to show their friends.”
One of the boxes from All Kids Bike contained completion certificates for the students.
“Congratulations! You are wheelie awesome,” they read in part.
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