Scooter Slalom
What you need
- their scooter or balance bike, and a helmet
- five or six cones: plastic bottles, buckets or shoes
How to do it
- Find a flat, quiet path or playground away from roads and driveways, and set the cones out in a line a few big steps apart.
- Show your child how to weave in and out of the cones, slowly at first.
- Push off with their feet and steer round each cone, then come back the other way.
- Count the cones they get round without touching, and move them closer for a harder go.
Why it matters
Weaving round cones turns a ride into a challenge, with steering and balance in every turn.
What they're learning
- Pushing off
- One foot on the scooter and one pushing, or both feet scooting the balance bike along.
- Steering
- Turning the handlebars and leaning round each cone.
- Looking ahead
- Eyes on the next cone, not on their feet.
What to look for
Notice them looking ahead to the next cone, not down at their feet.
A tip
Helmet on every time, and stay close. Pick a spot well away from roads, driveways, slopes and water.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: set the cones far apart in a gentle wiggle
Harder: add a stop line where they brake and put a foot down
