Rolling Out a New Bike Program at SCH

Thanks to our PE teachers and All Kids Bike, a program “on a mission to teach every child in America to ride a bike in kindergarten,” our youngest Lower School students are preparing to roll, safely and confidently, into their bike-riding years. 

The program, which comes with a curriculum designed to make balance and riding easier, trains educators to teach students to ride on Strider 14x bikes. Twenty-four bikes and one adult (teaching) bike will be used in the gym for now. As riders progress, the bikes can be transformed into pedal bikes with a conversion kit. 

“Biking is a lifelong activity,” says PE chair Betty Ann Fish, who spearheaded the initiative to bring the program to SCH. “It’s a great way to connect with others and be involved with the community. It’s also a great family activity. It gets kids moving. It gets families moving. The more time families spend together, the better, and even better if it’s active!”

As part of their “brave, strong girls” unit, kindergarten girls are the first to learn how to stride and have been getting a feel for the bikes (and adjusting helmets!) in recent weeks. The excitement of learning to ride alongside friends is palpable. In the new year, all kindergarteners will enjoy the balance bikes and proven learn-to-ride curriculum. As they get comfortable in the saddle, they may even find a new passion. 

“Not everyone will be a professional athlete, but we do need to keep our bodies healthy,” says Fish. “If this is another option for kids or inspires them to bike at home or join races, that’s what we want. If we inspired that at the age of 5 and 6, that’s amazing.”