We’ve already established how important it is to wear a helmet whenever you’re riding a bicycle, but how do you make sure that your kids do the same? Oh, it’s easy enough to apply the rules while they’re small and under your constant supervision, but as soon as they get that little bit older and an independent streak begins to emerge, it can be a difficult rule to enforce.

Here are one or two tips on how to make sure that they keep safe on their bicycles and wear their bike helmets, even when you’re not watching!

Top Tips on Getting Your Kids to Wear Bike Helmets

• Make them wear a bicycle helmet from the start. Although it’s never too late to start, you’ll probably find that you have more success on getting your kids to wear their bicycle helmets if you establish the habit early. It needs to become a habit that they automatically reach for their bicycle helmet whenever they ride their bikes (a bit like fastening your seatbelt in the car!) Start them wearing helmets from the very first day they get their first trike and go on from there.
• Let them choose their own bicycle helmet.  They’re much more likely to want to wear their bicycle helmet if they actually chose the one they liked the best. Let them pick a new one out every year, so that they’re excited about their new accessory. Even if their choice is a little bit more expensive (nothing new there then!) it’s still a small price to pay for your childs head don’t you think?
• Always wear a bicycle helmet yourself. You need to make sure that you’re a positive role model for your kids, after all, they learn most by watching you. Let them see that you always wear your helmet, and they’ll be more likely to do the same.
• Try to get their friends to wear bicycle helmets. Gang up on them – (not that type of gang) but peer pressure is very important in young kids. If all of the parents get together in a neighborhood and enforce the rules on all of the children at the same time, you’ve all got a much better chance of success. If nobody else in your childs group of friends wears a helmet, you could have a difficult task on your hands.
• Let them know why they must wear their bicycle helmets – that their bikes are not toys but actually modes of transport, that you love them and want to protect them and that a head injury can leave them permanently disabled or they could even die.
• Lots of people wear sports helmets. Point out how many professional sports people wear safety helmets – hockey players, football player, baseball batters, race car drivers – lots of other people wear them.
• Show them professionals with bicycle helmets. Take your kids to a bicycle race – they’ll notice that all of the really cool professional riders wear bicycle helmets, if the professional grown ups can wear them, why not kids?
• Reward kids for wearing a bicycle helmet. Use rewards (not bribery, that’s a different thing). Reward your kids with special little treats if they remember to use their helmets without being told.
• Always make your kids wear a bicycle helmet. Be consistent – don’t let them ride their bicycles without a helmet any of the time. No helmet, no bicycle, it’s as simple as that.
• Go on family bicycle rides wearing bicycle helmets.  If you all go out together and all wear helmets, they should soon get the message.

Whatever it takes, it really is important that your kids wear a bicycle helmet every single time they get on their bikes. Do whatever you have to, it really could be the difference between life and death!

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