B is for Bike

We had such a fun day using BIKES for preschool! I’m glad we did it while the sun was shining, we’ve had rain the last two days.

• Sing “The Wheels on the Bike” … just like “The Wheels on the Bus” but switch up the words. We sang:
  1. The wheels on the bike go round & round (arms rolling)
  2. The bell on the bike goes ding, ding, ding (like you’re ringing a bell)
  3. The pedals on the bike go up and down (stand up, crouch down…)
  4. The seat on the bike goes bump, bump, bump (bump up and down on your bottom)
• Wear a helmet
  1. Talk about one of the important things to do when riding a bike = wearing a helmet. Click here for some simple bike safety to go over with your kids from Kids Health.
  2. Help your preschooler put their helmet on and make sure it fits correctly.

• Read “Duck on a Bike” by David Shannon … this book is a lot of fun. I love the colorful illustrations and the way it lets the kids use their imaginations. Available here. 
  1. Ask the kids to look at the cover and tell you what they see.
  2. Have them point to the letter B.
  3. Trace a letter B in the air with your finger.
  4. Ask them what they think is going to happen in the book!
  5. As you read, pause before the animal name and let the kids “read” the animal name.

• Help Duck Wear a Helmet! … so of course, after talking about wearing our helmets, we noticed that duck was NOT wearing a helmet in this book.
  1. Print out several helmets. You need about 20. Click the image below to use the page I printed out.
  2. Laminate and cut out the helmets. I cut them out without the chin straps. I use this laminator and love it.
  3. Go through the book again. When you see duck on the bike without a helmet on, put a helmet on his head! My 3-year-old loved this I just rolled up pieces of tape for her and she did the rest.
  4. My 3-year-old noticed that one of the kids needed a helmet too. And, of course, all of the animals at the end need helmets We didn’t have quite enough, but pretty close.
  5. NOTE: while we were doing this, I kept saying “Now duck is SAFE!” Hopefully the idea sticks

• Read “Let's Go, Froggy!” by Jonathan London … another fun book about a bike ride. And YAY! Froggy is wearing a helmet Available here.

• Cover the B’s
  1. Write the ABC’s all over a piece of paper with lots of extra B’s (depending on how many bike stickers you have).
  2. Have you preschooler point to several B’s. 
  3. Have them cover the B’s with BIKE stickers. I got these at Michael’s. The same stickers are available here.

• “B is for Bike” Treasure Hunt … a fun way to get out, ride bikes, and practice letter B!
  1. A LITTLE PREP:
     • Print out 2-3 sheets of B’s on bright paper (easier to find). Click the image below to print the page we used.
     • Cut each page in quarters. We had 8 B’s total. That was plenty for us.
     • On the back of each B, write a simple clue that you can bike to outside. Some that we used:
       1. Ride your bike to the plum tree!
       2. Look by the tall tree at the end of the cul-de-sac.
       3. Pedal to our house and look by the hose.
       4. Look by Jack’s tree that is fun to climb!
     • Ahead of time, hide these clues outside. I made them pretty obvious with the big B facing out.
     • If you choose, hide a small “treasure” at the end. I put a new bike bell and some candies in the mailbox.
  2. Have your preschooler put on her helmet. Make sure shoes are tied, tires are inflated, chain looks good, etc.
  3. Read the first clue together. I always draw a simple picture on the clue so she can try to figure it out.
  4. Enjoy a fun Bike Treasure Hunt together!

• Bike Wash & Repair … a few fun ideas
  1. Have a bike wash. Use a bucket of soapy water and some sponges (and some clothes to get wet in).
  2. Bike Repair Shop … it doesn’t need to be fancy. Get out some tools and let the kids tinker and tighten the nuts. Make sure all of the wheels are spinning. If you’re brave, help them put a little WD-40 on their chain. Let them help inflate their tires .
  3. Invite some friends over and decorate bikes! Have a bike parade