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A A Pedal Ride on Toy Makes for Great Exercise

by Tina Traver

A pedal ride on toy is a great way for your child to get some great physical exercise. It’s no secret that our country is known for having indoor couch potato syndrome. We live in a world full of computers, games, movies, and gadgets galore. It’s so easy to sit our butts on the couch, relax, and grab the remote, the mouse, or the Wii Nunchuk for an afternoon of lounging around.

As adults we can (and do) develop bad habits, and the kids can easily do the same. As parents, it’s our responsibility to teach our children the important of physical exercise and outdoor play. Doing this at an early age will help them to develop good exercise habits. They’ll learn the importance of being healthy and a great pedal ride on toy will help accomplish this.

There are many developmental benefits to riding a pedal toy. One of the best ways to increase gross motor skills is by good old physical exercise. Gross motor skills develop when the large muscle groups are worked. Pedaling a ride on toy is a great workout for leg muscles. Your kids will pedal like crazy to get their vehicle to move and then they’ll stomp on the brake to get it stopped. Both of these actions use a different set of large muscles which in turn increase motor skills.

They’ll also get a great upper body workout with their pedal toy. There’s no other way to get around town then by steering their toy around all those corners. If they run into some rough roads, whether they be grass covered or rough gravel, they may bounce around a little which will make them hold on tight to stay in their seat. This will use extra energy and strength. Or how about setting up an obstacle course where they have to maneuver their vehicle around things by using some inventive steering techniques.

By exercising both their upper and lower bodies together, your children are getting an incredible cardio-vascular workout. This type of workout increases heart rates so they burn more calories, increase core strength, and most importantly strengthen their hearts. You couldn’t ask for a better exercise regiment than this.

In a nutshell, your children will be getting a fantastic workout with their pedal ride on toy. They will be increasing their lung capacity, building stamina, and toning muscle groups. You can throw the couch potato syndrome out the window for these kids. They’ll be more fit than us parents before you know it.

Not only will these kids be physically fit from their pedal rid on toy but developmentally they’ll be more independent, more self-confident, and better attuned to their environment. Their minds will be stimulated by all that fresh air and they will be exhausted come bed time. What more could you ask for in a ride on toy?

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