Bike trails, bike parks, and pump tracks are the best places for biking kids to have fun. However, they are not always close.
Most of them are located in places far away from residential areas. So many parents can only take their kids there once in a while.
In other words, kids have to wait many weeks at a time before they have a blast biking.
While bike trails or parks may be far away from your home, your kids do not have to wait many weeks at a time to have fun biking.
This is because there are things you can do to turn your backyard into biking heaven for kids.
This post shares all the fun and easy ways you can make your backyard a nice little play area for your biking kids
10 Innovative Ways to Turn Your Backyard a Biking Paradise for Kids
You can do many cool things in your backyard if you have kids who love cycling or whom you want to introduce to cycling. With the small spaces, limited time, and just a few resources, here are some innovative ideas to turn your backyard into a bike lover's haven. The best thing is that these DIY projects are easier to implement. Head over to youtube and search for specific videos of people who have actualized them:
1. Build a bike wash section
If you have a big backyard and want to spice it up for your biking kids, you can do so by building a bike wash section. You can make a bike wash section within a day without buying anything. Search Google for tutorials on how to build a fun bike wash for your kids.
A well-made bike wash will make your backyard infinitely more attractive for your biking kids. This is especially true during summer, as the thought of playing with water in the sun to cool off will subconsciously appeal to your kids.
The best thing about adding a bike wash section to your backyard is that it does not cost much money. The second-best thing is that it will keep your biking children occupied throughout the summer.
2. Build a bike ramp
Biking kids like some hang time in the air, even if they are six or five years old. The experience of taking off, trying to gain good speed, and launching off a bike ramp is unbeatable for young bikers.
By building a bike ramp for your kids in your backyard, you will no longer have to drive them to their favorite bike park when they want to experience some hang time.
To build a bike ramp, check out the many online tutorials on the same. If you cannot build a bike ramp, simply buy a commercial one and install it in your backyard.
Some of the best commercial bike ramps for backyards include the Ten Eighty Launch Ramps, the Sender Ramps, the OC Ramps, and the Freshpark Bike Ramps. The Ten Eighty Launch Ramp Micro Flybox is probably the best ramp for your kids to install in your backyard. This is because it is cheap, sturdy, and perfect for beginners. In addition, it is a ramp that young riders really love using.
3. Create obstacle courses
Get cones and create a nice zigzagging obstacle course for your kids. Doing this will ensure your kids can always have fun competing against each other or other kids on the course.
Cone courses are great, especially for young kids, because they are safe and pose no danger to kids.
Instead of just creating one obstacle course with cones, you can create multiple obstacle courses to make your driveway/backyard more fun and exciting.
Search backyard bicycle obstacle courses on YouTube to get ideas for creating backyard bicycle obstacle courses.
4. Create a water balloon pop challenge
If you want to make your backyard fun and exciting for your biking kids, regularly organize a water balloon pop challenge. This is probably the most innovative way to spice up your backyard for your biking kids.
The first thing you need to do to create the challenge is to buy medium size balloons.
The second thing you need to do is to fill them up with water. And the third thing you need to do is to line them up about two feet apart in a straight line if your kids are beginners.
After this, simply challenge your biking kids to try and pop all the balloons with their front tires at one.
If your kids are experienced riders, you should make your balloon lines zigzag. This will make the challenge of popping them more exciting for experiencing riders.
5. Buy inflatable bowling pins and set them up in your backyard
If your kid is still riding a balance bike, you should get inflatable bowling pins and set them somewhere in your backyard.
Then ask your kid to try and knock them over with their bike.
This can quickly turn a boring afternoon into an afternoon of fun for your kid. Even if your kid has a pedal bike (instead of a balance bike), challenging them to knock down, inflatable bowling pins can make their afternoon exciting.
6. Build a pump track
If you have a lot of money, you can turn your backyard into a mini pump track with drops, berms, and rollers. But, of course, turning your backyard into a pump track will take some time, and it is a decision you should only make after doing a lot of thinking.
A bike pump track in your backyard can cause conflict with your neighbors. So talk with your neighbors and tell them what you plan to do and why.
Many neighbors will appreciate the heads up and say it is okay to tell them what you want to do ahead of time.
To build a professional-looking bike pump track in your backyard, simply work with a pump track builder.
A good one will cost you a lot of money, but it will definitely be worth it. Your kid will love riding on the pump track and will undoubtedly develop many pro skills if they keep cycling on the pump track.
7. Get your kid an odometer
An odometer is a speed measuring device. Getting one for your kid’s bike can make it fun for them to ride their bike in your driveway or backyard.
But unfortunately, many kids like competing, so giving them an odometer usually results in even more competition than against oneself.
Once your kid gets the odometer and you explain the numbers, they will challenge themselves to ride faster or in circles to reach a certain distance without stopping. So getting your kid a simple device like an odometer can make them have more fun in their backyard or driveway.
8. Install a commercial manual machine
Commercial manual machines are machines designed to teach kids various bike skills.
By getting and installing a commercial manual machine for your kid, they will have fun learning new bike skills and showing off when their friends come around. Within weeks of using a commercial manual machine, your kid will have mastered many advanced bike skills.
Perhaps the best commercial manual machine currently available on the market is the Sender Pro Core Manual Machine. This machine is highly-rated and easy to set up. It is absolutely perfect for skills practice, especially for kids with a passion for mountain biking.
The MTB Hoppa Trainer is also noteworthy. This particular commercial manual machine is perfect for learning how to balance on the rear wheel only.
9. Build a wooden trail for balance
If you have long pieces of wood lying around, you should use them to build a long and winding bike path around your yard. Make sure the pieces of wood you use are at least 5 inches wide and use nails so they won’t cause punctures. If you don’t want to use nails, you do not need to. Pieces of wood next to each other will still make a good enough backyard wooden trail.
A nicely built wooden bike path will create a slightly raised platform on which your kid can learn to balance and gain confidence. It can also be a fun place for your kid to compete on balancing with friends.
10. Build a backyard bike park
Well, this might sound like a utopic idea, but it is doable.
As Jeff Barber from Singletracks explains, Youtube and Instagram are awash with videos of mountain biking pros and rookies making ramps and jumps in their backyards.
He opines that anyone can construct a bike park in their backyard. Doing this, especially if you have little shredders, will help you improve their bike handling and control skills.
The good thing is that you need to spare a bit of your time and some money. Besides, you can use some materials, such as timber lying idle in your garage or other spaces in your home.
You can create skinnies using logs to allow your kids to practice and perfect their balancing skills. They also, in the process, get to rise up and over obstacles, which improves their decision-making skills, and muscle memory that they can use to win races or get the thrill in the most challenging riding terrains.
Let the kids learn how to break, navigate obstacles, and stop their bikes. And if you want to spice up things, even more, consider building a teeter-totter to allow your kids to test their balancing skills.
Final words
As you can see, there are many different ways you can spice up your backyard for your biking kids. Whatever sounds like the thing that will make your backyard a paradise for your biking kids, do not hesitate to do it. It may cost you a bit of money but seeing your kids happy and having fun in your backyard is definitely priceless.
