In some California schools, physical education now includes a milestone most children could only reach with an adult available and a safe place to practice.
Kindergartners at Rancho Cucamonga's Terra Vista Elementary School are already learning to bike as part of the curriculum.
Here's what to know
There, ABC News reported that children wear helmets and practice on small black-and-white balance bikes along a loop marked with cones. Since the bikes have no pedals, students can spend their early lessons on balance, stopping, and steering before moving on to full riding.
The goal is to teach biking during the school day instead of leaving it solely to home instruction. The lessons come through All Kids Bike, a nonprofit that has rolled out a learn-to-ride curriculum at nearly 2,000 elementary schools across the country, the outlet said.
Bringing the skill into PE gives access to children who might otherwise need an adult or older sibling to teach them, as well as those whose neighborhood or family finances could limit the opportunity. That approach lets more students learn a practical, active way to get around.
Students start by becoming comfortable on a properly fitted bike, and across the eight-lesson program, they progress to balancing with both feet off the ground. After that, adults attach pedals so the children can shift to riding a traditional bicycle.
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Drew Raney, a PE teacher in Wasco, California, told ABC News that the process can be transformative.
"Once you see students start to kind of glide around, that's when you can start to see that confidence shoot up because they're taking those first steps and they're putting themselves out of their comfort zone," he divulged.
More background
Kindergarten PE typically centers on exploring movement, listening to directions, sharing equipment and space, and enjoying the activity.
That is one reason the bike unit fits so well, according to Raney and other teachers around the country.
Riding a bike can become a lasting skill while also offering fun exercise and an inexpensive way to travel. In a class setting, children can learn with their peers instead of depending solely on an adult or older sibling at home, no matter their neighborhood or family income.
What's being done?
School bike programs are growing with help from both nonprofit coordination and community money. ABC News reported that when schools join All Kids Bike, the organization can connect them with donors who cover the cost.
The outlet added that Rancho Cucamonga contributed $45,000 so Terra Vista and four other schools could get the bikes and the curriculum.
That means students can arrive at those first bike lessons with a foundation from school, rather than starting only when an adult or older sibling is available to teach them.
Lisa Weyer, who helps operate All Kids Bike, has high hopes for what the experience can provide.
"We want them to be able to have that sense of freedom and independence," Weyer explained to the outlet. "That's a life skill. It's like swimming."
Where can I learn more?
Bikes and other activities that get children outside can come with major benefits.
• In Montclair, New Jersey, students built their own bike bus and transformed the school commute.
• Fiido introduced the world's first e-bike for kids with controls for parents.
• Researchers found that time in nature can ease children's mental health struggles at school.
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