How to Encourage Your Child to Wear a Kid's Helmet

Helping to establish a lifelong habit of bicycle safety is a loving and valuable gift to give your child. Make sure your child wears a kid's helmet from the very first time he rides his first tricycle, bicycle, scooter, or skateboard. Try our tips for success:

Model good safety habits

Children carefully watch their parents’ behavior. One of the best ways to demonstrate to your child the importance of a bicycle helmet is to show that you value your own safety by putting one on every time you ride.

Allow your child to participate in purchasing a child's helmet

Let your child choose a bicycle helmet that appeals to her in color, pattern, style, etc. This is especially important during the teenage years, when children are more likely to be influenced by what their peers are wearing. Chances are, if they see it as “cool” they’ll wear it.

Be consistent about helmet use

It takes time for children to get in the habit of following a new rule. To help your child establish the habit of wearing a helmet, it’s important to consistently enforce child helmet use. Everyone in the family should wear a helmet each and every time you get on a bicycle or other wheeled ride-on, no matter how short the distance.

Praise your child when he remembers to put on his helmet

Use positive reinforcement by offering recognition and praise every time your child puts on his helmet without a prompt from you. Younger children will especially enjoy this “grown up” feeling of taking care of themselves.

Draw attention to other kids who are wearing a helmet

When you spend time outdoors with your child, point out cyclists, skateboarders, and others who are following good safety rules by wearing a helmet. This can be especially effective if it’s a friend or neighborhood acquaintance.

Talk about athletes who wear protective helmets

Remind your child that many athletes - both children and professionals - wear helmets to safeguard against head injuries. Help your child to name such athletes; hockey and football players, batters, and of course, professional cyclists, are a few examples. Police officers who ride bikes or motorcycles also wear helmets.

Explain to your child that her helmet serves a similar purpose to a seatbelt in the car

Relate the importance of wearing a seatbelt (or sitting in a car seat) in the car to wearing a helmet when riding a bike, etc., by talking about how the helmet protects your child’s head from injury in a crash, just as the seatbelt or car seat protects her whole body from injury. You might also wish to point out that a cyclist, skateboarder, or other rider is much more vulnerable to injury than a car passenger.

Be specific about why your child should protect her head when riding

Help your child make the connection between protecting her head and protecting her brain. Explain to her that by protecting her head, the helmet protects her brain, then talk about all the things that her brain enables her to do, such as talking, reading, and even riding her bike.

Point out that a brightly colored helmet makes it easier for drivers to see a rider

Most bicycle helmets come in bright colors or white, making them highly visible to others on the road. Explain to your child that when a driver sees her, they can be extra careful as they pass her by.

Take your child to a local Safety Fair where riding safety is emphasized

Visiting a Safety Fair is an enjoyable way for your child to learn about safe riding habits. There he will meet friendly adults who reinforce the importance of wearing a helmet, and possibly find fun things to take home, such as coloring pages and stickers that remind him of good riding safety habits.

Review and reinforce riding safety at the beginning of spring

When the long winter is over and you and your child begin riding again, take the time to go over proper helmet use and general cycling safety rules to refresh your child’s memory.

If applicable, point out that wearing a bicycle helmet is in compliance with the law

If your state, county, or city is one of the many that require bicycle helmets by law, bring this to your child’s attention. Explain that this law is just as important as any other and is designed to ensure her safety.

With proper justification, reinforcement, and consistent use, your child will come to recognize how important it is to always wear a helmet when riding – you may even find him reminding you to put yours on when you both go for a ride!