Nursery World - Enabling Environments: Collections

Wheeled toys such as trikes, bikes and scooters aren't just good
fun - they also provide developmental benefits. Nicole Weinstein looks
at how to make the most of them.

Wheeled toys are irresistible to children of all ages. The rush of excitement as a child speeds down a hill on a bike or a scooter with the wind in their hair is pure pleasure, and there are many developmental benefits from playing on such toys.

Controlling a wheeled toy involves movements of all the major muscle groups and, at the same time, helps to develop children's balance, spatial awareness and hand-eye co-ordination. Ensuring children have access to a large selection of multiple wheeled vehicles, offering comfort and challenge, also encourages social interaction and supports the development of children's relationships with peers.

THE CHALLENGES

While the benefits of playing on bikes, trikes and other wheeled toys are manifold for a child's overall health and physical activity, many settings often lack the outdoor space to allow this play to take place on a regular basis.

Julie Mountain, director of Play Learning Life, says, 'Practitioners have become almost apologetic about bike and trike play because it's very space intensive. But children love it. It's exciting for them to hold on tight to the trailer as their friends whizz them around corners. It's also very important for a child's physical dexterity.'

A PLACE OF ITS OWN

When advising settings on how to incorporate wheeled toys into their outdoor space, Ms Mountain helps them to look at ways to legitimise bike and trike play, at the same time as ensuring that it doesn't happen at the expense of other types of play.

She says, 'Firstly, look at how to organise your space so that other play can go on at the same time. Ask: "Is there enough space? Can we create a dedicated space for wheeled toys, or even a dedicated track?"

'Secondly, look at how the week is managed. Many settings decide that wheeled toys are out only for one or two days a week. At other times, this space could be used for large construction, water play or kite flying. Think about the space as being multi-use.

'Lastly, ask: "How do we enable bike and trike play to happen - but manage it so that some children don't not do anything else?"'

The crucial factor when integrating wheeled play successfully into a setting, without affecting the ability of other children to enjoy the space in other ways, is to keep the potential for play as 'wide as possible' and to incorporate an 'element of zoning', according to Ms Mountain.

EXTENDING PLAY

Once a space has been dedicated for bike play, here are some of ways in which practitioners can use the space and extend the play:

Help children look after and put away the bikes. Invest in a bike shed that children can put the bikes in easily themselves, like the Open Ended Den (£250) from Cosy Direct on 01332 370152. It is good for daytime storage as it keeps the rain off but allows children independence in selecting their bike. Or attach a Trike Number Line (£24.99), also from Cosy, to your bike parking spaces. Have a tap nearby so that children can act out car wash role play.
Encourage collaborative play by having two-seaters, trailers and trucks and add other toys like the Child-Size Wheelbarrow (£150) from www.communityplaythings.co.uk, or the Small Wheelbarrow (£32.50) from www.wesco-eshop.co.uk, which children can use to transport books or natural materials.
Where feasible, create a track. Children can create their own track with a box of chalks, or settings can invest in a landscaped track, usually a metre wide with a roundabout and junction to give it a sense of reality. To make it more interesting, the route can be multi-textured with cobbles set in concrete, bark chip, gravel and bumpy surfaces.
Provide a variety of scooters -usually three-wheeled ones like Micro, www.micro-scooters.co.uk; a limited number of bikes with pedals, preferably unisex versions; and a range of different-sized trikes, like the TTS Pedal Trike (£154.95) from www.tts-group.co.uk or the Viking Tricycle (from £164.25) by Cosy Direct.
Invest in balance bikes. Some children love the freedom of not pedalling. Puky bikes have proper pneumatic wheels and are easy to move around - see www.pukyonline.co.uk/balance-bikes.html?gclid=CIeh_PW6lsECFYsBwwodW0wAdw

Position road signs and traffic lights around the track to add value to the play. Try the set of six Draw Your Own Road Signs (£34.95), the Traffic Lights (£27.49), and the Stop/Go Lollipop (£15.99), all from Cosy Direct.

ALFRETON NURSERY SCHOOL, DERBYSHIRE

Children at Alfreton Nursery School have a popular purpose-built bike track that is used for focused sessions three times a week.

Nursery nurse Jane Blant says, 'Having a dedicated time for wheeled play encourages children to explore other areas of the environment when the track is closed. However, when the track is open, the focus is primarily on promoting physical and social development with a very strong element on numeracy.'

Children are free to choose to participate during the session and are encouraged to sign their names on a clipboard at a table situated at the entrance to the track, which is aimed at developing their emergent writing.

'We have laminated numbers from one to ten in a basket and children who wish to participate select and hang their number on the line with a peg,' explains Ms Blant. Staff teach the children to recognise the routine and children become aware that when all the numbers are hanging up they have to wait their turn because the bike track is full.

'This takes time to nurture, but works really well as children grasp the social and the numerical aspect. Children are taught to respect each other's movements and spatial awareness. The track is one-way with a mini roundabout and encourages an awareness of direction. Children park the wheeled toys at the end of the session in the dedicated storage space, which includes a garage and marked parking bays.

'We have various sizes of bikes and scooters; six push-along cars; three three-wheeler trikes; and two smaller trikes for very young children. We also have a large bike with a built-on trailer, which is very well made and the children love it.'

Alfreton recommends

Little Tikes push-along cars, like the Little Tikes Cozy Coupe 30th Anniversary (£54.99) from www.littletikes.co.uk/cozy-coupe-reg-classic-30th-anniversary.html.

Rabo Chariot Tricycle (£210) from Cosy Direct on 01332 370152

Easi-Scoot (£52.49) from Cosy. These sturdy scooters with chunky wheels are an ideal introduction to balancing and control for children aged three and over.

SLINN STREET STARTERS COMMUNITY PRE-SCHOOL, CROOKES, SHEFFIELD

Most of the wheeled play at Slinn Street Starters Pre-school takes place indoors, due to the uneven surfaces, narrow paths and mostly grassy areas outdoors. Each morning, for the first session of the day, the children are allowed to freely choose from a wide selection of bikes, trikes and scooters. A climbing frame is positioned in the middle of the hall and the surrounding area becomes a track.

The pre-school provides sessional care for up to 20 children. Manager Gill Crawshaw says, 'It used to have the bikes out for the entire session, but we found that some children, particularly boys, only wanted to ride the bikes. So, as a way to encourage them to try other activities, we pack them away for the second part of the session.

'We recently bought three small bikes with ten-inch wheels and stabilisers, which have been really successful with the two-year-olds, who are able to comfortably use the pedals. We found it quite difficult to get gender-neutral versions of this small bike on the commercial market but came up with an orange and white bike with robots on it that will pass.

'We also have two small tricycles, which are easy to ride because they don't have a long wheel base.

A larger tricycle was donated but it's pink and only the girls choose to ride that one. We also have a balance bike but it's not widely used. The wooden cars from Community Playthings are great for co-operative play, especially as they can be used individually or hooked together to form a train. When purchasing new wheeled toys, we ensure that we buy more than one of each version to avoid everyone gravitating to the same vehicle.

'The "track" that the children go around is not marked in any way and it's a case of children learning the boundaries and learning to avoid obstacles. We occasionally put out traffic lights or a home-made pedestrian crossing across (for road awareness). Quite often, the children fill up bags with resources and use the bikes to transport them from one area to the next. We also set up the role-play area as a garage or workshop area so that children can "fix" the cars. And they love to wash down the wheeled toys with soap and water at the car wash.'

Slinn Street recommends

Push Me-Pull Me (£328 for a set of three) from Community Playthings. Children aged two to three can sit facing front or back and the cars link together to form a train. See www.communityplaythings.co.uk/products/outdoor-play/push-me-pull-me.
Avigo 10" Robot Steering Bike with Steering Handle (£59.99) from Toys R Us. See www.toysrus.co.uk/Toys-R-Us/Bikes-and-Rideons/Bikes/Boys/Avigo-10-Robot-Steering-Bike-with-Steering-Handle(0091502).

TONGE NURSERY, BOLTON

This 50-place nursery, which is based on the site of Tonge Children's Centre, benefits from a landscaped area with tracks for whee- led toys.

Manager Sara Frost says, 'We redesigned our outdoor space in 2013, enabling an unused part of the playground to be brought into use for wheeled toys. We have a tarmac track that meanders around a substantial area of the garden and children are free to access the bikes, trikes, tricycles and scooters and let off steam around the track.

'Inside the track, there is a mound of grass where children can play. There are different textures around the track. In some parts there are bumpy surfaces like the ones found at zebra crossings to help guide the blind.

'Children are taught about safety and how they shouldn't run into the track when it's in use. They learn to control themselves in this area. In terms of turn-taking, there's one particular bike that's very popular - a yellow one - which we use an egg timer to control how long a child gets to play on it.

'The children have free access to the track and wheeled toys for every session. However, sometimes - roughly once a week - we might use the track for running or simply letting off steam. There are a host of resources positioned nearby and staff encourage children to get involved in associated role play in the form of car washes, fire fighter play and garages. Children have access to an outside tap and they zoom along in their fire engines, donned with fire helmets to put out the fire. We also have Zebra crossings, traffic lights and other resources that help teach them about road safety.'

Tonge recommends

YPO Special Offer Taxi, Chariot and 2-Wheel Scooter (£422.98) from YPO. See www.ypo.co.uk/product/detail/D46107.
Special Offer Bundle Pack (£308.95) from YPO, which includes one push bike for three, one racing scooter, one push bike for one, one set of ten traffic cones and one set of traffic lights. See www.ypo.co.uk/product/detail/D46277.
Crossing Patrol Set - Large Pole (£39.95) from YPO is suitable for children aged three and upwards. It includes one tabard, one lollipop pole, one sign, one zebra crossing.See www.ypo.co.uk/product/detail/D40706
MiniTrike Bike Little Brian by Brian Clegg (£68) from Essentials for Education. The Little Brian range has been specifically designed for children aged between one and four years. See www.essentialsforeducation.co.uk/products/physical-outdoor-play-storage/little-brian-trikes-and-bikes-for-early-years/minitrike-bike-little-brian-by-brian-clegg.php.
Timer Holder with Five Minute Timer (£16.95) from Cosy Direct.