Cycling games spread across Denmark More and more kindergarten children play games on bicycles and in the near future 10 Danish cities get permanent bicycle playgrounds. The concept of cycling games developed by the Danish Cyclists’ Federation has made significant headway.
By Rikke Ravn Faber, Danish Cyclists’ Federation Making cycle training fun Do you want to see something that will make you feel happy? Then look over the fence of a kindergarten where the children play cycling games. If you are lucky, soap bubbles will be whirling through the air while the children zip in and out amongst each other in order to catch them. Deeply concentrated, they cycle with one hand on the handlebars and one in the air. Their eyes sparkle when they succeed with this difficult maneuver - and they often do. Because when they play, the children are better at cycling than they and their parents thought possible. The campaign “We can bike!” is supposed to ignite a joy of cycling in pre-school kids throughout the whole country. In the early summer of 2015 4,000 children played along. That is twice as many as last year and the plan is to double that again in 2016 because interest from the kindergartens is rising rapidly. – It is amazing. We can tell that the kindergarten teachers have become aware of the very broad learning children get out of playing together on bikes, says project manager for the campaign, Mai-Britt Aagaard Kristensen. Playing creates many skills In all its simplicity cycling games are well-known children’s games that the Danish Cyclists’ Federation has turned into cycling games. The games have turned out to be efficient bicycle training and a strong learning tool matching many of the goals of the institutions’ learning plans. Zigzagging through obstacles with a mission to be accomplished
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Concentration: Children will get more confident on a bike faster when they catch soap bubbles, play ‘bicycle ball’ and play catch on two wheels. Photo: Danish Cyclists’ Federation/Kristine Funch
means that the children become better at controlling the bicycle and their speed. But they also learn to cooperate with each other in solving problems. They raise their pulse. And their senses and motor skills come into play as well. During cycling games the children quickly forget that they are practising something - and then they suddenly develop fast. – I often meet parents who are extremely proud and surprised at how much their child has learned after only a couple of hours of cycling games, and many get the urge to cycle more with their children, says Mai-Britt Aagaard Kristensen. Bicycle playgrounds on the way The kindergartens each get a package full of ideas and tools to get them started and the Danish Cyclists’ Federation cycling games corps offers inspiration courses for the kindergarten teachers. Since 2013, the Danish Cyclists’
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Federation have been running “We can bike!” with support from the fund Oestifterne. In the long run the goal is for the cycling games to become a permanent part of children’s development and fortunately several forces are now pulling in the same direction. After some years where the number of children cycling has decreased, more and more municipalities are setting the goal that all children must be able to cycle before starting school. And in the coming three years Danish Cyclists’ Federation, with support from the fund Nordeafonden, will establish permanent bicycle playgrounds in 10 Danish cities - with seesaws, bumps and zigzag lanes inviting institutions and families alike to play on bicycles. The 10 playgrounds should be ready by the end of 2017.
bicycles. But the concept of cycling games was invented by Danish Cyclists’ Federation in 2008. The goal was to spread the joy of cycling to a new generation and curb the decrease in the number of children cycling. The concept consists of a series of games developed by experts in children and movement. To begin with we published a book on cycling games - today that book has been supplemented by campaigns, bicycle playgrounds and a specialist cycling game corps arranging events and courses. Play cycling games yourselves Children down to the age of two can start practising cycling games on a running bike. All you need is a bicycle, an area with no traffic and the inspiration leaflet ‘6 Cycling Games’, which is also available in Spanish and Portuguese on www.cyclingembassy.org.
About cycling games Children have always played on
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自行車遊戲席捲丹麥 越來越多的幼稚園小朋友盛行玩自行車遊戲，並且預計不久的未來將在丹麥十個城市設立自 行車遊樂場，這個由丹麥自行車聯盟所發展出來的自行車遊戲已經有顯著地進展。
專注力：孩子們將在騎自行車上獲得更多的自信，當他們試著追趕肥皂泡泡，並用兩個輪子 追趕，玩著自行車球遊戲。 照片：丹麥自行車聯盟/克里斯丁娜.芬綺
根據 愛格.珐博， 丹麥自行車聯盟
讓自行車訓練變得有趣 你想看些會讓你感到快樂的畫 面嗎? 那麼請看著幼稚園圍欄內， 正玩著自行車遊戲的小朋友們，如 果你幸運的話，會看到一群滿天飛 舞的肥皂泡泡，小朋友們專注著一 手操縱著自行車的把手，另一隻手 騰空著努力地想抓住那些飛舞的泡 泡。當他們一如往常地做出這個具 有難度的操縱動作時，他們的眼 神閃爍著。因為當他們在玩的時 候，小朋友們會比他們自已以及他 們的父母所想的還要更擅長自行 車運動。 “我們騎單車吧！” – 這個運動 競賽點燃了全國學齡前兒童們的 騎自行車樂趣。在2015年的初夏， 有4000名兒童加入這競賽。參加人 數是去年的二倍，而且這計劃預 計在2016時再增加一倍，因為幼稚 園小朋友們對此興趣正急速地增 長當中。 - 競賽策劃經理 邁布里特.歐格爾.克 里斯森說: 「這是一個很驚人現 像，我們可以告訴大家，幼稚園的 老師們已經意識到，透過小孩子玩 自行車遊戲，小孩的學習是很廣 闊的」。
從遊戲中創造各式各樣 的技能 自行車遊戲的結構很簡單，因為 這是丹麥自行車聯盟把一些眾所皆 知的小朋友遊戲轉換成現今的自行 車遊戲。這個遊戲也轉變成有效率 的自行車訓練以及一個強大的學習 工具，那是符合許多機構的學習計 劃目標的。 通過需要完成任務的障礙，並曲 折地前進的這項遊戲，讓孩子們更 加懂得控制自行車本身以及速度。 但是他們也必須學習和其他的小朋 友一起共同合作解決問題。他們心 cycling-embassy.org
跳加速，而感官能力以及運動技能 也融入在遊戲中。 在自行車遊戲中，小朋友們很 快地忘記了他們正在練習中的東 西 - 然後在過程中，他們將會突然 快速的發展。 邁布里特.歐格爾.克里斯森 說:「我 常常接觸一些家長，他們很驕傲且 驚訝著他們的孩子在僅僅數小時的 自行車遊戲裡學習到很多東西，並 且很多家長更熱衷地想和他們的孩 子花更多的時間騎單車」。
進行中的自行車遊樂場 丹麥自行車聯盟組員為幼稚園的 老師們提供一些啟發課程，且每個 幼稚園都會收到許多建議以及工具 讓他們著手進行。 自2013以來，丹麥自行車聯盟在 Oestifterne基金的幫助下已經開始了 「我們騎單車吧！」這個活動。以 長遠來看這個活動的目標，是要讓 自行車遊戲成為孩子發展過程中的 一部分，幸運的是現在有很多人都 一起往同樣的方向努力著。
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在經過了騎自行車的孩童數量 降低的那幾年後，現在有越來越多 的城市開始設立目標讓孩童在入學 之前得學會騎自行車。在未來的三 年裡，丹麥自行車聯盟在Nordeafonden基金的支持下，將在丹麥的 十個城市裡建立一些固定的自行車 遊樂場 –如附設翹翹板、陡坡顛簸 路段、曲折街道以吸引機構組織和 家庭來玩單車，這十個遊樂場預計 在2017年底完工。
小孩到了兩歲就可以開始練習自 行車遊戲，你所需要的是一台自行 車和一個沒有車輛來往的場所。 「6 自行車遊戲」 的小冊子－在官 方網站已經提供了西班牙文和葡萄 牙文 www.cycling-embassy.org。
關於自行車遊戲 孩子們總是玩著自行車，這自行 車遊戲的概念是來自丹麥自行車聯 盟在2008年所發明出來的。這活動 的目標是要讓騎自行車的樂趣擴展 到下一代，並且減少騎自行車的孩 童數量降低的現象。這概念包含著 一系列的遊戲開發，是由兒童與活 動相關的專家所發展出來的。首先 我們出版了關於自行車遊戲的書 – 此本書也補充了一些單車、自行車 遊樂場以及由專門自行車隊安排的 活動和課程。
自已玩自行車遊戲
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