For those under two years old a battery powered car can be ideal. They lack the co-ordination and strength to drive a pedal car. The do, however, have drawbacks. The most noticeable one is that you need to keep recharging them. If the battery runs flat while your child is in it expect a lot of tears and even a tantrum. And when this happens it’ll take several hours for the battery to charge up again so that your child can drive off and start playing again.

As your child gets to the age of two, battery powered cars have another disadvantage – they are too passive. Your child gets in them, pressure the button and they’re off. Apart from turning the wheel there’s very little physical movement involved.

These days many children are not as active as they should be and this is where the pedal car really comes into its own. As mentioned before a child needs to use strength and co-ordination to make them move. They may be slow at peddling at first but their leg muscles soon build up and they soon learn to steer and pedal at the same time.

Pedal cars allow your child to get lots of exercise without them even noticing it. And unlike battery powered cars they don’t suddenly stop because the batteries have gone flat. Your child is the battery and apart for the occasional stop for snack and drink to refuel themselves, a pedal car will keep going as long as they can.

As a result of all this inactivity obesity in children is a real problem these days. They need to be doing more physical exercise but it can be difficult to persuade a child to become more active unless it’s disguised as something fun.

That’s the great thing about pedal cars. It’s like an outside exercise machine for children! It takes a little effort to get the car going and then they need to keep their legs going to keep the car moving. All the while they are burning calories, building up muscles and enhancing their co-ordination skills.

Unlike exercise machines for adults, pedal cars are fun. Children love them and will want to be driving around in their own car or fire truck or plane. It’s not just their bodies they are exercising it’s also their imaginations.

For older children you can set up obstacle courses for them to drive round or they can have races with friends. For younger children just get them into the pedal car and their imaginations will do the rest as they pretend to drive to work, to the shops or even along a race track.

Pedal cars are wonderful things. They can get your child exercising outdoors without any pressure from you. And you’ll know all the time they’ll be have the type of fun which will stay in their memories well into adulthood.

If you’re offered or want to buy a genuine vintage pedal car remember that the condition of the car is very important when it comes to safety. Also the paint used on them may be lead-based, which not a good thing around children.

When letting your child loose in any pedal car the most important thing to remember is that they don’t have brakes so don’t let your children use them on a slope. On a hill the car can quickly gather speed and get too fast to stop in a safe manner.

Also make sure there’s no water around, be it a pond or a pool that a child can accidentally drive into.

Because of the open nature of the under part of the car always ensure your child is wearing shoes. Loose clothing could also get trapped in the moving parts so either remove the item or secure it. Getting your child to wear a helmet is a very good idea.

The design of pedal cars means that they are very low to the ground. This makes them hard to spot especially when in a vehicle. Take extra care when backing in and out of your driveway if there’s any possibility that your child may be playing in their car.

However tempting it is, don’t push the car and don’t let other children push the pedal car with your child in it. It’s too easy to push faster than the child’s feet can pedal. In this situation the feet can slip off the pedals and become entangled in the pedal mechanism.

Pedal cars are a lot of fun and are very safe as long as common sense is used. Make sure children know what they shouldn’t do and why they shouldn’t do it and your children will have years of happy, safe play ahead of them.

Get those pedal cars

When your little ones ask for pedal cars, give each of them the car they would like to scoot around in. You are not just giving in to their whims, but helping them develop their motor skills, as well. As they pedal around the house or on the lawn, they are practicing all motor skills at once.

They have to coordinate their little legs and feet movement, as well as their hand and eye coordination. When they pedal around, they also have to think quickly to avoid missing their busy mommy or your lazy fat dog sprawled on the foyer. At first, this will be difficult for them so expect some hits and misses. In time, they will be driving their pedal cars just fine. Sounds familiar? You were a kid once so you will know what fun it was then when you got the hang of pedaling your car around the house.

Watch their motor skills develop

Motor skills involve the skeletal muscles in a directed manner. The brain, joints, and the nervous system all work together to achieve a desired action. Your toddlers have developed the gross motor skills – sitting up, crawling, and walking. They now need refined skills like using their limbs and coordinating their different body parts. Each time they pedal around, you are sure that the muscles in their legs and arms are getting enough exercise, so encourage them go around in their pedal cars. They get entertained and you get the time to relax and join their fun.

Helping your children develop their motor skills will equip them for life. They will develop better posture. This will aid them in school as developed motor skills have an impact on the brain too.

Helping them along

When you get those small cars, teach them the parts of the pedal cars and the function of each. By taking time to introduce them to their new property, you are in fact teaching them that their new toys are important. Informed, they will love and be taking care of their new cars better.

Be firm about your rules. Let them know you are serious about where to park their pedal cars after using them. Of course, you have the responsibility of checking out if there are loosened screws or anything that may harm the children.

Choosing the pedal cars

Bring your kids along when you have finally decided to get them their little cars. You will be surprised that they have their individual preferences. This alone is an exercise towards decision-making. They might go for the fiery fire engine or the Indy racer. To keep up the fun, get gasoline pump storage. They will lap it up.

Check out the manufacturer’s instructions and if the pedal cars are appropriate for your 3 and 4-year-old. After checking these out online, go to the shop with your kids. Seeing one online is different from viewing one live. Help your kids along, get them pedal cars.

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rony_Pollock

As early as the late nineteenth century, wheeled toys came in vogue for children. Bicycles were popularly used as a method to keep children healthy, and though they were considered an adult utility, many children from many different places started enjoying the mobility that the bicycles provided. In 1914, Henry Ford and his assembly line started making cars more affordable and more universal, and it was easy to see how children would be enchanted by these powerful and attractive machines.

Several toy companies were up to the challenge and they began outfitting small metal automobiles that were powered completely via leg-power. The “bodies” of these cars were hammered out of sheet metal, and wood was used for the chassis, while the wheels consisted of wooden rounds that were covered with hard rubber tires. Though most of these cars were made to look like generic automobiles, some lucky children could play with cars that were made to look like specific brands or models.

These toys also came with accessories that enhanced the play experience. Oil cans and tool boxes, complete with small tools that were made in imitation of real ones, were perfect for children who had a mechanical bent. They could even flip up the hood and find a lightweight radiator to fiddle with. The cars themselves could be sophisticated enough to have working turn signals and real leather upholstery.

With the advent of the second World War, many children became patriotically inclined and the cars morphed into tractors, jeeps and airplanes, allowing the children to once again imitate the actions of their elders. These were still high ticket items in some ways; a pedal car could be quite expensive for a family on the budget. By the fifties, with the war over and the veterans returned home, combined with the economic boom, pedal cars became a selling point for many new families, especially for ones that had felt the lean pinch of the war years.

The pedal car, much like the automobile itself has made itself at home in American history, and as you can see there are many reasons for this! Today, pedal cars come in plastic as well as metal, and they might as easily have a toy cell phone as a toy oil can, but as you can see, the fun remains the same.

Visit me on the web at LaZinnia Home Decor and Gifts.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=LaZinnia_Manley