5 Ways How Parents Can Encourage Kids to Wear Helmets

Helmets have become an important part of riding safety ensembles and irrespective of the age of the person on the two-wheeler, wearing a motorcycle helmet has become mandatory across the world today. With a large number of avoidable fatalities caused due to the failure to adhere to road safety guidelines, it becomes very important that you start encouraging and teaching your kids to wear a motorcycle helmet from an early age.  

Here are 5 things that you can do to encourage your children to start wearing a helmet while taking a ride to school, tuition, sport classes, or just to get an ice-cream.

Let them make their own choice

Children are more likely to follow a habit if they think that they had a decision-making role in the process. Instead of enforcing something on them, always make it a choice for them, or at least create the impression that the whole thing was their choice rather than your rules! the best way to do that is to take your child to a helmet store and find out what options the store has in terms of motorcycle helmets for kids and allow your child to choose an option that he or she likes. that way, there is a higher likelihood that your child will continue to wear the helmet even without you having to tell them to do that every single day.

Draw comparisons with their idols (sportsters, superheroes)  

Children have very impressionable minds when they are young. and they take very deeply to things that they are impressed with. take advantage of this psychology and draw comparisons of someone important in their life wearing a helmet and use it to encourage them to wear a helmet as well!  Thankfully, that is made easier by the fact that almost every superhero and sportster wear a helmet. When children identify themselves with their superheroes and idols, it becomes a positive reinforcement in their minds, which makes it easier for them to try something new without resisting the change.

Examples speak louder than words

Your actions and examples go a long way in impressing the right habits on your child. None of these tricks and techniques will work if you yourself do not wear a helmet when you are riding a two-wheeler! Always be sure to take all precautions and safety measures when you are riding. never leave the house without a branded motorcycle helmet and other driving safety gears such as motorcycle riding jackets and gloves. when your kids see you doing something, they are more likely to follow it as well.

Make it a rewardable experience

In the case your child still finds it difficult to use a helmet, you can establish a method of rewarding the act of wearing a helmet. it does not have to be a material reward, a simple hug or an intangible reward such as a few good words could be all the incentive your kid wants! If that does not work, start with small material rewards such as a one rupee coin deposited in a piggy-bank which they can break at the end of the year on their birthday to get any toy of their choice! think outside the box and find solutions that you can do to reward the experience without spoiling them with the notion that they can get a reward for everything.

The ‘No Helmet, No Ride’ Rule

When encouragement, examples and rewards do not work then the only solution left is punishment. The punishment for not wearing a helmet is that your kid will not get a ride with you! Be firm and don’t give way to tears because it is a life-saving habit that your kid needs to learn.