Pedal Post

A delivery game on a tricycle, bicycle with training wheels, or pedal go-kart that gives the child a reason to pedal smoothly, steer, and stop.

  1. Choose a safe riding area — an empty driveway, park path, or quiet playground — and put on a helmet.
  2. Mark 3–4 “houses” with chalk, cones, or buckets, a few meters apart. Give the child a bag of “letters” (envelopes, leaves, or drawings).
  3. The child pedals to each house, stops with both feet still on the pedals or flat on the ground, drops a letter in, and pedals on.
  4. Coach the pedalling, not the speed: “Push, push, push — one foot, then the other, round and round like a wheel.”
  5. Add steering: chalk a wide curvy road between the houses and ask the postie to stay on the road while both hands hold the handlebars.
  6. Finish with a “slow race” — who can pedal slowest without stopping?

Variation: no bike today? Lie on your backs foot-to-foot with the child, soles together, and “air pedal” against each other’s feet, forwards and backwards, fast and slow.

Requirements

  • Space: At least 10–15 meters of flat, traffic-free path or yard
  • Surface: Smooth pavement, tarmac, or firm packed ground
  • Materials: Tricycle, bike with training wheels, or pedal go-kart; a well-fitting helmet; chalk or buckets; a few envelopes
  • Participants: 1 child + 1 supervising adult
  • Supervision: Close — always within reach of a new rider, and constant near any driveway or road

Rationale & Objective

“Pedals a bicycle or tricycle smoothly” is one of this subdomain’s examples. Pedalling is the clearest everyday example of a reciprocal bilateral pattern: the legs do the same movement in strict alternation, one pushing while the other recovers, while both hands work together on the handlebars. Jerky pedalling, back-pedalling, or feet slipping off usually mean the alternation is not yet automatic. Riding wheeled toys is recommended in the UK EYFS physical development guidance and reflected in Head Start’s gross motor goal of control, strength, and coordination of large muscles, and SHAPE America’s Active Start guidelines call for daily structured and unstructured physical activity for preschoolers. Stop-and-go delivery stops make the child repeatedly start the pedal stroke from rest — the hardest part — and the slow race rewards smooth, continuous rotation rather than speed.

Progress Indicators

  • Early: pushes along with feet on the ground; pedals a half turn and stalls; feet slip off; pedals backwards by mistake
  • Developing: pedals continuously on flat ground for several meters; needs a push to get started; steering wobbles when attention goes to the feet
  • Proficient: starts from a standstill unaided; pedals smoothly along a curved path; stops at a target and sets off again
  • Advanced: adjusts speed on purpose, including very slow pedalling; manages gentle slopes and tight turns; ready to try or already riding a two-wheeler without training wheels

Safety Notes

  • A properly fitted, buckled helmet on every ride, however short
  • Ride only in traffic-free areas; driveways need an adult standing between the child and the road
  • Check the seat height — the child should reach the pedals with a slight knee bend at the bottom of the stroke
  • Closed-toe shoes, no long scarves, loose laces, or wide trouser legs near the chain
  • Avoid slopes until the child can brake reliably

Hints

  • Playfulness: make a postie badge and a cardboard letterbox for each house; siblings or soft toys can “live” there and write back
  • Sustain interest: change the job — pizza delivery, bin lorry, ambulance, school bus picking up teddy passengers
  • Common mistake: pushing the child along from behind. It feels helpful but removes the very start-up push that builds the alternating pattern; give a tiny nudge only
  • No equipment: the foot-to-foot “air pedal” variation, or marching and climbing stairs with alternating feet, practise the same reciprocal leg pattern
  • Cross-domain: number the houses and deliver in order (numeracy); write the first letter of a name on each envelope (literacy); follow two-step directions (“house 3, then house 1”)
  • Progression: air pedalling → tricycle on the flat → starting unaided → curvy road → slow race → gentle slope → bike with training wheels → two-wheeler

Sources

  • UK EYFS Physical Development — educator guidance on wheeled toys, balance bikes, and pedal bikes
  • Head Start ELOF — Goal P-PMP 1, “Child demonstrates control, strength, and coordination of large muscles” (gross motor)
  • SHAPE America Active Start — physical activity guidelines for children birth to age 5
  • American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org) — bicycle helmet and riding safety guidance
  • Gallahue, D.L. & Ozmun, J.C. — Understanding Motor Development (fundamental movement phase)