The goal of a new physical education program at Mill Road Elementary School is to improve students’ balance and physical coordination using bicycles.
In the fall of 2024, Mill Road kindergarten and first-grade students participated in a unit in which they learned to handle a balance bike and, eventually, ride with pedals.
The program was made possible through a $9,000 grant from the Red Hook Education Foundation to purchase 24 balance bikes with pedal conversion kits and helmets, storage racks and two bikes for teachers, as well as training and certifications for the instructors.
Balance bikes are like traditional bicycles but have a platform instead of pedals on which the rider can rest their feet. The idea is to teach a child proper posture and technique by pushing themselves with their feet to get started and riding with proper balance while their feet are on the platform. Pedals can then be added to the bikes once a child is ready.
Physical education teacher John Alessi said the decline in the number of children who can ride a bike is a “huge issue,” and part of a general decline in the average child’s coordination and fitness.
“Kids aren’t getting outside as much as they used to. They’re not using their bodies,” he said, noting some children “may not have access to bicycles or safe outdoor spaces to ride them outside of school hours.”
The initiative is part of the Red Hook Central School District’s emphasis on wellness for students of all ages. The hope is by encouraging and facilitating bike riding, a child’s physical health and their confidence and self-esteem will see improvements.
Alessi, who is spearheading the program, said students will have an eight-lesson session in the fall and another in the spring.
“You start the program on a balance bike, and try to get them to balance, and then eventually transition over to pedals when they’re ready for it,” he said. “They should be able to ride by that last lesson. Sometimes that’s not the case, sometimes it takes a little longer, and that’s okay.”
While initial lessons will be in the gym, Alessi said the riders will utilize the path that is being paved behind Mill Road and the already-paved playground areas.
He said the activities during the spring session will be determined by how well the students take to the bikes in the fall and may include more advanced tasks like zigzagging through obstacles for the students who are ready for that level of challenge.
In the future, Alessi said the program may be expanded to pre-K students and second grade. He thanked Dr. Janet Warden, superintendent of schools; Dr. Erin Hayes, assistant superintendent for personnel and operations; Principal Dr. Brian Boyd and Assistant Principal Kristen Strothmann for their encouragement and support in launching the program.
The goal, he said, is to “empower our students to become confident and proficient cyclists while promoting physical activity and healthy lifestyles both in and out of school.”
Total funds spent on project to date: $9,000
