Ride, Ride, Ride My Bike

Rhyming Activity for Preschoolers

 

A tricycle is a familiar plaything for young children, not often an object of study. Let's change that with an up close and personal look at trikes and bikes.

Ages/Grades:

Preschool, Kindergarten

Learning Domains:

Social Studies (Family & Community); Creative Arts (Drama); Language Development

Materials Needed:

Blanket or sheet large enough to cover a small bicycle, trike or small bike

Set the Stage:

Introduce this surprise "guest" at circle time

1. ​Drape a cloth or sheet over a tricycle or bicycle. Tell the children you are bringing a surprise to circle time. Because it’s a surprise, it will be all covered up and no one can touch it. Before the big “reveal” offer some clues to see if the children can guess.

Under this cloth there’s something big.
It has a seat to sit on.
There are special bars where you put your hands.
Children love to ride this!
When you ride this, you need to wear a helmet.

What is it?

 

2. After you reveal the trike, children will have lots to say based on their own experiences. Here’s your chance to introduce some new vocabulary.
How many parts of the bike can you name? Make labels and tack them on the matching parts.

Seat
Handlebars
Handle grips
Wheels
Wheel spokes (on some models)
Pedals
Fender (on some models),
Double deck rear step (on some models).

3. Talk about the materials that are used to make a bike. What do we know or what can we learn about these types of materials? Here are some conversation starters:

Metal – We usually think of it as shiny, hard, and strong. Look around and find something made of metal in our classroom.

Rubber – Did you know that rubber comes from the sap of trees? What other things are made from rubber?

Plastic – Plastic comes in many different shapes and colors. Toys, games, furniture, and cars can have parts made from plastic. Can you find something that’s made from plastic in the classroom?

Paint – People use paint to protect surfaces and make things look nice. We paint house, cars, bikes, fences, and many other items in and around our houses and neighborhoods. Look around our classroom. Can you find something that has paint on it?

Screws and Bolts – are made of metal and used to join things together. Some have pointy ends, some don’t. You use a screwdriver to turn a screw or bolt into a matching hole.

4. Think of all the action words to use when we talk about trikes and bikes. Let’s try and act out some of these words.

Riding
Pedaling
Turning
Steering
Spinning
Wheels
Stopping