The following games require little more than kids, bicycles, and a large driveway or empty parking lot. An adult or older child who can stand lookout for cars (and solve any disputes) is an ideal addition. Look for a safe spot and then gather a group of kids and a few other supplies to set up these different riding challenges. Small toys can be handed out as prizes or a player can simply earn bragging rights as best cyclist in the neighborhood.
Six Bicycle Games to Play
Slow Speed Challenge
With chalk, mark out a course with three-foot wide lanes that is fifty feet long. Create one lane for each participant. If there isn’t enough space, for many lanes, have two players race against one another and then the winners can race against other race winners. The challenge here is for riders to pedal as slowly as possibly while keeping their feet on the pedals at all times. The last one to cross the finish line wins.
Spiral Ride
Draw a large spiral with chalk, making the lanes at least two feet wide. Start in the center and work outward. To make an even shape, have one person stand in the center holding a piece of string while another person wraps the other end of the string around a piece of chalk.
The person in the center gradually releases more string to make a larger spiral. The individual drawing the line should keep tension on the string. Create at least three or four lanes. Time how long it takes riders to move from the outside of the spiral inward without touching any lines.
Straight Bicycle Race
Draw straight lanes at least three-feet wide and fifty feet long. Participants race to the finish line. The first person wins.
Wavy Bicycle Obstacle Course
Create a wavy lane that is three feet wide and fifty feet long. Along the lane, tape balloons to the ground just outside the chalk lines of the lane. Players must move as swiftly as possible without breaking any of the balloons. A stopwatch or a watch with a second hand and a chart will be useful to keep track of the different cyclists who move through the course.
Tight Rope Trick Ride
Create a wide line by rubbing the side of a piece of chalk against the ground for fifty feet. Challengers must keep both their front and back wheels on the line for the entire length of the line. Players can be called out by either going off the line or they can have a second added to their time each time they waver.
Marble Drop Bicycle Challenge
Just along the outside of a track lane place empty cans, alternating the sides of the track the cans are set. Each player gets a handful of marbles that he drops into each can as he drives past. Players earn points for each marble they successfully drop in a can.
Incorporate these bicycle games into an afternoon of carnival games, backyard nature games, or water balloon games. Keep kids busy for an afternoon, a weekend, or a week by spacing the different events over time. Use these activities to entertain children during a block party or school fair.
Do you have any bicycle games to add to this list? If so, leave me a comment below!
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