Youngsters adore riding in anything other than the road. They like the sand dunes, the woods, the mountains, and especially the mud. That is why they need a kids ATV to do so. Kids ATV’s (Youth ATV’s) can allow your son or daughter to experience the trails or the backyard with you guys (the parents) so you can all have fun together. It can be used as a great hobby as a family to spend time together.
The good thing about kids ATV’s is that they are specifically designed for the younger generation in mind. They offer many different safety features to keep you child safe, while they can still get the adrenaline rush they so long for. Instead of them riding on the back of Dad or Mom’s four wheeler, they have gotten to the age where it may be time for their own.
There are many different kinds of youth ATV’s out there with many different features. There are different sizes of four wheelers depending on how old your child is. The bottom line is that are is a lot of things to go over when talking about kids ATV’s, so let’s get right into it.
Riding Safely on Kids ATV’s
The last thing you want to happen as a parent is to see your kid get hurt on one of these kids ATV’s. It is important for the adult figure to explain to the younger learner about how to be safe when riding these machines. There are many different things to do to be safe when riding one of these things so let’s go over a few of them.
Wear The Proper Equipment
Wearing the proper safety equipment is essential to keeping your son/daughter safe when they are riding. They might think it’s lame or that they don’t need it. Well tough. If you have certain rules in your house on what they need to wear when they are riding, then don’t let them ride without them.
Helmet
A helmet is the MAIN thing that, not only a youth, but everyone should be wearing. This is what separates life and death. No kid should ever be riding a kids ATV without one. Bottom line. I mean, it should go without saying but you’d be surprised.
Goggles
Goggles are a very good safety attire to have. They keep a very important part of your body safe. Your eyes. That is, if you don’t have a helmet with a shield already on it. You don’t necessarily need to wear them but there can be a lot of dust, dirt and debris that can get kicked up on the trails. I never leave the house on my four wheeler without them.
Gloves
These are not as important as a helmet or goggles but they are nice to have. If they are out riding for hours on end, they could end up getting blisters on their hands. I mean yeah, big deal. But if your kid does happen to wipe out on a youth atv, what do you think hits the ground first when they are trying to catch themselves? Their hands.
Padding and Boots
These are totally optional. Riding boots are nice to have to protect their feet, and to keep all of your child’s other shoes from getting trashed in the mud and dirt.
They sell different types of protective padding for riders. They have full upper body pads ie. chest, elbow, shoulder, forearms; as well as shin and knee pads.
Believe it or not but there will be a time when they wipe out on one of these things. It’s just the nature of the sport. In order to prevent from major injury, these are the things you can have your child wear.
Ride While Under Supervision
There should always be a supervisor present when there is a younger minor riding on kids ATV’s. Someone to yell at them for riding where they’re not supposed to or incase something unplanned happens like an accident or malfunction with the ATV itself.
Age Restrictions & Local Laws
There is no federal law on an age restriction for a child to operate an ATV. There are only state laws mandated. Some states only allow a child 16 and older to operate. Some states it can be as young as 10 years old. Make sure you check your state and local laws to see what it legal and what is not.
Don’t Get Too Carried Away
You know what I mean. You remember the first time you sat on a four wheeler and got to actually drive it by yourself. It felt great. You were going around in circles in the backyard or going up and down the street. It was awesome. After you’ve done that for a week straight, you start to get comfortable and want to jump some jumps or take the four wheeler into uncharted territory. Sometimes this is where it goes wrong.
Make sure your kid doesn’t get too cocky right out of the get-go. I understand that riding in circles in the back yard can get a little boring after a while but make sure everything is under control and all stunts are performed in a controlled area.
Different Engine Sizes For Kids ATV’s
| Engine Sizes | Recommended Age Of Rider |
| 50cc Engine | For kids 12 and younger |
| 70cc-125cc Engines | Kids between the ages of 12-16 |
| 200cc-400cc Engines | Younger Riders over 16 |
| Everything Above | Strictly for adults and skilled riders |
It is important to not that these may not be suited for your local laws. On top of that, these are just recommendations. Make sure you know how skilled your kid is before you put them on something they can’t handle or is too skilled for.
On some of the smaller ATV’s there is this thing called a governor, or speed controller. It is basically a limit switch that you as the parent can set so your child can only go so fast on them. I would recommend starting off slow and then over time increasing the speed so they can really get the hang of the machine.
Gaining Experience & Riding Skills
Alright so you got your child an ATV. But they have no idea how to ride it. Well the only way they learn is by doing. It is your job as the parent to show them all of the controls that are on the motor vehicle and how to properly use them. From there, it is up to them to figure out how to get good at driving and controlling it.
Have them do different turns, and accelerate and break. Explain to them some different techniques like leaning into where you’re turning, or how to move their body along with the suspension. A good way to go about this is to put them in an area where there is limited risk on them running into anything, like an open field.
The bottom line is, the more they ride and the different terrains and areas they ride in, the better they will get and the more skills they will achieve.
There are also training courses you can go to and you can even hire a trainer that will teach them how to do all this stuff.
Teachable Moments
This is supposed to be a fun hobby for you and your son/daughter to enjoy together. You want them to be a good rider one day, so it is your job to teach them how to be safe and how to become a better rider. Here are a few things you can do to teach your child about this sport:
- What you do when you ride to stay safe on the trail
- How to maintain your ATV so it lasts for a long time
- Point out hazards to your children
- When to ride and when not to ride
- When something is broken, here is how you fix it
- Putting oil and fuel in the four wheeler
- What you wouldn’t do even as an adult
If you found this short guide to youth ATV’s helpful, be sure to check out our other posts about ATV’s here.
