Forget about Heelys (roller sneakers) – those are so ‘last decade’ now. Scooters 🛴 are not a new invention – they have been around for almost 20 years in fact!

But their forms and styles have definitely changed much in recent years. Today’s scooters are typically made of plastic or aluminum, with two or three wheels and a handlebar of adjustable height. Many models are foldable these days, which saves storage space and allows them to be seamlessly brought up and down public transport, or in and out of offices and malls.

There are many benefits to using a scooter to commute. Here are some of them:

1. Scooting encourages physical activity at any age, which leads to a healthier lifestyle. Both young and old can find a scooter that fits, and scooting itself is relatively easy to learn. It definitely burns more fat than slumping on a seat in a crowded bus, train or car.

2. Scooting helps reduce the number of cars on the road. This reduces congestion, noise and pollution on the roads, and provides an environmentally friendly alternative to typical public transport. You can scoot virtually anywhere – home, school, office, town – as long as it’s not too far away!

3. Scooting helps young children develop skills which will help with cycling in the future, such as steering, stopping and balancing.

4. Most scooters are relatively inexpensive. A new one can set you back SGD $39.90 – $499.00, depending on your preferences. And you can easily score one secondhand from places like Carousell, Facebook Marketplace and eBay.

5. Scooting promotes independence. Only you can scoot for yourself. (Of course, this implies parents should not be ‘pulling’ their young ones along on their scooters. That completely defeats the purpose, don’t you think so?)

Photo credit: White and Black Trading

And here is a bonus reason – Scooting is a lot faster than walking, and a lot less tiring than jogging or running.

If you want to get your very own scooter, the three main brands to look out for are Micro, OXELO (available at Decathlon) and Toys “R” Us. Each brand carries several different models. The Mini Micro by White and Black Trading in particular, is extremely popular with preschoolers, as its reverse design provides greater stability for its young rider. They even have scooters for 12 months through 5 years old.

Happy scooting!

By Dorothea Chow.

* * * * *

Like what you see here? Get parenting tips and stories straight to your inbox! Join our mailing list here.

Want to be heard 👂 and seen 👀 by over 100,000 parents in Singapore? We can help! Leave your contact here and we’ll be in touch.