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[quote=Anonymous]Congrats on the short distance to cover to school.

started bike commuting and walking (about 75/25) the mile to school with my son when he was 4. He happened to already be good on a bike (learned to ride w/o training wheels quite early and spontaneously), so we just kept to the sidewalks and I did a TON of training with him on warning pedestrians and slowing way down when passing them; stopping well before the intersections; and stopping to check for cars at every alley entrance/exit. It was time-consuming at first and I felt like I was hectoring him every step of the way, but it paid off. We've been bike commuting now for 5 years. Overall, though, I'd say you have to teach them to be extremely careful and responsive to your direction, and they must be strong riders, so you would need to practice almost daily over the summer. Also depends a lot on the general safety of your route, whether there's room on the sidewalks, etc.

There's no way I would invest in something to transport a 4-year-old, but your situation may be different.

In cases of very bad weather or when he's headed somewhere else directly after school, we walk. If you work up to it, most kids can handle a mile walk at age 4. Once they're used to it,  a morning walk tends to put them (and you) in a really good mood, ready to learn.

Good luck!

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