I have so many fond memories of riding my bike as a child. My bike was my transportation, but it was also my independence. Of course those were the days when kids rode with little supervision. There was no place off limits to me on my bike in my small Kansas town. That is why it has been so important to me that my children learn to ride a bike.
Their bicycle training did not occur as I imagined. I have three children who are smart, athletic, and daring. I dreamed they would be riding early and it would come naturally to them, but I learned that teaching children to ride a bike is more challenging than I thought. I was easily frustrated by children leaning and not keeping the bike upright. They quickly developed a dislike for bicycle-riding and refused to practice.
My oldest children did finally learn when she was 8 years old. I had to relinquish my title as Bike Coach to Daddy. He was more patient and, ultimately, gave her the confidence she needed to learn to ride. I thought my son would be following shortly behind. We bought him a new bike and offered many opportunities to get out and practice. He’d already had enough negative experiences on his bike that he was determined not to ride. I finally knew that I needed some help. I turned to YouTube. What I found was life-changing (okay, maybe that is going a little far, but my dream is to go on a family bike ride). Here is the video:
Balance is the key! If they can balance on their bikes, they can pedal them. I watched this video several times, I showed the video to my children, and I felt so positive that this was the answer for which we’d been searching. Here are the steps that we took to get Clark (9) and Claire (7) riding their bikes.
- Remove the pedals from the bike
You will need a flat bike wrench or a wrench that can fit in the narrow space between the pedal parts.
- Gear up your child
Be sure that they are wearing the necessary safety gear: helmet, knee or elbow pads, sneakers - Find a gentle slope of a hill with an even road
- Allow your bike rider to glide with their feet on the ground
- Eventually, the bike rider will begin to coast with their feet off the ground
- Practice coasting for a while
- Put the pedals back on the bike
- Watch your child ride his/her bike!
- If the bike rider needs some more confidence, remove the pedals for a while longer
- Practice, practice, practice.
- Once your child is riding on his/her own, starts and turns are the next challenges to master
Have you ever had an experience teaching a child how to ride a bike? Was it easier or harder than you expected?
