Teaching a child to ride a bike..help
Discussion
As Title quotes..Getting bikes for my two kids..girl 8 and boy 4.
I would appreciate some advice as the best way to get them riding without stabilisers and not falling off every ten yards.
I'm sure when i was taught my dad used to run alongside me holding my back/saddle but doing this for weeks on end sounds an extreme..need to know the best way to get good progress as running alongside bent over can't be doing my back any good.
How did you teach your kids ,with the quickest progress.
I would appreciate some advice as the best way to get them riding without stabilisers and not falling off every ten yards.
I'm sure when i was taught my dad used to run alongside me holding my back/saddle but doing this for weeks on end sounds an extreme..need to know the best way to get good progress as running alongside bent over can't be doing my back any good.
How did you teach your kids ,with the quickest progress.
Edited by Deanno1dad on Thursday 7th April 16:35
I started by adjusting the stabilisers so they were higher off the ground than before but would still offer some assistance if things got too wobbly.
As for running behind it does work, my son got the eureka moment when he realised he'd done 20 metres after I had let go, it all seemed to click after that.
Other than that I just found somewhere quiet, made sure he had knee/elbow pads on and put no pressure on him to learn quicker than he was able to.
As for running behind it does work, my son got the eureka moment when he realised he'd done 20 metres after I had let go, it all seemed to click after that.
Other than that I just found somewhere quiet, made sure he had knee/elbow pads on and put no pressure on him to learn quicker than he was able to.
Balance bikes (basically bikes without pedals where their feet can touch the floor).
My son is only just 3 and can now ride a pedal bike - he's never had stabilisers. He got on a balance bike at 2 1/2 and was riding the big jumps at the BMX track within 2 months!
Rather than buy a balance bike, you could just take the cranks off their current bikes, lower the seat until both feet can touch the floor and let them scoot around.
Pedalling seems to be quite an intuitive action whereas the balance part needs to be learnt - balance bikes allow this to be relatively painless!
http://www.vimeo.com/16906700
My son is only just 3 and can now ride a pedal bike - he's never had stabilisers. He got on a balance bike at 2 1/2 and was riding the big jumps at the BMX track within 2 months!
Rather than buy a balance bike, you could just take the cranks off their current bikes, lower the seat until both feet can touch the floor and let them scoot around.
Pedalling seems to be quite an intuitive action whereas the balance part needs to be learnt - balance bikes allow this to be relatively painless!
http://www.vimeo.com/16906700
Get a broom handle and shove it in the frame just behind the seat. This means you don't have to bend over whilst running, and the broom handle will have a bit of play to allow some freedom for the rider, whilst allowing you to nudge corrections.
It worked very well for me was a quick way of learning.
Remember to allways have your child to wear a helmet please. My brother was knocked out last week coming off his bike, and could have been killed but for his helmet.
It worked very well for me was a quick way of learning.
Remember to allways have your child to wear a helmet please. My brother was knocked out last week coming off his bike, and could have been killed but for his helmet.
A chap I know teaches special needs children to ride bikes and says the key to teaching anyone to ride is teaching them the correct muscle memory to balance them self using the steering.
Apparently, until you have learnt to ride a bike the natural reaction when the bike starts to tip left is to steer right - which obviously just leads to you falling off.
The way round this is to play a game where they sit on the bike and you stand behind it holding the saddle and then tip the bike a small amount right or left at random (not moving forward yet). While you are doing this, they have to as quickly as possible steer the same direction as the bike is tilting (right when you leans it right and vice versa).
Once you have done this for 5 minutes, then you can add in going forwards and they should have gained the correct instinctive reaction to balance the bike once you let go.
Sounds odd, but apparently works wonders.
Apparently, until you have learnt to ride a bike the natural reaction when the bike starts to tip left is to steer right - which obviously just leads to you falling off.
The way round this is to play a game where they sit on the bike and you stand behind it holding the saddle and then tip the bike a small amount right or left at random (not moving forward yet). While you are doing this, they have to as quickly as possible steer the same direction as the bike is tilting (right when you leans it right and vice versa).
Once you have done this for 5 minutes, then you can add in going forwards and they should have gained the correct instinctive reaction to balance the bike once you let go.
Sounds odd, but apparently works wonders.
As per above, find the nearest hill, push them down and they'll soon learn 
Seriously though, this is exactly what I did with both my kids and it worked a treat (although it was more of a grassy bank on a cricket pitch than a hill). I didn't take the pedals off but lowered the seat so that they could put both their feet flat on the floor. They then rolled down, initially with both feet brushing the floor, but eventually with both feet off.
Using a hill is great as it takes away the need to propell yourself forward. Once they have the balance thing then they can try pedalling, still using the hill to start but eventually on their own steam.
Both mine learnt in an afternoon using this method.
Seriously though, this is exactly what I did with both my kids and it worked a treat (although it was more of a grassy bank on a cricket pitch than a hill). I didn't take the pedals off but lowered the seat so that they could put both their feet flat on the floor. They then rolled down, initially with both feet brushing the floor, but eventually with both feet off.
Using a hill is great as it takes away the need to propell yourself forward. Once they have the balance thing then they can try pedalling, still using the hill to start but eventually on their own steam.
Both mine learnt in an afternoon using this method.
Aberdeenloon said:
A per two earlier posts, a balance bike is definitely the way to go. Both my boys were riding "proper" bikes before they were 4.
But then when they learn you have to buy a new bike with pedals. Why not just teach them to ride on a proper bike in the first place? If you must have a balance bike just take the pedals off a proper bike and put them back on when they are ready.el stovey said:
But then when they learn you have to buy a new bike with pedals. Why not just teach them to ride on a proper bike in the first place? If you must have a balance bike just take the pedals off a proper bike and put them back on when they are ready.
I guess it depends when they start - I bought mine balance bikes at 2 1/2 and there is hardly any proper bikes for kids that size - my son's now ready for a proper bike after 7 months and is going from a 12" wheeled balance bike to a 16" wheeled proper bike having shot up in height and I'll get 65% of the price I paid for the balance bike back.
I wish I'd bought a balance bike, but our lad started on a small bike with stabilisers and they're completely counter intuitive. His method for riding was steering the bike and letting the stabilisers stop him falling over, once we took them off he was hitting the dirt every 10 seconds.
He's just about competent now, although he keeps looking at me following and getting tank slappers on ha ha.
When we started he was crying and moaning about hurting himself, so I bought him some cheap elbow / knee pads - I don't think they do much because he only falls about half a foot at 3mph but it's gives him confidence and he likes them because he's seen mine. Helmet of course, want him in the habit from day 1 - I also always make sure I wear mine when we're out riding even if it's only 5 mph around a disused car park to set a good example.
I found a patch of tarmac in our local park, and started holding the seat as he peddled across it and let him go as he reached the grass, he's manage a couple of meters at first and fall off, but because of the pads and grass he never hurt himself and built up from there.
There's a definite eureka moment when it just clicked for him, he can start himself now and stopped reasonably well (his Mum wishes he's use the brakes instead of his trainers ha ha) and we go out riding around a disused car park in the evenings and at the weekend, once I started riding with him he got better much quicker as he loves to race.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjNms2-lQeI
He's just about competent now, although he keeps looking at me following and getting tank slappers on ha ha.
When we started he was crying and moaning about hurting himself, so I bought him some cheap elbow / knee pads - I don't think they do much because he only falls about half a foot at 3mph but it's gives him confidence and he likes them because he's seen mine. Helmet of course, want him in the habit from day 1 - I also always make sure I wear mine when we're out riding even if it's only 5 mph around a disused car park to set a good example.
I found a patch of tarmac in our local park, and started holding the seat as he peddled across it and let him go as he reached the grass, he's manage a couple of meters at first and fall off, but because of the pads and grass he never hurt himself and built up from there.
There's a definite eureka moment when it just clicked for him, he can start himself now and stopped reasonably well (his Mum wishes he's use the brakes instead of his trainers ha ha) and we go out riding around a disused car park in the evenings and at the weekend, once I started riding with him he got better much quicker as he loves to race.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjNms2-lQeI
I'd like to +1 some peoples thoughts. I used to sell bikes, often kids bikes, and I've also helped teach a bunch of kids in our street to ride.
Balance bikes, or bikes without stabilisiers are DEFINITLEY the way to do it.
The old route of stabilisers, then gradually bending them up or removing them is just backwards.
Learning to pedal is a doddle, the balancing and cornering is the difficult bit.
By far the best way to learn is to use balance bikes, or indeed regular bikes with the cranks and BB removed - on which the kids can scoot about on. They quickly learn this way, from dragging their heels a bit through to whizzing along with legs in the air, snaking and turning, and using the brakes where fitted.
Once this ia acheived, sticking the pedals on and learning to use them for power is easy.
Balance bikes, or bikes without stabilisiers are DEFINITLEY the way to do it.
The old route of stabilisers, then gradually bending them up or removing them is just backwards.
Learning to pedal is a doddle, the balancing and cornering is the difficult bit.
By far the best way to learn is to use balance bikes, or indeed regular bikes with the cranks and BB removed - on which the kids can scoot about on. They quickly learn this way, from dragging their heels a bit through to whizzing along with legs in the air, snaking and turning, and using the brakes where fitted.
Once this ia acheived, sticking the pedals on and learning to use them for power is easy.
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