Teaching kids to ride a bike
In this post, we share ideas that have helped our kids, and many other children, learn how to ride a bike with confidence.
When kids see others doing something that looks like fun, they naturally want to learn how to do it.
Become a bike riding role model.
When little kids see their parents, their biggest role models, riding a bike and enjoying it, this becomes something that they will naturally be interested in. If your kids are older, seeing you take care of yourself, moving your body, and challenging yourself is a great example and hopefully the benefits to your mental health, connectedness and energy levels will not go unnoticed!
Balance bike.
From about 18 months, my kids started out on balance bikes. My kids started walking at 12 months, 10 months and 9 months respectively, so they were pretty steady on their feet by 18 months. If your kids learn to walk a little later, then make sure they are well balanced before getting them on a balance bike.
From 18 months to 3 years, the balance bikes were amazing for my big kids (my littlest is still only 14 months). They both got a new (second hand) 12” bike on their 3rd birthday. My boy rode out the gate and down to the park on his birthday, to my surprise, with no training wheels. He was super balanced going down the hill under the tunnel- putting his legs out for balance and dragging his feet to slow down. But then he still preferred the balance bike for a few more months so the pedal bikes sat in the shed waiting. Both kids decided on their own when it was time to switch to their pedal bike.My second got her bike out one day and asked for some help. After an hour or so of helping her by holding the back of the seat while she got started, she was happy to do it on her own.
Teach balance.
Teaching kids to keep their legs out to balance helped. When they started on a balance bike, I would get them to put their feet out and push them around the yard (yes, that was hard work!). This just gave them the feeling of moving and the muscle memory of how to position their body when the bike moves. As they got more steady, I would give a push and let go for a few seconds and get them to keep their legs out. And for those times that they couldn’t quite reach the ground comfortably, keeping legs out and putting one foot down out wide stops them from falling over and getting tangled up.
Speed control. How do we teach this?? On a balance bike, teach kids to drag their heels (or toes) to help slow down. We bought ‘bike shoes’ for this!! They were cheap skate shoes that had a rubber toe. If they wear normal shoes, the toes will get a hole in them very quickly from braking!!!
Choose the terrain carefully.
Because balance bikes have no brakes, be mindful of the terrain you’re expecting them to ride on- toes on ground won’t always do the trick on a steep slope. And if the seat is up to a point where they can’t flat feet on the ground, they won’t have as much contact with the ground and therefore less stopping power.
On a back pedal brake bike (which is common on 12” and 16” bikes), teaching kids to use this can be tricky. My oldest would panic and resort to toes on the ground, it took a while for him to trust the back pedal brake. Learning how to use it and apply different amounts of pressure is important. We practised a lot in a flat carpark, then moved to a small hill before trying a steeper one.
My second child sat on a Shotgun seat on MANY rides with my oldest, listening to me give him tips and tricks and reminding him to control his speed. She watched how he rode, and when it was her turn, she picked it up pretty quickly. One thing that is important to note, if you have their seat at a height where they can only just touch the ground with their tip toes, they won’t be able to apply much stopping power/pressure to the brake IF they try to stop with the pedal in the down position. In this instance, tell them to bend their leg to use the brake!Snacks! and water.
Always, always take snacks and water. Even on a short ride, snacks mean a quick break. A few kilometres for us might not feel like much, but for those tiny cranks and no gears, it is a lot of work!I’d love to know what has helped you with teaching your kids to ride! Send me an email at dirtmaidens@gmail.com
Claire
