What Is the Best Way to Teach a Child How to Ride a Bike?
What Is the Best Way to Teach a Child How to Ride a Bike?
Question: What Is the Best Way to Teach a Child How to Ride a Bike?
Answer:
You might be surprised at the passionate opinions out there on the topic of how to ride a bike. There are articles and web sites devoted to bashing training wheels, calling them "worthless" and even "evil." There are also millions of kids who have used training wheels (also called "stabilizers") to learn how to ride a bike successfully.
What's best depends on your child's interest and confidence level, her physical ability, and the environment where she'll be learning. Consider these popular methods for teaching a child how to ride a bike:
Riding a Bike with Training Wheels
Most starter bikes for kids come equipped with training wheels, which fit onto the bicycle's back wheel and help the rider balance. With this method, the child learns how to pedal and steer first, without having to worry about keeping the bike upright. Once he has mastered pedaling and steering, you can gradually raise the training wheels higher off the ground so that the bike is a little more unstable.
As your child gains confidence on this less balanced bike, eventually he will be ready to have the stabilizers removed all together. Sometimes it helps to have him practice on a grassy area, instead of pavement, so falls are less painful. And of course, your child should always wear a bike helmet, whether he is on a tricycle or a two-wheeler.
Riding an Undersized Bicycle
This method takes the opposite tack, teaching the child to balance before she learns to pedal or steer. You need a bicycle small enough (or with the seat lowered far enough) that your child's feet can easily touch the ground. In this manner, she'll be able to control her own balance by putting her feet down when she feels unsteady. It's even better if you remove the pedals, to keep the focus exclusively on balance at first. Start your lessons on a slight downhill, so your child gets the feeling of moving forward while balancing.
After your child is comfortable with coasting downhill, you can reattach the pedals and have her try putting her feet on them while she rolls. Eventually, she will master turning the pedals with her feet; then you can try having her ride on a flat (not downhill) surface. After a few practice sessions on flat ground, she may be ready for her seat to be raised to a more comfortable pedaling height, or to move up to a larger bike.
Riding While a Parent Pushes the Bike
If your child resists riding an undersized bike, or you don't have one available, you can try this old standby. Settle your child onto his bicycle, without training wheels, and hold him by the shoulders. Don't use the handlebars or seat; if you do, it subtly influences the child's balance and prevents him from learning the skill on his own.
As with the training-wheel method, use this strategy to help your child learn pedaling and steering without having to focus just yet on balance. Eventually, you can begin to work on letting go and allowing your child to balance on his own.
Question: What Is the Best Way to Teach a Child How to Ride a Bike?
Answer:
You might be surprised at the passionate opinions out there on the topic of how to ride a bike. There are articles and web sites devoted to bashing training wheels, calling them "worthless" and even "evil." There are also millions of kids who have used training wheels (also called "stabilizers") to learn how to ride a bike successfully.
What's best depends on your child's interest and confidence level, her physical ability, and the environment where she'll be learning. Consider these popular methods for teaching a child how to ride a bike:
Riding a Bike with Training Wheels
Most starter bikes for kids come equipped with training wheels, which fit onto the bicycle's back wheel and help the rider balance. With this method, the child learns how to pedal and steer first, without having to worry about keeping the bike upright. Once he has mastered pedaling and steering, you can gradually raise the training wheels higher off the ground so that the bike is a little more unstable.
As your child gains confidence on this less balanced bike, eventually he will be ready to have the stabilizers removed all together. Sometimes it helps to have him practice on a grassy area, instead of pavement, so falls are less painful. And of course, your child should always wear a bike helmet, whether he is on a tricycle or a two-wheeler.
Riding an Undersized Bicycle
This method takes the opposite tack, teaching the child to balance before she learns to pedal or steer. You need a bicycle small enough (or with the seat lowered far enough) that your child's feet can easily touch the ground. In this manner, she'll be able to control her own balance by putting her feet down when she feels unsteady. It's even better if you remove the pedals, to keep the focus exclusively on balance at first. Start your lessons on a slight downhill, so your child gets the feeling of moving forward while balancing.
After your child is comfortable with coasting downhill, you can reattach the pedals and have her try putting her feet on them while she rolls. Eventually, she will master turning the pedals with her feet; then you can try having her ride on a flat (not downhill) surface. After a few practice sessions on flat ground, she may be ready for her seat to be raised to a more comfortable pedaling height, or to move up to a larger bike.
Riding While a Parent Pushes the Bike
If your child resists riding an undersized bike, or you don't have one available, you can try this old standby. Settle your child onto his bicycle, without training wheels, and hold him by the shoulders. Don't use the handlebars or seat; if you do, it subtly influences the child's balance and prevents him from learning the skill on his own.
As with the training-wheel method, use this strategy to help your child learn pedaling and steering without having to focus just yet on balance. Eventually, you can begin to work on letting go and allowing your child to balance on his own.
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