any advice to help child learn to ride?

[kie_fujo]

my 8 year old dd still can't ride her bike. i have tried and tried and she is just so afraid of getting hurt. i really want to help her learn, but my patience is wavering. any advice?

[spokewench]

Have you tried it on the grass where the likelihood of getting hurt is not as harsh?

Has she ridden with training wheels? That's a good start also.

Finally, sometimes a role model is just what kids need - can you show her how it is done in a non-threatening soft grassy environment? Put gloves on her, elbow pads, a helmet and tell her she is as safe as can be

[maillotpois]

Borrow a bike that is WAY too small for her so her feet touch the ground and let her get a feel for how to balance, etc. That's what we did and it worked great.

[Eden]

Do you have a cycling friend that can help you? I've did a learn to ride workshop - one of the things they told us was that having another adult who was not the parent sometimes helps....

they also advocated a no training wheels approach.

First the child should learn to balance the moving bike - so training wheels off, pedals off, and saddle all of the way down - the kid should be able to put his/her feet flat on the ground. With the bike this way have the child push the bike with their feet - when they get comfortable with pushing around, have them push off and glide. This get them used to balancing a moving bike without having to try to pay attention to pedaling yet.

When the child gets comfortable gliding and balancing the bike then its time to add the pedals back on. Keep the saddle low for the time being. It's not like they are going to be riding for long amounts of time or distance at this point so they are not going to hurt themselves by riding an ill fitting bike.

[singletrackmind]

I am working on teaching JB (5) as Eden describes. His bike has coaster brakes so we had to be careful of hills because he couldn't stop without pedals. We're up to pedals back on, seat high enough to pedal comfortably yet still touch the ground easily, and a bar I've attached to the back so I can hold the bike while he pedals. I only keep him from crashing, he has to balance and, unless he's going to get hurt, stop himself. He's gotten to where I can take my hands off the bar (but keep them close to grab it when needed) for several seconds. Usually he doesn't even notice I'm not hanging on. It's going ok.

[sarahkonamojo]

Taking pedals off is key. No training wheels.

The idea is that the rider just pushes the bike along and learns to balance on two wheels. When she is ready you can add pedals.

There are actual bikes made this way, i.e. the Strider. They have no drive train and no pedals.

sarah

[Irulan]

Taking pedals off is key. No training wheels.

The idea is that the rider just pushes the bike along and learns to balance on two wheels. When she is ready you can add pedals.

There are actual bikes made this way, i.e. the Strider. They have no drive train and no pedals.

sarah

yep and just make sure the seat is low enough so that they can put their feet down.

training wheels are the devil.

[spokewench]

I do not believe that training wheels are the devil. It gives kids a chance to get used to being on the bike, using the pedal brake, and being comfortable before they have to do the whole thing together at once. It gives them a chance to get into riding without as much fear and with more confidence. Then they have to leave that behind but that is the way of learning new things.

[kie_fujo]

that's what we have been doing. the whole no pedals thing. but she is still terrified. she will pick her feet up just a touch and start screaming as soon as she teeters. our grass is so bumpy that i think that would almost be worse! thanks for the suggestions though.

[Irulan]

I see a lot of kids become overly dependent on them and then fearful of taking them off. I also see that the small bike-no pedals-feet touching the ground facilitates learning without training wheels for many many kids.

just my two cents, you can do it any way you want.

[bike4ever]

kie_fujo -

Kids will ride when their friends are riding. Unfortunately it's the beginning of peer pressure. I

s there a small grassy hill near you? A small hill is a nice place to practice the balance. I also am a fan of using a baseball field. You can push them (but remember to release, do not hold them) and let them glide easily on the dirt. A baseball field is also a nice place for them to learn to pedal since it is actually easier to pedal through than a yard.

[Biciclista]

When she's ready she will ride. At 7, I was hysterical, terrified of the bike, the training, the training wheels, everything. At 9, my father gave me a 2 wheeled bike; rode it in a circle, gave it to me, and I rode it in a circle. Just like that.
Be patient.
It will come.

[GLC1968]

I agree with the peer pressure thing. I remember being terrified of riding a 'two wheeler'. (I had a tricycle, but felt I was too old for it). I remember talking to one of the older kids in the neighborhood one afternoon about my fear. She said she could teach me but I said no. Then one of the kids a little closer to my age went tearing by on a BMX type bike and jumped the curb in front of us. She leaned over and said "I taught him to ride". Two days later, I asked her to help me. Based on where we were living (and when we moved), I couldn't have been older than 7.

[kie_fujo]

i was actually hoping that the peer pressure would wear on her!! haha. the one and only time. unfortunately she doesn't care. she just says that she wants training wheels. i know she'll get it eventually. i just want us to be able to ride together!

[Irulan]

What about just "disappearing" the training wheels.

I"m sorry honey, I don't know what happened to them.