We’ve all seen it before: a nervous child wobbling on a bike while a parent huffs and puffs, running hunched down behind the bike, hanging on to the bike seat. It’s potentially back wrenching for the adult and no fun for the child.
Does teaching a child to ride a bike without training wheels have to look like this? No. I’d like to give you a different approach, one that worked with my four children and few other kids. No special bikes or gadgets are involved. No bike alterations are required.
I didn’t set out to learn a new way to teach a child to ride a bike. After a few frustrating traditional bike training sessions with my oldest child I decided there must be a better way, for him and me, to teach him to ride a bike.
That better way is a discovery based approach to learning to ride a bike. It depends on the child’s readiness, the right equipment, some key concepts and a process that allows the child to learn through exploration.
Is your child ready to ride a bike without training wheels?
Does your child show interest in learning to ride a two-wheeler? Just because neighbor Johnny rode a two-wheeler at 3 years old doesn’t mean your child has to. Don’t pressure him. Direct requests from your child to remove the training wheels or her comments about wanting to ride a two-wheeler are good indicators of interest.
Consider the fear factor. Some kids have no fear, others have nothing but fear. Forcing your child to ride a bike without training wheels when she is down-to-the-bone scared will frustrate both of you. On the other hand, if she’s simply a little nervous, some encouragement is a good thing. Use your parental wisdom when deciding whether to “push or pause” in this matter.
Is your child physically ready to ride a two-wheeler? The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests most children are ready to ride a bike without training wheels at about 5 or 6 years old. If your child is especially athletic, she may be ready earlier. Again, use good judgment.
What equipment will help your child learn to ride a bike?
Choose the correct size bike. Your child must be comfortable with the bike. A child feels more in control of a smaller bike. Lower the seat enough to allow the entire foot to be on the ground. He must be able to reach the handlebars easily. Don’t buy a bike for your child to grow into. An over-sized bike can be hard to control and intimidating. (The American Academy of Pediatrics offers information on choosing the right size bike. )
Make sure you child wears a helmet. Again, the American Academy of Pediatrics has a wealth of information about bicycle helmets.
Consider these basic bike riding concepts
Some kids won’t care about these, some may benefit from hearing them. Either way, they can serve as your guiding principles.
Pedaling makes you go. It seems obvious, but if your child doesn’t have trike or other pedaling experience, he may not understand this all-important fact.
Balancing is easier when you’re moving. To illustrate this, ask your child to balance on the bike without pedaling. Explain that balancing becomes easier the faster she pedals.
Catch yourself when you start to fall. Before he is able to go fast he will go slowly, which means he will be off balance more. This is why you teach him to put a foot down to stop the fall.
Now, you’re ready for the practical application of all that bike riding knowledge.
Follow these pressure-free steps to teach your child to ride a bike
1. Give her time to explore the two-wheeler on her own. Maybe it’s new to her because the training wheels just came off or because it’s a new bike. Either way, allow her to become familiar with the bike. Take a cue from your child as to how much you should be involved. You’ll want to be nearby to supervise, but don’t hover unnecessarily
2. Teach your child the “pedal foot, ground foot” rhythm. (I made this short video explanation to illustrate.)
- Start with the right pedal up and the left pedal down. (Start with either foot. I start with the right foot for illustration only.)
- Put the right foot on the pedal in the air. The left foot stays on the ground.
- Push the right foot down. The left foot is still on the ground.
- Put the right foot on the ground. Put the left foot on the left pedal, which is now in the air. (You or your child may need to move the pedal into position.)
- Push the left foot down. The right foot is still on the ground.
- Repeat the process.
This doesn’t produce much forward motion, but it helps her learn to gain confidence in handling the bike and catching herself.
3. Teach him to fall. Because he isn’t going fast he will have lots of opportunities to practice stopping his fall. Teach him to put his foot down on the side he starts to fall towards. For example, if he starts to fall to the right, put the right foot down on the ground.
4. Let her practice, offering support and guidance, including the bike riding concepts mentioned above, as you see fit.
This starts off a bit awkwardly, but it works. Using this method, a few of my friends’ kids learned to ride a bike after spending an afternoon at my house.
My parting advice: relax and give your child time to learn through doing and you will soon welcome a new member to the two-wheeler club.
Lexie Smith - Lexie is a A University of Texas graduate who taught middle school English and, until 2009, homeschooled her children. She lives in ...
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