Teaching kids to ride can be very challenging!

[Lee_67]

I think you have to catch them at a young age, my daughter was on a balance bike from 3 and loved it, she's a bit of a daredevil on her peddle bike and gives me the fear😂

My son is as good on the balance but not so confident after falling off his peddle bike but slowly building his confidence seems to be the trick...

They always ask me to take them out on their bikes as they know I buy them a small treat now and again and stop at the play park which is kind of making it more fun than just cycling 👍

 

[matticus]

My son is as good on the balance but not so confident after falling off his peddle bike but slowly building his confidence seems to be the trick...

Watch this: should reassure you a bit:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVaoCzLpzJY

 

[Dadam]

I think you have to catch them at a young age, my daughter was on a balance bike from 3 and loved it, she's a bit of a daredevil on her peddle bike and gives me the fear😂

Well, we tried to, but it didn't work. Bit late to catch them at a young age now though

 

[Tom B]

In a wierd way glad to read this. My lad is just 5, he's had balance bikes since being able to stand up. He's always been in a seat on the back of my bike and has now graduated to a tag along bike. Tried to go directly from balance bike to pedals (no stabilisers) but he couldn't get the fact he had to be moving not to fall off. He also seemed obsessed with pedalling backwards.

I was feeling a bit bad as I was hoping to see him riding to school.

Caves in and got some spring stabilisers and he was much happier. Lifted them slightly and he's and a few crashes and seems to have knocked his confidence.

Just got him a new bigger bike which has coincided with him losing interest.

There is a lady who trains kids to ride ( http://bikewithemma.co.uk/ ) i'm contemplating getting her to have a go with him. But there is something inside me that says it's something dad should do and it's one of the few things that I was really set on looking forward to doing.

Was starting to feel a bit of a failure!

 

[ianrauk]

@Tom B
You're certainly not a failure.
I was lucky that my boy took to it straight away, He was pedal cycling before the age of 4. His friend at football, his dad asked me to help get him cycling. So every weekend for a good few weeks I tried to get him cycling, but to no avail. The point I'm making is that as we have said above, some kids take to cycling straight away, some kids take longer or not at all. Keep his bike within sight, don't push about riding. let him get used to the bike and he may ask you to take him riding.

I plotted my boys cycling learning on the 'Your Kids On Bikes thread

This first video was Little H at 2yo. We were lucky to have a nice slope to start of with the balance bike. That helped give him confidence to lift his feet off the ground. I lost count the amount of times he rolled down it.

A few months later he was very confident with his balance bike

I got his his first pedal bike when his 3yo. He was quite intimidated at first, not wanting to ride it. But we gently persisted, mainly with me pushing him along whilst holding on to him so he could get used to the pedal action. Then it suddenly clicked for him as you can see from this video. Notice how in the first video he drops the bike. Still not confident with stopping.

Then he got it.

A few months of practice, then this at 4yo, confident beyond measure.

Now of course, he's coming up to his 13th birthday and he's not really fussed about cycling any more.

So Dad's, don't despair and try not to get frustrated or upset if your kids don't take to cycling straight away.

 

[cyberknight]

@Tom B
You're certainly not a failure.
I was lucky that my boy took to it straight away, He was pedal cycling before the age of 4. His friend at football, his dad asked me to help get him cycling. So every weekend for a good few weeks I tried to get him cycling, but to no avail. The point I'm making is that as we have said above, some kids take to cycling straight away, some kids take longer or not at all. Keep his bike within sight, don't push about riding. let him get used to the bike and he may ask you to take him riding.

I plotted my boys cycling learning on the 'Your Kids On Bikes thread

This first video was Little H at 2yo. We were lucky to have a nice slope to start of with the balance bike. That helped give him confidence to lift his feet off the ground. I lost count the amount of times he rolled down it.

A few months later he was very confident with his balance bike

I got his his first pedal bike when his 3yo. He was quite intimidated at first, not wanting to ride it. But we gently persisted, mainly with me pushing him along whilst holding on to him so he could get used to the pedal action. Then it suddenly clicked for him as you can see from this video. Notice how in the first video he drops the bike. Still not confident with stopping.

Then he got it.

A few months of practice, then this at 4yo, confident beyond measure.

Now of course, he's coming up to his 13th birthday and he's not really fussed about cycling any more.

So Dad's, don't despair and try not to get frustrated or upset if your kids don't take to cycling straight away.

similar story to mini ck 2 , now 11 and going through a phase of idleness

 

[Deleted member 26715]

similar story to mini ck 2 , now 11 and going through a phase of idleness

I was the same, but I'm hoping this year as I approach 63 I'll grow out of it

 

[BrumJim]

In a wierd way glad to read this. My lad is just 5, he's had balance bikes since being able to stand up. He's always been in a seat on the back of my bike and has now graduated to a tag along bike. Tried to go directly from balance bike to pedals (no stabilisers) but he couldn't get the fact he had to be moving not to fall off. He also seemed obsessed with pedalling backwards.

I was feeling a bit bad as I was hoping to see him riding to school.

Caves in and got some spring stabilisers and he was much happier. Lifted them slightly and he's and a few crashes and seems to have knocked his confidence.

Just got him a new bigger bike which has coincided with him losing interest.

There is a lady who trains kids to ride ( http://bikewithemma.co.uk/ ) i'm contemplating getting her to have a go with him. But there is something inside me that says it's something dad should do and it's one of the few things that I was really set on looking forward to doing.

Was starting to feel a bit of a failure!

Ah, the old "I'll be a failure as a parent if I don't...."

Sometimes being a parent means that your child doesn't think of you as a teacher or expert. Those are the people who have a specific job and you go to a certain place in their minds. Which means that if you try to teach your children something, they won't listen and you get nowhere. Swallow your pride, use Emma to teach them to ride, and then get out with them as much as possible. I know. I've been there. Subbed the responsibility out to a Dutch bloke on the camp site in France who was the "learn to ride courier".

Remember, as a Father, you lead by example, not by teaching. Scary, isn't it?

 

[Tom B]

Cheers.
We've had a bit of progress, he took a shine to the bike a few weeks ago and we had a play in the street. He managed to get a few hundred metres of riding under his belt, turning and setting off was tricky, but even with a crash we built some confidence and ability.

We went camping and hoped to do some riding on the campsite, but the grass was too wet and the campsite roads were freshly installed cold planings so not ideal.

My plan is a bit more homeschooling then summer hols maybe get Emma in!

 

[Sharky]

My first was a trike. Loved it and was really hooked into cycling. When I was 6, my dad got me a two wheeler and I was thrilled. But alas, couldn't make the transition to two wheels. More or less ignored it for about 6 months, but then tried again and somehow mastered it. By 10, I was on a fixed gear road bike and never looked back.

So just let time takes its course.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

Just passing by and the thread title caught my eye:

I found this, I am not sure how much help it is, but, here it is anyway:


View: https://youtu.be/mOlQg5THqhE


Me? I only learned when I was 8, despite trying (and crashing, which I hated) for years. My method of learning? I was pushed away by my Dad, being told to try to pedal and keep moving... Before, predictably, simply toppling over.

I had pootled about with stabilisers since I was 4 or 5, so I was determined to do it eventually!
Also, I realised quite quickly how much drag stabilisers create, especially in mud and remember being left behind by a friend who could ride properly. I so wanted to go as quickly as him!
My brain damage I think was a contributing factor for learning so late, compared to everyone else around me anyway.

I seem to remember everyone telling me that I just needed the confidence to 'go with it' and do it. Like most things in life I guess.
I never really understood what they meant, but one day, one magical day, I just suddenly 'got it' and I could ride, so I never had to really understand in the end anyway.
That was that.

Good luck and be patient, I was 8.

 

[Peter Salt]

I've only one son, but have a track record of teaching over two dozen kids how to ride a bike. I'm not a teacher or anything, don't work at any kind of charity.

Showed my little one how to do it early on and was often stopped by strangers when we were out in the park, asking 'How is it that this tiny guy can ride like this?'. One day met this lady who's 8-year old still couldn't do it so I said to bring him tomorrow and I'll teach him for free. Next day did it in 20 minutes. Kid was bright and the mum useless imho. Then it was kind of word of mouth, I've never charged anything, of course.

My method, if you want to call it that, is to attach a broom stick to the bike so I got something to grab. I explain to the kid, in detail, what we'll be doing and how:
1. With me pushing the stick, pick up a lot of speed.
2. Clap my hands whenever I let go of the stick.
3. We count the claps out loud.
4. Set the kids goals, i.e. 'OK. On this run we're going to try 3 claps', then 5, 10, etc. - you get the picture.

*Never trick the kid. Don't let go without clapping - little person needs to know they can trust you.
*Every 2 or 3 runs they can get off the bike and give mummy a hug and hear how proud she is and then get back on the bike.
*We end when they can ride fast on their own. No going back home if they still can't.
*Going fast is the first thing they master. Stopping comes second. Going slow third. Starting comes last.

A bit of a brain dump, apologies.

 

[Tom B]

Just a quick update on the lad.

So after a few more weeks of ignoring the bike he was today playing.in the garden with little sister (2yrs) she was playing on her trike, so not to be outdone number 1 gets his bike out on the back lawn.

We kept a watching eye, but left him to it, he spent a good hour improving his setting off and pedalling and only reluctantly came in for tea and the went out again before being dragged back in for bed

It seems that just doing it and having the confidence to fall off onto the grass without hurting himself has done him a power of good. Especially when I told him I'd fallen off thousands of times and showed him my crowned tooth which came as a result of an especially hard landing on my face.

But most of all he had fun, which I think is why we all ride.... Isnt it?

 

[Tom B]

Re-Posted in the correct thread.

Number 1 continued to want to ride the bike and he's coming on a treat, he's busy building confidence.
He's mastered stopping starting and brake modulation and is now at the stage where he is watching down the road and seeing oncoming cars and hazards as opposed to watching his front wheel all the time.
I could probably put his seat up a tad, but i'll do that a mm or so at a time as and when he's built more confidence.

Number 2 got in on the act too

Then they found an easier option

I'm well chuffed for him, he wants to ride to school next week.

 

[rockyroller]

maybe take up another sport like hiking?