It is an exciting time when a child is ready to learn how to ride a bike! With a little time and effort, your child will be able to enjoy the same freedom and independence. Getting them there is the work. So what is the best way to teach your child? Let’s do a little planning first to set your and your child’s expectations realistically. Your child will be enjoying a bit of freedom and independence very soon.
Before They Get on the Bike
Are They Ready to Succeed?
Is your child ready? Does your son or daughter want to ride a bike? If they want to ride a bike, they are well on their way. If they haven’t quite reached 4 or 5 years old yet, it would be wise to give it some time. Developmentally, children are not ready until at least the four-year mark. At five, their brains are more ready to coordinate all the new skills it takes to adjust speed, when to push the pedals, steer the handlebars, etc.
Make Sure the Bike Fits
The size of the bike matters. Generally speaking, you want the top of the rider’s hip to meet the top of the bicycle seat. This is for general riding after learning has taken place. When a child is learning, you want to lower the seat which should be low enough for the child to place their feet flat on the ground. This will allow the child to become familiar with what balance feels like and boost her confidence when starting out. For a quick lesson on finding the right fit for your child, check out this website.
Find an Open Space
Find a flat area for your child to practice, preferably not on a street. An empty parking lot is ideal, a park with sidewalks or an empty basketball court works great. My kids practiced on a basketball court across the street from our home that was not being used. A place with minimal obstacles and a flat, hard surface is best. The fewer distractions and obstacles, the more freedom they have to focus on their developing skill.
Practice When There’s Time
Choose a time for the child to practice. Clear it in the calendar if needed. Choose a day where there is a lot of free time and the weather looks promising. This allows for him/her to take a break, eat a snack and go back out again. It also helps keep us, parents, from rushing the little one, which doesn’t really benefit either the parent or the child.
Be Encouraging
The adult teacher absolutely needs to express a calm, kind, encouraging approach to riding a bike. This is not just one skill, but many new skills that all need to be coordinated. The skill development and coordination can only arrive through repetition. Your child will sense and know your frustration and impatience if they are not meeting your expectations. If they have a negative experience while learning to ride a bike, they may not want to try again. Keep your attitude encouraging. Celebrate each moment of progress with a fist bump or a “You did it!” This will keep them pressing on.
RELATED: The Best Bike for a 3-Year-Old
Protect Their Head
Hands down, the most important piece of protective equipment is the helmet. In many places, it is the law for kids to wear helmets while riding a bike. If your child doesn’t use any other type of protective gear, he should have a helmet. A helmet needs to be the right size. It should have a snug fit (without hurting their head) and the straps should fit snugly around the chin without pinching. The strap should allow 1-2 adult fingers to fit under the strap. Any tighter and it becomes irritating to the child and distracts them from learning to ride the bike. For more information on choosing the proper helmet for your child, read this article.
Other protective equipment
Elbow pads and knee pads are other options, of course. You can also consider gloves or shin guards. If you go this route, be sure the equipment fits the child properly. Some other measures of protection are simple. Have your child wear close-toed shoes and socks. Long pants are helpful, but check and make sure the leg bottoms fit closer to the leg to avoid pants getting caught in the bike chain (it’s happened in our family and clothes do tear).
Helping the Child Learn to Ride
Now we move on to the meat of the whole thing.
Consider Removing the Pedals
If you have the tools to do it, I highly recommend removing the pedals. Another option is to purchase a glider bike that is made without pedals. The purpose of removing the pedals is strictly to help the child figure out how to balance. For this strategy, your child’s feet need to be flat on the ground at any given point. This puts your child in control of the bike and helps them learn the feel of balance. When they can push forward with both feet, they begin to feel what it is like to ride this piece of freedom. This will build confidence as they go from small bike hops to longer bike hops as their confidence builds.
If you decide you do not want to remove the pedals (or you aren’t able), then your child needs to be able to reach the balls of their feet to the ground in order to help them control the bike.
RELATED: Balance Bike vs. Training Wheels: Which Toddler Bike is Best?
Learn How the Bike Feels and Go!
If the child is brand new to bikes (tricycles do not count as experience on a bike), have him/her just sit on it and play around with it for a little bit. See if their feet reach flat to the ground. Do their arms reach the handlebars with ease? Do they look comfortable or uncomfortable? If they appear comfortable and happy to you, have them start little bike “hops”. A “bike hop” is simply pushing forward with both feet at the same time. Repeat the hops to increase balance development. As their confidence grows they can do longer “bike hops”.
Affirm Your Child
This is a giant skill for a 5-year-old to master. It takes a lot of practice. As your child begins the “bike hops” a little “that’s it” or “you got it, keep doing that” goes a long way in encouraging them to keep going. When your child goes a longer distance without putting their feet down, be excited for them and acknowledge their achievement.
Become Familiar With the Brakes
Stopping is another skill your child needs to learn to use. And we all know how necessary it will be.
If your child’s bike has hand brakes, consider having your child walk beside the bike while holding the handlebars. As they walk beside it, have them squeeze the brakes. They will begin to familiarize themselves with how hard or soft they need to squeeze in order for the bike to stop. Of course, this will change as the speeds on the bike change. This is just time to get to know the brakes.
Maybe your child only has pedal brakes. I still recommend taking some time to focus on braking. Once they have become more comfortable with balancing themselves, then it’s time to walk alongside them. If you have pedal brakes, the pedals need to be put back on. As you walk alongside them, have them slowly pedal and help them keep balance by placing your hand on their upper back or shoulder. Have them push their feet backward in order to brake, then pedal forward again. Slowly pedal for a few seconds and have them push back on their pedals again. Repeat several times to help them learn the feel.
Your Child is a Bike Rider!
I was 9 years old when I first got the balance right to enjoy riding up and down my neighborhood street. The wind in my hair and the speed I was able to go give more playtime and opportunity for the kind of play we decided to engage in. The freedom and independence were a great reward for the skinned knees and countless attempts at balancing the two-wheeler.
Give the child time to practice. This could be for a short time every day or several days over the course of a few weeks. Allow space for them to continue to gain confidence and hone their new skills. They may still need you around as they practice and begin turning at faster speeds. They will still need your affirmation and very likely some reminders to remain alert and watch for obstacles.
Congratulations! You have given this child a lifelong skill!
