How to Teach Riding a Bike

One way is to find a long, slow downhill slope so the kid can sit on his bike and slowly roll forward while learning how to balance. This is how my husband learned to ride. Another way is to get a bar that attaches to the rear wheel axle of the bike and allows an adult to help hold the bike upright while the kid learns to balance. Bike shops and Walmart have them. I forget what they're called.

Check out this site: http://www.bikenewyork.org/education/classes/teach_child....

Hi. The best way to teach a child to ride a bike without training wheels is to take off the pedals first and let them learn how to balance on the bike. In order to get started you must adjust the seat so that the child can sit on the seat and touch the ground with his/her feet at the same time. Once the seat is adjusted and the pedals are off, let the child move/maneuver the bike with his/her feet for awhile until they have their balance established. Then, put the pedals back on and watch them go!

I hope this helps!

--C.
Brooklyn, NY

Kids all seem to grasp this differently, and have different confidence levels. I do remember a lot of steadying the bike and running alongside, but as soon as it gets moving you no longer have to hold on and are there more for moral support - they think you're holding them up.

The one bit of advice a friend of my mom's gave me when I was learning to ride was to "keep your shoulders straight". The bit someone else mentioned about not looking at the tire is good too. You can also try removing just one training wheel first. Good luck and try to keep the whole experience fun and low pressure!

K.,

What we did with all 4 of my children, oldest 27 youngest 10, was take them to a parking lot. They sat on the bike whle we ran next to them for balance and then let go. Didn't take long for each one to catch on and they were riding by themselves before the day was over. Good Luck!

Hi K....

I remember bike riding with my girls when they were little.. I made sure there were helmets, elbow and knee pads on before the lesson began, because there were falls, it's an unavoidable part of learning.. They also had special sport gloves that protect palms from road rash... I got them from the skateboard section of the sport store.

Anyway.. The training wheels come off when they felt ready and brave enough to want to do it.. I taught my girls when they were in 6th grade how to ride w/o their training wheels by steadying the bike as they began to ride.. Holding the seat behind them and the handle bar fork in front, and running along side them as they peddled. Once they got some speed I simply let go!

The most important instructions were to keep the handle bars straight, and to NOT look at the front wheel.. look at the road way ahead of you..

They are 17 and 13 now and still wearing helmets... There were many scraped elbows and knees in the years inbetween learning and now.. but it's all part of the process..

Have fun! You have made me nostalgic...

Val

The only advice I can give is what was advised to me, make sure the bike the child is learning on is small enough where they can put there legs down and touch the ground for security. My son learned on a small barbie bike, we called it the magic bike because 5 other kids (including boys)learned to ride on this bike. The day we put him on the bike he had confidence because it was "the magic bike".
He learned in a few tries.

I have taught a bunch of kids to ride a bike. I take them on the grass on the top of a slight incline. The hill helps them move without having to pedal, so they can learn to balance. Go over stopping before you begin. Helmets,knee pads,and elbow pads sometimes make the kids feel more secure. Good Luck, B.

I have asthma and all that running alongside the bike was too much for me. I hired a mother's helper who was young, enthusiastic and in shape. He had no trouble teaching my oldest son to ride. When it was time for the 2nd son, the older brother was thrilled to be the runner. Ask your older kids to step up to the plate or hire a helper. Good luck.

My son learned pretty quickly at 5 yrs old...but I heard that putting kids to practice on grass makes it easier because if they fall, they feel it less on grass. Make sure they wear helmets and knee pads.

I was just going to say what Valerie told you. But I also want to add that, no matter how old you are you are never overaged. Out of shpae? Maybe, but your age is wonderful regardless of the number.

Hi
first of all I love that you do "those parties"-it shows you have a young, fun, energetic side to you despite your description of yourself so GOOD FOR YOU!!!
Anyway-I responded to your request b/c my 7-yr old got on her bike for the first time yesterday and DID IT!!! I was amazed!! Granted, she would get on every so often with help from my husband and my father in law but I think with all the practice sessions, it clicked and she got it!
I would say there is no tried-n-true method. No book can tell you. It is alot of patience-that is for sure! I know her bike has a grip on the seat that you can help balance as she is trying to get started. Balance is the key! You need a flat piece of road also-maybe a school parking lot. PAtience from both of you and balance on the child's end is what it is all about. I wish I could offer you more but that was my experience :)

We started out by taking off one training wheel. This way they were beginning to learn how to balance but still had something to steady them when they go way off. Mine were almost 7 when we did this. Then about a month later we removed the other training wheel, and they really didn't need our help at all. Good Luck!