When Did Your Child Ride Without Training Wheels?

My boys were 3 and 4 when they stopped using training wheels. Best way to teach her is to give her an undersized bike to learn on (if she has one that seems small from last year, have her learn on that). It's much easier to get the hang of riding without the trainers on a small bike. Good luck!

she is absolutely ready-mine learned at 4. I would not get a bike with training wheels-that would be a huge waste of money. you can teach her in a day by taking her to a grassy hill with a slight slope and letting her go down with her feet out to the sides. Let her do this a bunch of times so that she gets the concept of balance. Then find a little steeper grassy hill to do this. Then have her use the pedals down a slight grassy hill. Mine learned immediately with this method b/c it teaches them what balancing feels like. The old fashioned follow behind them holding their seat and then letting go method did not work for me at all.

My sister learned when she was about 6 or 7. I was really late learning maybe around 11 or 12.

My father got us both bikes. My sister's bike was small and fit her perfectly. My bike was huge. My feet couldn't touch the ground if I sat on the seat. I could reach the petals just fine but couldn't reach the ground. So everytime I crashed I was traumatized and refused the ride the bike until after my torn flesh had healed. I grew up in NJ so there are only a few prime months for optimal bike riding. I couldn't try on my sister's bike because she was so much smaller than me and my knees where under the handle bars.

Once I finally learned how to ride after perhaps 3 years of trying, I never looked back and my dad got me this awesome 10 speed bike which was my transportation for years until it was stolen. I still miss bike riding.

K.,

My husband and I were just discussing this. We're going to convince our 6 year old that she's ready this spring. But I wen't out and stocked up on the large bandaids and neosporin for the occasion.

Just make sure she's got her helmet, knee pads, elbow pads, gloves, etc. ... Oh heck, wrap her in bubble wrap like I'll do mine and our girls will make out fine!

Good luck!

Our daughter learned right around her 4th birthday - but, she was an extremely determined child! Our son learned later, around 5 1/2. I think alot depends on how much the child wants to do it. Just make sure they always wear their helmets! :)

Last week! Yaaaay! Dad taught him. He is 5 yrs old. I think he was ready sooner, but we weren't!

My 6 year old daughter is learning now. I think that is a perfect age :)

Son learned around age 5 1/2, with lots and LOTS of encouragement and work on our parts. (Dad used to MAKE him go ride "to the mailbox" so he could practice....'cause until he could ride without wheels, he had no fun).
Daughter learned around age 6. She was content to ride with the training wheels, but she was outgrowing the bike they were on, and Dad said "it's time". She was SLOOOOWWWWW to start. Complained and didn't want to try it. Then one Saturday, older brother said, "come on. Let me teach you how". Next thing I knew, they came in from outside all sweaty... and she was riding on her own.

All kids are different. With the right motivation and encouragement, she'll get it. She's probably ABLE, but may not be "ready" yet. But pushing her to be can sometimes help, too. lol

I see anywhere from 4 to 7... One tip is if your daughter isn't already riding a 2 wheeled scooter, have her do that. It helped a ton with my daughters' balance. My youngest learned to ride a bike w/out training wheels incredibly quickly I think bc of the scooter.

This is a crazy story but my son woke up one morning and told me that he needed to ride his bike. He just turned 7 years old and said that he was old enough now. He was always scared before and never wanted to fall down. He is just that type of kid. My other kids were on their bikes and riding when they were about 5.

My daughter was around age 5-6. So your daughter is probably ready :) It only took 1 afternoon and she was good to go.

My daughter learned to ride around the time she turned 5. We took her to a track at an elementary school on the weekend. She learne don her way too little 12 inch bike without the training wheels, but once she got it, we got her a bigger bike. Your daugher is certainly about the right age, but every kid is a little different. I would say most of our neightborhood kids could ride by age 7.

My son started riding when he was four, and we took the wheels off on his 5th birthday. We started by removing one wheel, then a week later took the other one off. He never faltered, and rode like crazy right away.

Good luck!
J.

K.:

OH MY WORD!!! My daughter was on her own at 5 as was my oldest son - 11 on Saturday - my youngest? he didn't ride without training wheels until this past year - age 8!!! Now keep in mind - this is the same boy who will jump off a roof, take cardboard down stairs, jump from the 6th stair to the base - scared to death to take off the training wheels!!

A child friend of ours - age 5 - who does tricks on HIS BIKE - "taught" my son how to ride a bike - seriously - he wouldn't listen to hubby/daddy or me, NO ONE!!! Now?! Oh my!! the things he does!! NO WONDER I have color my hair!!

My niece learned just after turning 5. My nephew learned just before turning 6. My daughter is 5 1/2 right now, I'm hoping to teach her this summer.

between 4 & 5. As the other posters mentioned....if the bike is too big, it'll take longer!

it depends on the kid LOL - one of my twins learned at around age 7 and her sister still hasn't got the hang of it yet (they're 9 now). One thing you can try if she doesn't feel quite ready is remove the pedals (just unscrew the pedals and leave the cranks on - remember that the left pedal is reverse-threaded so you turn it the opposite way of the right one to unscrew it) and lower the seat a bit so her feet can touch the ground - instant balance bike! (this is what we're doing with the twin who doesn't feel ready to ride w/o training wheels but is waaay too tall and long-legged for her old bike with training wheels!)

Watch them ride, if they are going back and forth to where the training wheels hit the ground then they are still needing them. You can move the training wheels up a little so it will still catch her if she starts to tip. My youngest wouldn't let us take the training wheels off but he got them where they were pretty much upside down on there..lol He was riding without them but having them on there gave him confidence enough to ride until he let his dad take them off.

A while back I read in a magazing (I think it was Parent) that the average age for them to learn to ride without training wheels is 9. My son just turned 6 and still has his. I have raised his up a little just to see how much he wobbles. But we aren't pushing him to get rid of them. I know he'll do it when he's ready. My DD (almost 4) is a maniac on her bike! I see a lot of flesh wounds when hers come off! Maybe I'll take another mom's advice and wrap her in bubble wrap when her turn comes!

Both my boys were 4. It helps to get a bike that is short enough that they can set their feet down if they are scared.

my daughter was almost 4.

Our oldest was 5, we took his pedals off and he learned in 2 days. Our youngest was barely 3 when he did on the 16 inch bike. With him an older friend bent his training wheels so they did not touch the ground anymore....... I never bent them back and what do you know, couple weeks later he learned not to use them:)

My son was 4 and I think my daughter was 6.

one was 4 and a half, one was a young 5 and one was 7
all kids are different

My Daughter is 5 and is ready to learn how to. So since her bday is December we are getting her a new bike for Easter like we did a few years ago. She is to tall for the one she has now and I just wanted to let you know that Toys R Us is doing this bike trade in thing where yiu can bring any bike as long as it is full frame ( it could even be missing a tire from what I was told) and they give you between $20-$50 for the bike towards a new bike. Helmet trade ins you get 25% for a new one.
So fyi for a new bike and to save you a little money!

mine learned at 5 years old. i got them 14 inch bikes at that time and off they went. this was last year for us.

Both my boys were 3.5 when they learned to ride a two wheeler without training wheels. our daughter will be 4 next week but has cerebral palsy and won't be riding two wheels for quite some time. She still has a trike.

I think a 6yr old is more than ready for a two wheeler. :)

My oldest son was 4, my oldest daughter was 7, then I had 2 daughters that were about 6 but my youngest son was about 10 before he would even attempt it, he has Aspergers and balance is an issue for him.

SO it's when they feel most confident and it may be that, like with my oldest son, you take them off at their request but, due to too many falls, you put them back on for a time. I was frankly shocked he was ready at 4 but he was.

So as you can see, each child is different. It's not a matter so much when you think she's ready but when she feels ready. One way to tell is if you notice that her training wheels don't touch the ground when she rides, this means she's balancing the bike. Talk to her about it.

She was 4. She asked to take one training wheel off. The next day she asked for the second to come off. Honestly, we figured the first time she fell, the wheel would go back on because she's a perfectionist. But she did great and learned in 2 days. She learned on her 12 inch.

Both of my boys were 3 1/2. They actually taught themselves by putting there feet down and pushing themselves a few feet and pulling their feet up and balancing.

My son is 7 and although we took them off a few months back, he still is afraid if his dad lets go of the seat.

My oldest is more cautious with everything, and she very nervous about falling off her bike. So we tried and encouraged for a long time. Finally, a month before she turned 7, she learned and was a pro instantly. Balance wasn't the issue, it was confidence. My second one learned a couple weeks after he turned four, and my other two learned just after they turned 5. Good luck!

Our 5 year old learned to ride without training wheels this past summer when he was 4.5 and I wouldn't consider him particularly brave:) He'd been riding with training wheels since the summer before, so was already pretty comfortable on a bike; steering, braking, etc.

When he seemed ready to transition, we took the training wheels off along with the pedals so he could get used to balancing and coasting. They make bikes specifically for this purpose (Skuut, Strider, Wishbone, etc.) but they're expensive and we got the same effect at no cost by just removing a few screws and the pedals from his regular bike.

He practiced this way for a couple of months until he could coast for long stretches really fast without wobbling. After we put the pedals back on, we just held him under his arms when he was getting started for a few times and then he could do it on his own.

We just got the bikes out again for Spring and he needed help the first couple of tries, but then it truly was "just like riding a bike"! He's racing up and down the block and blowing away the older neighbor kids.

If you've got cash to burn, the Skuut's are cute and a great way to learn balance and build confidence. But just taking the pedals off saves a lot of money and achieves the same thing.

Our 7 year old just learned to ride last Summer. She is on a 20" this summer. If your daughter is still on a 16" with training wheels she'll probably start riding without them some time this Summer. You can take one off or raise them up a bit so she has to balance while going faster.

Ha our daughter is 20 and still wants training wheels!

We have seen her ride without them, but since we live on a busy road and did not have sidewalks till a few years ago, she has really only ridden in a empty parking lot. She just does not feel confident enough.. She is a perfectionist at somethings.. hates taking chances.. We do not know where she is from, we were total dare devils.
Up at college some of her friends have been helping her a little each year, but of course it is a hilly terrain up there.

My 6 year old still needs them.

My oldest could ride at 4 years without the wheels, but liked to have them on until he was 5. My youngest is six and may try this summer without training wheels. I like the comment about raising the wheels up a little at a time. I did not ride myself without training wheels until 7 years old. I remember trying and trying with my bike which was hard to pedal, and then being successful instantly with my sisters bike which was easier to pedal.

Oh I wish I knew the answer to this! My daughter is 12 and still hasn't learned! We've tried bribes, friends teaching her different bikes. nothing. she's just too scared of falling. I hope you have better luck that I did! i was looking forward to riding our bikes places - library, parks, shopping, movies, trails, grandparents are all close enough to ride. Sounds like from the other posts there's a good chance this is the year!

My son just learned last weekend, he's 4.5.... I do have kids in the neighborhood that are 6 and still riding with them though.. It really depends on the child.. My husband pushes my son to do things early.. Good luck!