Tips to Teaching Your Kids To Ride a Bike That Won’t Take Them Off the Rails!

 

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Our children grow up fast, too fast! We watch them grow and go through many different rites of passage that we have a hand in. When it comes to something like teaching our children to ride a bike it's amazing to be there too to give our children this gifts of learning to ride, and as adults, it's something we can always forget about common because it happened so long ago, that we can forget about the overwhelming emotions and challenges along the way. Here are a few things to remember when you are trying to teach someone to ride. 

Remember the Importance of Balance

You may think that the best way to bypass any balance problems is to give them a set of training wheels for stabilisers, but the most important thing to remember with balance is that it needs to come from them, we need to realise that we need to teach them the balance to ride rather than having stabilisers. The day we remove the stabilisers can be a very anxiety-inducing thing, for them and us. You may want to think about teaching balance away from the bike as well. You can do this through simple exercises, and you can also try with different vehicles. Something like micro scooters could be a great way for them to get moving while also practising their balance. It's going to be easier for them to balance standing up rather than sitting down because there's a lot less to focus on. Stabilisers are certainly great, but only to an extent. 

Do Not Hold Onto the Bike!

Do you remember when one of your parents held onto the bike promising you would never let go? The second they did, this thrust you into a world of uncertainty, where you lost all trust and faith in that split second. It is not an effective approach, primarily because running alongside the bike can wobble it, which can cause issues with their balancing technique. Instead, let them build momentum via their own pedalling. They may want you to hold onto the bike, but the best thing to do here is to get a balance bike. If you start a bike that doesn't suit their build and strength, this is going to make it a tougher mountain to climb. 

Do Not Push Your Goals Onto Them

Don't pressure them, and don't think that’ll they are trying for their BMX tryouts! It is a skill they need to learn, that they will develop. And they can do this in their own time. If they want to progress, they will. As a parent, you have to make it fun and enjoy the lesson for what it is. You are passing on a new skill to your child, and getting them to spend a bit of time on their bike. It could take a while, but there is no need to pressure them. Getting them onto a bike shouldn't feel like a task, and you can incorporate rewards, and you can make this a big deal, but if they don't have fun, something has gone off the rails along the way.



Tips that will Help you to Make the Most out of Your Family Time

 It’s very easy in this day and age to let time with your family slip away. You may find that you just don’t have as much time to spend with your kids anymore because you are always working or there is always something that demands your attention. This can be frustrating to say the least, but there are things that you can do to try and make sure that your lifestyle does not impact the time you have with your family too much.

Prioritise your Family Time over Everything Else

It’s too easy for your family time to slip to the bottom of your priority list. You may find that it is impossible to make room for it sometimes, but you need to change this. You have to make sure that you mark a time in your weekly diary so that you can avoid making any other arrangements. It may be that you make a family roast or that you even make room for a movie night. Either way, you have to think about something that will work for your children, regardless of what age they are. Take the time to find the best board games for a game night and also make sure that you put in the work to plan ahead too, which leads to the next point.

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Plan Ahead as Much as Possible

When you have managed to get a time slot during the week for your family time, you have to make sure that you use it well. Try and make sure that you involve everyone with what you are going to do. This may depend on the age of your kids because if everyone has different tastes, then they may want to do something different. Either way, a great trick would be for you to have a box where everyone can write down their suggestions. You can then make a plan according to the suggestions you have.

Spend Time with Everyone in your Family

Try and ensure that you are able to spend time with everyone who is in your family. This includes your partner and your kids. You need to make sure that nobody is left out if possible and you also need to make sure that you get everyone on the same page. If you can do this, then you will certainly be able to improve both your relationship as well as your general happiness.

Spend Time Equally between your Kids

If you have more than one child, you have to make sure that you show them equal attention. You have to make sure that you give everyone in your family equal time, and you also need to let them know that they are important too. If you are eating at the table then have a no phone policy. If you are reading with a child, then make sure that you do this in a quiet room so that you do not have to talk or shout over other people. If you can give this kind of attention to your family, then you will soon find that everyone feels stronger as a unit.

Get a Family Calendar

If you have older kids, then you have to make sure that they are aware of what is going to happen every week. You need to have your calendar somewhere it is going to be seen and you also need to make sure that you also do everything you can to keep everyone up to date. If you can do this then your older kids can stay informed on when family night is happening so that they can avoid making plans themselves.

Multitask where you Can

Most of the time, even the most time-starved people can add family time into their calendar if they are able to multitask. One way for you to do this would be for you to try and prepare the evening meal. The family can set the table with each other and even cook. You may even find that you are able to chat casually while you are in the same room. You can also teach them how to prepare certain meals so that they can do it in the future. This will help you to free up more time and it will also help you to give your kids valuable skills for the future. All in all, the more you can get kids involved with the day to day chores you have, the better you will be able to make more time for yourself and your family.