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.