If you loved riding your bike when you were a kid, this is probably an experience that you want your children to enjoy as well. Especially if you ride as an adult as well, whether it’s road cycling, mountain biking, or taking your motorcycle for a spin, you might be very excited to see your son or daughter hop on a bike and ride with you. But actually getting your child comfortable on a bike, and feeling confident in his or her ability to not get too injured while doing it, might not come as easily as you’d hoped. So to help your child learn this new skill in a safe and supported environment, here are three tips for teaching your kids to ride a bike.
Keep Your Stress Levels Low
When teaching your child anything, you want to ensure that the stress they feel during the learning process is low. Learning something new can be very stressful on a child. And if you’re stressed out too, it can make it much harder for your child to learn. With too much stress, you child might actually dislike anything having to do with learning to ride a bike, which isn’t what you want. So during the whole process, REI.com advises that you keep everything as fun as you can. Even if you get frustrated, try to remember that this is supposed to be something fun that you and your child can do together for years to come.
Start Without Using Pedals
One of the main skills that your child is going to have to master while riding a bike is balance. For young children, balance can be very hard to come by. So before you try to get your child riding a two-wheeled bike with pedals, Rebecca Charlton, a contributor to CyclingWeekly.com, suggests that you get your child a bike without pedals. With this type of bike, your child will be able to learn the skills of balance and coordination of the rest of their body without having to worry about propelling themselves forward with pedals yet.
Pick A Comfortable Place To Practice
To help your child feel comfortable and confident when trying to learn how to ride a bike, it’s important that you pick the right place to teach him or her. If the area you’re trying to teach in is too limited, your child might not have the space needed to make some necessary mistakes without getting hurt or causing some type of property damage. To keep this from happening, Diane Peters, a contributor to Today’s Parent, recommends that you take your child to an empty parking lot or a paved playground so they can have the space they need to learn and develop this skill.
If you’re planning to teach your child how to ride a bike soon, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you have success with this experience.
