First time on a proper two-wheeler with pedals and without training wheels!
First time on a proper two-wheeler with pedals and without training wheels!
No injuries and we even had a couple of good runs where I wasn't holding on. A few more weekends and I think we've got this.
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Ugh, I really need help, Dads. My daughter is 7 and can't ride a bike. Her problem is that she just won't pedal fast enough to get enough momentum to get her balance. She REALLY won't pedal fast enough going downhill--she doesn't feel in control and immediately brakes--so I can't try the "ride downhill on this grass" trick that I've heard about elsewhere.
So she has a bike, still with training wheels. When I try to convince her to ride faster, she gets scared and doesn't want to ride at all.
Funny thing is that when she was 4-5, we almost had it on a smaller bike. But we ran out of summer, and then she got too big for the bike--she wanted a bigger bike from Santa, and she got it, but then the bike was too big and she was afraid of falling from the higher seat, and we backslid. No siblings. No friends who live nearby. And she's not super athletic and doesn't have great balance to begin with.
Thoughts?my son, who just turned 9 about a month ago, only just learned to ride his bike.
part of the problem was that there's a few things that he's really good at, and if other things take a bit more work or practice, he tends to give up quickly. so we really didn't push him too hard on the bike thing. and getting the balance right was a big thing for him too, he always tended to lean too much when riding, so i think it helped encouraging him to sit up straight.
but this year he was determined, and it just sort of happened. he still struggles a bit getting started but once he's going he's good.
not sure if that helps? just our recent experience.
Try taking off the training wheels and the pedals. Then, let her practice somewhere flat. She'll only be able to go as fast as she can push herself with her feet, which shouldn't be too scary. However, encourage her to pick up her feet sometimes and coast. This way, she'll finally get the chance to practice balancing. Once she starts making nice turns without putting her feet down, you can reattach the pedals. The idea is that it's extra hard to learn how to balance if you have to keep pedalling. My cousin did this method with her youngest daughter and she was riding before she turned five. Mine turns five in August and I have a good feeling that she'll be riding by then, too. Of course, it will be a while before I let her ride on the roads.
Thanks. She had a balance bike when she was really little but she wasn't super interested. I'll think about the plan. I'm not sure, though, that foot-speed won't be too fast. If she feels out of control at all when coasting she plants her feet. I also wonder if I should try to have another parent teacher her. When we tried to teach her to downhill ski, she was cautious and slow. We got her lessons and she did great.
Teaching our kids hard things is tricky. Don't push and they might give up for something easier. Push too hard and they might give up from resentment. Even though she didn't have any bad falls, my kid says she's upset because she didn't get it on the first try. She's been sticking with her balance bike today and yesterday.