Here are a few teaching tips we have learned along the way.
1) Master balance first. Before any of our kids were riding two wheelers, I asked a friend how she taught her son to ride his bike, at 4 years old. She said she had him balance on a 2-wheel scooter first. While they can scooter without really balancing (just coasting with one foot on and "scooting" with the other), if they can master coasting with both feet balanced on the scooter, they can ride a two wheeler. We have followed this tip with all three of our riders. They use their scooters almost daily anyway. We would practice coasting here and there. Once they could successfully balance, we started two wheeler lessons. Because they mastered the art of balancing on wheels first, our kids were able to ride their bikes the first day we tried. This step is so important. If you do not have a scooter, look for another way to have them master balancing while in motion.
2) The smaller the bike the better. The smaller the wheels and the closer the proximity to the ground make it easier to learn to ride on two wheels. We use a 12 inch bike. I had always thought 12 inch bikes were a little silly because they are so mall that kids outgrow it quickly. We inherited one from my parents when Caleb was a baby. My three youngest siblings had ridden it after they received it from a neighbor where at least one child rode it. Our kids have ridden them from when they were two with training wheels and then later without the training wheels. When Nellie rides it next year, she will be (at least) the 8th child to ride it. They are worth the investment and can be passed onto siblings or neighbors.
3) Make it a non-stressful experience. If they are having fun, even if they don't get it, they will want to continue trying. Even though I think the 12 inch bikes play an important role in learning to ride a two wheeler, we have "graduated" our kids to a 16 inch bike at age 3 or 4. This gives us the opportunity to remove the training wheels on the 12 inch bike, while they still have training wheels on their 16 inch bike. We, as parents, do not have to stress about taking on and off training wheels and the kids do not have to worry about not having a bike to ride. After they have learned to balance on the scooter and they want to try, we go to the parking lot at the nearby school and they are off.
4) Make sure you have a wide open area to learn on. Don't expect them to be able to ride on a sidewalk just yet. Part of the process of learning to balance on a bike is wobbling. That is why it is best to go to a parking lot or in the middle of a street verses a sidewalk. I think our kids continued riding their training wheel bikes when we went for bike rides for a few weeks until they were able to stay cleanly on the sidewalks.
5) Personalize the lesson. Although all children will wobble and fall when learning to ride a bike, each child will learn to ride a bike in a different way. If you find out what is aspect is making them anxious and help them over come it, they will be able to ride. Caleb (4 yrs. 9 mo.) felt awkward with us holding the back of the bike. We taught him how to start with one pedal up and the rest came easily to him. Lucy (4 yrs 1 mo), for example, would freak out at the first sign she was wobbling. As soon as we told her to pedal faster through the feeling. As soon as she did this, she was off. Toby first tried over the summer (3 1/2 at first attempt almost 4 at success) was fine with the wobbles and us helping him start, but was terrified of stopping. He was not putting his foot down. We decided to stop the lessons, although he could coast well on the bike, and have him practice his technique of braking with one foot and putting his foot down with the other while he rode his training wheel bike. He quivered at the suggestion of trying again, until this week, when he brought it up. We helped him to stop, by stabilizing the seat, while he fumbled to brake with one foot and put the other down. After a few attempts he was over his fear and needed no help to stop. Our kids were all on the younger side of learning to ride a bike and depended a lot on the time of year. Both Caleb and Lucy learned in the spring. Had we not had these warm days, Toby's success would have been suspended until spring as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment