To children, learning how to ride a bike is among the best memorable moments and physical milestones in their life. A child ought to have sufficient coordination and strength to be in a position of learning. There are many ways in which you can your child prepare. When you realize your child is ready to give this thrill a whirl, get ready. You need to take a step-by-step approach to perfectly teach this crucial life skill. Once you have acquired the correct size of bike for your kid, ensure to follow the steps as explained below:
How To Teach Your Kid To Ride A Bike
Step 1: Choose a Suitable Area
For the very first lesson, it is important to select the most suitable environment. Choosing soft grass is not recommended, as it is harder to pedal on. One may be tempted to start here as renders a softer landing. The most recommended place to kick off your first lesson is a fairly flat and smooth tarmac with very minimal traffic. The tarmac surface you choose should let the kid get a rolling momentum, with ideally plenty of space. This will allow the child to roam around, and away from traffic.
Step 2: Build the Child’s Confidence
Before you start teaching the cycling lessons to your kids, always remember that kids could probably be a little nervous the about thrilling exercise. Ensure to remind them that feeling anxious is completely natural, and assist them in building their confidence by providing them with more control. Begin teaching about the brakes and put them into practice. Get them to walk alongside the bike and squeeze the brakes for the bike to stop.
Step 3: Balance
It may seem strange, but You can pop off the pedals from the bike and encourage the child to push off while sitting on the bike and lift their feet up. This helps a great deal for your child to get familiar with their body balancing as well as bike balancing without worrying about pedaling. As your child learns, try to stay as close as possible. In case of any wobbles, your hand will help in steadying the bike. As your child’s confidence begins to grow, you can start moving towards small hills.
Step 4: Control
Now you can fix the pedals back to your bike, and then encourage your child to execute the motion of cycling with their legs, and then steer the bike forward to stay on track. Be right behind your child, hold onto the shoulders this goes down. By doing this, your child will focus on controlling the bike fearlessly, knowing that their balance is okay.
Step 5: Now It’s Time to Ride!
After your child has perfected controlling and balancing their bike separately, it’s now time to prove their confidence, combine these two skills, and ride on the tarmac on their own. Falls may frequently happen, but you don’t have to worry if your child gets covered with stains.
Step 6: Ensure Frequent Practice!
Frequent practice is key to achieving the hang of it. An important thing to remember is that every kid is different and the point of their readiness to ride varies. But ultimately, they will slowly by slowly love practicing this skill and the freedom that it comes with. Be very careful not to make this experience a stressful one for your child, regardless of how keen you are to make them join you during the rides.
Recommender Article for you:
Other Important Points to Consider
- Ensure your child carries a helmet whenever going for the rides, even if it’s a short ride. Make your child develop the habit of wearing a helmet while riding from an early stage.
- To improve on protection, ensure they wear long trousers like tracksuits and shirts with sleeves, as they will help in protecting them from minor grazes. Sandals are also highly discouraged. They should always wear boots or trainers.
- Train your child on how to check out for other road users. Regardless of whether they are riding around the yard, they have to watch out for people walking, or even their siblings or friends on other ride-on toys.
- Ensure your child is visible even during the day. They should put on a fluorescent vest, to ensure they are visible to other people.
- It’s always important to check regularly the bikes for any signs of damage. You should ideally inspect it before it’s used, to ensure that everything is perfectly working as it should.
How Long Will It Take To Teach Your Child To Cycle?
The time it takes to teach a child can vary from one child to another. But roughly, it takes 45. This number depends on the prior coordination and development of the child. It is very important for you to wait until a point when your child has develops sufficient coordination, rather than forcing it, as it can become stressful to the kids. But remember, not all children have physical components in place, or emotional preparation to ride a bike until age six and above. If parents put on pressure or show them frustration, it could delay the process further.
At What Age Should You Teach A Child To Cycle?
Starting from age four, most kids have developed balance, leg strength, dexterity, and understanding of basic instructions for riding a bike. It is actually easier for a child to learn how to ride a bike when between ages 4-and 6, and there is an age above this when it becomes hard to teach. Children mostly learn by copying. It is, therefore a good idea to ride in front of them so that they can understand what they should do.
What Age Can A Child Ride A Tricycle?
A tricycle is among the most fascinating playthings for kids. But unless it’s bought at the correct age, it could be useless. Determining the age at which a child pedals a tricycle can help parents make a precise decision.
Buying a fancy tricycle for your kids and watching them trundle down the lane on it is something you can’t stand to watch. Just ensure the readiness of your child. If it is presented to them at the wrong time, may not enjoy it. Additionally, the child may also hate the idea of enjoying a tricycle considering the effort it needs. Around 40 months is the standard age for your child to enjoy a tricycle.
Benefits of Cycling For Kids
Enhances Independence and Confidence In Children
It is easy for you to notice your children becoming more independent and having confidence in their abilities. As the kids enjoy cycling, you will also enjoy some family fun in the park. It improves social family life with the children.
Encourages and Strengthens Children with Special Needs
Learning the skills of riding a bike reinforces and emotionally strengthens children with special needs. Most of these children can actually attest to the sense and ability to be independent and accompanying feelings of pride, accomplishment, and freedom. Due to this fact of mastering the bike while young, they can work hard to learn new things on their own and now have the confidence to excel in other aspects of life. Children with special needs are also able to develop their social skills as it’s an activity the entire family can participate in.
Kids Stay Healthy without Struggling
Introducing children to active physical activity in their early childhood helps them to develop great exercising habits in their life. Cycling is the best way to do this. Being a fun activity, Bike riding helps to ensure that growing bones become strong, coordination is perfect, and muscles strengthen well throughout their childhood.
Bike Riding Is Safe And Improves Coordination For Children
Cycling helps in improving coordination and balance as well, which in turn makes it unlikely that cyclists experience injuries or routinely crash into things. The health benefits of bike riding are numerous, and it is, therefore far better for your kid to cycle.
Increases Academic Performance
Today’s children seem to be more self-dependent than other previous generations. While protecting children is good and should be a priority, one should understand the line between excessive action and protection. Cycling to school is a common activity for a child to engage in. This allows kids to form relationships and take responsibility for being aware of their surroundings and necessary actions. Bike riding enhances child development, both social and physical, and prevents the development of confidence which comes with the ability to trust oneself.
Conclusion
Being a rite of passage for children and a skill that one never forgets in life, cycling has absolutely incredible health benefits for children. It allows your children to go bike riding helps with emotional, physical, and mental development, and offers opportunities for the growth of confidence and decision-making skills as well.
Next To Read
- Best Kids Mountain Bikes
- How To Change Bicycle Tires
- How to be a mountain biker
- Bicycling For Weight Loss
- Training For A Bicycle Race
- How to Clean A Bike Chain
- Royal Baby Bike
- Gravel Vs Cyclocross
- Indoor biking benefits for ladies
Last Updated: June 1, 2022
About The Author
