How to teach your kids to ride a bike in 6 easy steps

When and how to teach your kids to ride a bike? There is no valid answer to this question because it depends on each child’s desire for challenge, physical ability, and personal riding preference. Family support is counted for child development as well. There are two factors necessary to ensure that your kids will gain confidence in two-wheels and learn to pedal all by themselves: balance and trust. With everything in place, you will be able to teach your kids to ride a bicycle in just seven easy steps. Just keep reading. >>>Click here to read our review of best kid bikes for 4-year-old kids >>>Before buying a kid bike, you may need to read our complete kid bike size guide >>>Want to learn about a donation to the bikes for kids program, click here Learning to ride a bicycle is a fundamental step in human life. Once your kids have mastered this ability, they will never forget. Furthermore, riding bikes together will forge the relationship between parents and kids. Therefore, it is common to teach your kids to ride a bicycle at a very early stage of life. Eventually, your kids will gain more confidence in riding a bike without the fear of falling. They will also learn to accomplish the task without giving up halfway.

Teaching kids to ride: 6 easy steps to success

We have listed six easy steps to help your kids stay on two-wheel quickly and effectively. Lists below are our summary of how to teach your kids to ride a bike.

1. Start teaching your kids at a very early stage

Some parents wait until their kids grow up and start teaching them to ride a bike. In some cases, it is slightly too late because some toddlers will develop the fear of getting hurt. Unfortunately, the fear is so intense that some kids will find it challenging to overcome it. Our solution is to let your kids ride a bicycle as early as 18 months old. To do so, you need a decent balance bike (a bike without a pedal), and the bike must be fit enough for your kids to place their entire foot on the ground. In this way, they will soon realize that the bike will never fall as long as their feet are on the ground. With a balance bike, your kids will gradually learn how to steer and control the bike while using their feet to push the bicycle forward. When your kids turn 3-4 years old, it is time to move to a bicycle with the pedal. You may start with either a bike with training wheels or a conventional bicycle. Our suggestion is to go for a bike with training wheels because you can remove training wheels after your kids learn how to stay balanced. Moreover, there are no particular models, only a few precautions to pay attention to. First of all, you have to make sure that the bike fits your kids well. Secondly, the saddle must be adjustable so that your kids will be able to put their feet on the ground.

2. Always be in a good mood when dealing with children

Every act of learning, from simple to the most complex method, does require a calm and peaceful environment. In other words, your kids need to be relaxed when practicing their rides. Therefore, it is advisable not to put too much pressure on your kids even though they perform poorly during the practice. Never put the deadline on your children. Additionally, stop as soon as your kids are exhausted and no longer enjoy doing it.

3. Keep encouraging your kids to ride more

As mentioned earlier, your kids need to be confident and fearless to continue practicing the ride. Therefore, your essential support is to encourage and stimulate them using the tactic of learning while playing. For instance, you can challenge them to see how far they could go without placing their feet on the ground. In this case, your children will be forced to keep their feet above the ground for an extended period. They will eventually familiarize themselves with the vehicle. This is one of the best ways to teach your children to ride. Alternatively, you can encourage them warmly and tell them that they are going to ride the bike alone sooner or later. Additionally, tell them that failures or falls are only part of the game, and soon they can overcome those failures. To build confidence, you don’t need to praise them but encourage them to self-develop their confidence and trust.

4. Ensure the maximum safety of your kids during the ride

Safety should be a priority when teaching your kids how to ride a bicycle. Be sure that your kids are well protected with helmets and other protective gear. Moreover, the place for your kids to practice must be spacious, and make sure that there is no obstacle in the pathway, such as tall grasses or tiny rocks. Furthermore, it is fine to teach your kids in winter or summer as long as you have enough time to dedicate yourselves to them.  Also, periodically perform the checkup on the bike to ensure that nothing goes wrong while the kid is riding.  It is advisable to make a regular schedule for components such as tire pressure and brake.  Finally, make sure that chains are clean and well lubricated.

5. Practice makes perfect

Generally, your kids will learn on their own without the need to support them in any manner. The important thing, however, is that your kids must master the following techniques;

• To balance themselves
• To steer
• To pedal
• To brake

As mentioned earlier, you need to ensure that your kids can learn the skills mentioned above one at a time. There are five elements you need to consider when teaching your kids.

• The Bicycle

First of all, you need to make sure that the bike fits your kid well. It is not recommended to buy a bicycle that does not conform well to your kid. Some parents have decided to acquire a big-sized bike for their kids hoping that they will be able to use it for a long time. That is a mistake because your kids are likely to get injured as they cannot control the bike. By the way, for a balanced bike, always adjust the seat so that your kids will comfortably put their feet on the ground.

• The Balance

For a balance bike, place your kids on the seat, and they must be able to walk on the bike with both feet. In this way, they will familiarize themselves with the vehicle and its weight. As they gradually progress, take them to the top of the slope and encourage them to go down. Consequently, ask them to lift their feet above the ground while the vehicle is in motion. Your kids will gradually feel and control the balance. If your kids are in doubt, show them how to do it. By doing so, you will notice that your kids will enjoy more and more riding with much confidence.

• Making a turn

After they successfully maintain their balance on the bike, you need to teach them how to make a turn. First, you may need to adjust the handlebars to ensure that it works properly, then use red cones, a pile of jackets, or balls to set a line of obstacles. Finally, urge your kids to ride without touching barriers along the way. In this case, your kids will learn to maintain balance and to steer the bike to stay on track. Also, instruct your kid to slow down every time before making a turn.

• Pedaling

The next step is to teach your kids how to pedal the bike. For those who are using a balance bike, you may replace it with a conventional bike.

1. Hold the handlebars as you face the child seated on the bike, and ask your kids to close their eyes. Then, after placing both feet on the pedals, ask them to raise their knee and lower it down. Repeat the movement while their feet are on the pedal. Also, remind them to keep pedaling while keeping their eyes forward. This exercise will help them to feel the pedal movement.
2. Have your kids posture themselves with one foot firmly on the ground, and another is on the pedal raised to the 2 O’clock position.
3. Show them how to spin the pedals using both feet to move the bike forward.
4. For the first few yards, you may walk along while putting your hand on their shoulder. Once they gain more control and balance, you can leave them to ride on their own. Additionally, you can encourage them with the rhythm such as “pedal, pedal, keep pedaling.”

• Apply the brake

Now we have moved to the final phase of practice, learning how to brake appropriately. To do so, you can start by holding the handlebars while your kids are pedaling and, at a certain point, warn them that you are about to let go, and they must stop the vehicle by using the brake. At first, your kids will attempt to brake using their feet, and then slowly learn to use the brake lever with their hand. Urge them to repeat the same movement a couple of times.

6. Maintain the kid’s confidence and trust

Building confidence and trust are essential parts to help your kid learn to cycle fast. Therefore, the rule of thumb is not to discourage your kids when they make mistakes. On the contrary, being too protective can also impede their learning process because kids will associate cycling with something dangerous. They will not want to do it, or in the worst case, they will be afraid to do it at all.

The Bottom Line

After reading our article, you can finally manage to teach children to ride bicycles almost naturally. Now is the time to go out and practice. Have fun drawing paths together. Furthermore, once your kids have mastered the riding techniques, it is time to enjoy the family ride.