Learning to ride a bike can be an exhilarating milestone for your kids, so it’s good to find the best way to teach them how to do it. They should have fun while they learn so that the process is something they can look back on and smile about. Have a look below to find out how you can help your kids learn to ride a bike with five basic tips.
1. Get Rid of the Training Wheels
While training wheels seem great in theory because your child will be able to control the bike by themselves, they’re not the ideal solution. This is because, eventually, they’ll have to be taken off. When this happens, your child may experience the frustration of feeling like they have to start learning something that they’d already learned before. Keep in mind that kids as young as three years old learn to understand how the real world works through pretend play. This means that most kids may be ready to learn something practical like how to ride a bike at a young age as well.
2. Ensure They Have the Right Bike for Their Age
In order for your child to learn how to ride a bike well and have an easy time doing it, you need to get them the right bike for their age. They need to be able to stand over its top while both of their feet are firmly on the ground. A bike that’s too large for your kid will make it harder for them to learn since it will be considerably harder for them to control it. If your child is able to reach the ground easily when they need to, this may ease their fear of falling somewhat.
3. Make Sure They Have Safety Gear
Safety gear is important for your child to have from the moment they start learning how to ride a bike. They need to get into the habit of wearing the necessary safety gear so that they grow up with this habit. It’s important to do your best to keep your child safe as they learn to ride their bike, and even after they know how to do it well. Keep in mind that 857 bicyclists died in 2018 in bicycle accidents. You can minimize the chances of your kid getting injured in case of an accident by getting them the right safety gear and showing them how to wear it right.
4. Find the Right Place to Teach Them
You shouldn’t simply head to the nearest open space to teach your child how to ride a bicycle, since this space may be hazardous. The best place is a paved area without traffic, like a school blacktop or basketball court that’s empty. This may help minimize the chances of them getting injured and having to go through something like a personal injury case, although 67% of these end in a settlement.
5. Be Patient
Finally, you need to be patient with your child. This is because every individual has a different learning pace for various activities. Even siblings may not have the same aptitude and pick-up skills equally fast. This makes it important for you to avoid getting angry or chastising your child over failure to learn as fast as you think they should learn. This is only going to make it harder for them to learn and they may even end up resenting the entire process.
Use these tips to help your child learn how to ride a bike. The day they’re confident enough to ride off on their own and even learn some skills, you’ll be just as excited as they’ll be!
