We love to go on a really good bike ride, however we have an issue. Elliot point blank refuses to ride his new bike. His new bike which is now too small. This can cause issues because when Craig, Adam & Toby want to go along to the local park for a ride, I have to stay home with Elliot, you can’t get a seat big enough for him so that is not an option and I have never liked the idea of those strap on tandem things, I can just see him now "Elliot keep your feet up while we are moving" There he goes flying off the thing…
Our other two jumped on a bike and off they went, so I just assumed Elliot would do the same, because little brothers copy big brothers, this wasn’t the case at all.
It was almost like he was scared of getting on it, nothing had happened to him before or happened to any of us.
So after many days fighting with him, trying to persuade him to just sit on the bike and we will take it from there. I decided enough was enough.
My top tips for teaching a child to ride a bike are:
Learn about bike safety. This is so important to ensure they are safe whilst out on public right of way. Teach them about helmet safety, knee pads, wearing the right footwear and how to be safe around the road.
Next you need to make sure the bike is the right fit, there is nothing worse than a bike that is too small. This then leads to not only pain in the backside but to the lower back too.
Learn to balance on the bike before you even think about pedalling.
Find some flat grass, this is much better to land on if they fall off.
If they are over 6 years old, I would recommend taking the stabilisers away completely. Otherwise they will just get confused because in a few weeks they will need to learn all over again how to balance on two wheels.
Before you go out on roads, go to your local park and test out the hills etc. This will give your child a bit more confidence if you do have to go out on the road.
Get excited about bikes. Make it sound amazing, fun and you can go to so many places with your bike. You can reach destinations that you can’t get to with your car.
Do not make a big fuss about little mistakes, let it slide and start again.
Take it slow, there’s no hurry (unless you are planning a huge bike championship or something)
Be patient. This is probably one of the most important points. Just be patient and they will eventually pick it up.
HAVE FUN.