Bicycling

[great lover]

How do you teach a 3 year old to ride a bicycle?

 

[aimouse]

Fit stabalizers?

 

[elib257]

Stabilizers as before... I learned to ride on those things but after about three months they fell off in the middle of a bike ride. My dad rode off and I said I wasn't going to ride without them.... needless to say within a few minutes I was riding like a pro and he was waiting round the corner .

I'd bear in mind that there's always going to be a point where they're going to hurt themselves but that's just life - don't get too protective.

 

[KarenDee]

How do you teach a 3 year old to ride a bicycle?

Yes, start with training wheels etc, though they tend to be a crutch that the child leans on for far too long. Much better to help him or her balance with a guiding hand behind the seat to aid in stabilization. That way he/she gets the "feel" for the balance point without relying on the outrigger wheels to "catch" him/her.

But...that said, nothing teaches them faster than having them associate with another young child who already knows how to ride a bike. There is a certain amount of peer pressure involved and the child will think that "if he/she can do it, then so can I" and the learning curve is much quicker since they will want to "keep up" with their friend.

It's also the same with swimming. If they have a friend who can swim, they will learn much faster than from instruction from Mom and Dad.

 

[JamieB]

Three?

Is there a reason for doing it this early? Three is pretty young. Muscular coordination, attention span, balance, ability to process instruction....those all make huge leaps over the next eighteen months or so.

If it was me, I'd wait on it. If you push too hard early on, you run the risk of ruining it for the kid.

Instead get a trailer bike. They're on eBay and craigslist in abundance for around $60 bucks, and then you can ride together all over the place. My kids started out on those things, learned to love cycling, and both got onto two wheels at 4.5 years of age with minimum pain and effort.

I'm a bicycle road racer, if it matters for credibility's sake.

J

 

[SweetErika]

Is there a reason for doing it this early? Three is pretty young. Muscular coordination, attention span, balance, ability to process instruction....those all make huge leaps over the next eighteen months or so.

If it was me, I'd wait on it. If you push too hard early on, you run the risk of ruining it for the kid.

Instead get a trailer bike. They're on eBay and craigslist in abundance for around $60 bucks, and then you can ride together all over the place. My kids started out on those things, learned to love cycling, and both got onto two wheels at 4.5 years of age with minimum pain and effort.

I'm a bicycle road racer, if it matters for credibility's sake.

J

My thoughts exactly. Three is still the tricycle stage. 4.5-6, depending on the child, is usually when things start to come together enough for them to learn to ride and take off the training wheels once they get a feel for it.

You also have to remember they need to understand about traffic safety and not jusr riding off without their adult caregiver. Little kids are unlikely to get that concept like school-aged kids do.

 

[KarenDee]

Some kids are just ready for it at an early age. My oldest was riding a 2 wheeler when he was 3, while the youngest didn't learn until age 6. Take his/her ambition into account and don't push the issue, I agree with that. And yes to what was said about the traffic issues. Mine never left the driveway for quite some time and even then we lived on a dead end street!

 

[akatrex]

I saw this in the SKYMALL magazine on the airplane.

http://www.skymall.com/shopping/detail.htm?pid=102525050&c=

Check it out, looks pretty cool.

 

[faurius]

I taught my kids to ride a bicycle but I had difficulties knowing what to tell them to do at first. It was only when I realised that, if you are falling to the left you should turn the handlebars to the left to bring yourself upright. When you are falling to the right turn the handlebars to the right. The faster you go the easier it is to balance. The problem then is that it is then more dangerous when you fall off. A cycle helmet and good protective clothing can help...

 

[fsu2222]

A 3 year old can be taught to ride a bicycle. At the bike shop where I work, we usually tell parents to start with training wheels until the child gets the idea of pedaling the bike and is strong enough the pedal easily.

Once the child can pedal well (and can use the brake), we usually tell parents this method:

1) Find a slightly downward sloping grass hill.
2) Lower the seat on the bike down so the child's feet can easily touch the ground.
3) Remove the pedals from the bike.
4) Have the child sit on the bike and slightly push the bike so the bike starts to roll.

This is the first step. But having the child ride the bike downhill without pedals, they will get used to balancing themselves.

5) After the child can balance on the bike, you can put the pedals back on.
6) This step is optional and depends on the child - Tell the child to put their feet on the pedals and NOT to pedal, and push them again. This enables them to balance themselves even better.

Finally...
7) Tell the child to pedal and ride the bike down the hill....Keep doing this until they are entirely comfortable riding the bike before moving off of the grass...


Most people who try this have pretty good success in a relatively short amount of time...Good Luck! And remember...Always have a helmet on the child!

 

[In Anticipation]

A 3 year old can be taught to ride a bicycle. At the bike shop where I work, we usually tell parents to start with training wheels until the child gets the idea of pedaling the bike and is strong enough the pedal easily.

Once the child can pedal well (and can use the brake), we usually tell parents this method:

1) Find a slightly downward sloping grass hill.
2) Lower the seat on the bike down so the child's feet can easily touch the ground.
3) Remove the pedals from the bike.
4) Have the child sit on the bike and slightly push the bike so the bike starts to roll.

This is the first step. But having the child ride the bike downhill without pedals, they will get used to balancing themselves.

5) After the child can balance on the bike, you can put the pedals back on.
6) This step is optional and depends on the child - Tell the child to put their feet on the pedals and NOT to pedal, and push them again. This enables them to balance themselves even better.

Finally...
7) Tell the child to pedal and ride the bike down the hill....Keep doing this until they are entirely comfortable riding the bike before moving off of the grass...


Most people who try this have pretty good success in a relatively short amount of time...Good Luck! And remember...Always have a helmet on the child!

Nothing much to add to this one, except that if it doesn't hurt to fall off (soft ground) then they will keep trying. That worked for my first. The second, I just took the stabilisers off and he got on the bike and rode off into the distance . . .

Key thing is not to push them if they are not enjoying it.

 

[Bert Notorius]

The same way my dad taught me, push them and when they are unaware, let go.

 

[Safra]

Three is early...

I learned, it is better according to the development of the child's brain, to give it a scooter first.

They train balance but arre able to get a foot on the ground easily...

So they won't need the training wheels which only train them to sit crooked on the bicycle, because we adjust them a bit higher than the bicycle wheel and so they lean always to one side...

My son had a scooter and was incredibly fast on it...
Don't buy one of those cheap plastic scooters or a "city scooter" but one with pneumatic tyres like a bicycle... They roll easily, are easy to stir and they make not so much noise...

At almost 6 Lukas learnt to ride a bike in 10 minutes... and at that age he was roadworthy...

 

[littlesquirt]

I'd bear in mind that there's always going to be a point where they're going to hurt themselves but that's just life - don't get too protective.

true true. I saw my son when he was about 10 crash pretty good. He was scrapped up, nothing bad. It made me so happy, my son's first real bike crash. His mother went a little nuts, but then she is overprotective a bit.