to ask you how you taught your children to ride their bikes? [trivial]

[RagamuffinAndFidget]

DS2 turned three whole years old on Sunday and his big present was, as requested, a lovely, shiny orange bike. He LOVES it. He likes stroking it, wheeling it around, 'polishing' it and sitting on it. What he does not like doing is pedalling it. He will push one pedal down, once. That's it. When we've tried to explain to him how the pedals work he just says, "I know, I KNOW" in a really exasperated tone of voice, like we're idiots..

I know it's early days yet but is there something we can do to help it click for him, or is just one of those things which will come with time?

They are all different. DS1 was doing it at 3 years but DS2 just couldn't get it- he was almost 7 years.

we bought DS1 a lovely bike when DS2 was born. He only learned to ride it this summer. DS2 is now 2! He is 6.

take the pedals off

learning to ride a bike at 3 is very young. However, DS3 did do this at 2 (in August) and he was 3 in September. Just shoved him down the road and he started peddling and off he went...

I would just leave it for the moment. He will get there eventually and if he is enjoying his bike without actually riding it, that's fine. Could it be that the pedals are a bit too much of a stretch for him? Or perhaps it is too much like hard work so he can't get any momentum, at present. Honestly, he will be able to do it in time.

We never taught ours. They got balance through scootering think they were 3 years old.
Personally I would leave him polishing it for a bit that sounds lovely.

It will click.
Just give him time.

Is this one higher than the one he tried before?

DS started with a trike, at about 2, then a balance bike.

He has only learnt balance the last year, at which point he turned 7. But we put the stabilisers higher, so that at some point he was actually riding the bike without their support.

I didn't learn to ride a bike til I was 26! DS1 (5.5) has a bike with stabilisers but struggles with the pedalling too, says it's too hard or pedals backwards! Think we'll have to put some serious practice in over the holidays...

With a balance bike. Both my dcs were gliding on it from 2 years old. At 3, they learnt to ride a proper bike (no stabilisers, of course) in 5 minutes.

I got a local bike instructor - paid him £15 a lesson and my DS1 was confidently riding after one lesson and my DS2 (only 3 yo) got it on the second lesson. The main difference I noticed is that my boys were instant super confident riders! I think it was the best £30 I ever spent. I have recommended the instructor to all my local friends. All with huge success!! Sorry I know it was pretty lazy of me - but teaching a child to ride a bike is definitely a back breaking exercise! Literally..

My DS (3) is exactly the same - he likes his bike a lot but does the one pedal thing too. We attached a handle to the back (from Halfords) so we can push him along and he gets the hang of balance and steering but its been about 4 months and now the weather is bad I can see it not coming out again for a while. I like the idea of an instructor!

My boys are just learning now, at 7 and 6 - we took the pedals off and let them scoot, then put pedals back on.

Bigger boy is very tentative though, he has bike fear.

As do I (38, can't ride one).

My parents tried the "yell at child until it bloody well learns to ride bike" option, it was miserable.

my DS (7 nearly 8) has always had problems with pedals. Took until the end of YR to master ride on toys (included it in his school report!)

Still can't ride a bike. Did the whole pushing down one pedal and no more, and then moved on to pedalling backwards . Still has not really mastered pedalling forwards. We did the taking off the pedals to help with balance, have now put the pedals back on, but the process has been so long DS has now outgrown his bike. He has actually ridden it twice with pedals and no stabilisers but DS denies this and refuses to try again. We don't really want to spend money on a new bike if DS is never going to master it. Like the above poster's son he has bike fear and is petrified of falling off.

Have considered a tag along.

We are also going down the route of getting an instructor. A mum at school is learning to be a coach for a children's cycling club and have asked her to help DS when he feels ready to give it a go

Blimey my 3 just had bog standard bikes at 4-they got on,after a couple of wobbly circuits they got the hang of it.Think the dnephews were the same-no balance bikes or instructors.

Dp is a very keen cyclist though and they just do their own thing most days out on their bikes.

Maybe you're starting too young,don't see the need to hurry myself.

I would also just let your ds get on with it. My ds Also got a bike with stablisers for his 3rd birthday and did similar to your ds. He eventually got the hang of doing a few peddles backwards but didn't really go anywhere. After a few months we got him a balance bike which he soon got the hang of. A few months later he got back on his original bike, without stablisers, and just took off - he was 3.10 years. Now at 5 he's going for 10 mile family bike rides.