how do you teach a child to push the pedals on a trike?

[deaconblue]

ds is 26 months and sooooooooooooo rubbish with his trike. I've been pushing his feet down and saying "push, push" but how do you explain they need to push alternately?
oh, and he can't jump either. i'm doing jumping songs like a loon but he just merrily shouts "jump", waves his arms like he's going to take off and nothing happens...

With mine she just watched other children. Can you not hold his feet and pull and push alternately for a while? Alternatively get a trainer bike with no pedals.

you haven't got a chance. they pedal when they're ready. none of mine did it until way past 3. they just looked at me like i was mad, and then one day decided they could do it.

oh, and they usually go backwards first... it's a bit like crawling...

A lot of trikes are badly designed it seems to me. DS2 couldn't pedal his trike at home but has no problem pedalling the trike at nusery which looks really old fashioned but which has a much more upright sitting position.

Even so 26 mths is quite young to pedal and its true that they do one day just get it. Showing him by physically holds his feet on the pedals and moving them for him shows him what it feels like to pedal but it probably won't teach him.

Also don't try to teach him on grass as it is really hard to pedal. Try and find somewhere flat and smooth.

He will get it though.

Agree with Romy, kids pedal when they're ready.

Ds1 was pedalling cheerfully at that age, but he had spent ages studying the other children at the one o'clock club on trikes, and got me to help him till he got the trick.

Ds2, now, a different story. He is 3.5 and just not interested in pedals. We borrowed a likeabike, and he loved that.

DS got a small bike for his 3rd birthday last year & is still (11 months on) only sitting on it peddling backwards madly....he is obviously loving it by the huge grin on his face so I figure I will leave him to it...