How to get my 6 year old to ride her bike??

[bluebird98]

We took the stabilisers off my 6 year olds bike last year, we tried once and she was petrified. She didn't fall off but couldn't quite keep her balance.

We haven't tried since and everytime I suggest it; she refuses. How do I get her to overcome this and ride her bike?

Take one off and hold her seat as she peddles. Let her gain confidence. Then remove the other and hold her seat as she goes, once she gets her balance, quietly let go but still run with her.

I think I'll have to give this ago, she's scared of falling which is inevitable at some point but no matter how much I encourage her, she will not get on 🤣

Book her onto a bike riding course? They’re always better at learning things when it’s not coming from you!

They don't work.

Holding a shoulder is kinder to your back than holding the seat!

@BlueChampagne it did absolutely write me off tbh 🤣🤣

My dd is the same (slightly younger). Contemplating booking her on to a local course, that friends have had great success with.

What’s that based on? It worked for mine, all the other kids on the course at the same time were cycling at the end, and it came recommended by 3 classes mums who’d used them for theirs + siblings. DD wouldn’t get on her bike, now she happily cycles to school and it came with a guarantee that if they didn’t get it in the standard 3 session they’d get as many more as it took for free.

Was she ready to learn how to ride?
How are her gross motor skills in general?
Do you go bike riding as a family so that there is some sort of incentive to be independent?

@InTheRainOnATrain I have just had a look online actually but they only seem to have bikeability which I think is just arranged through schools. I will do some research, thank you!

I'd just put the stabilisers back on.

Get a balance bike. (Or take the pedals off which is what my grandad did to mine before balance bikes had been invented). Once she is zipping around on the balance bike like a pro, try with a normal bike. Takes a day to get used to the pedals but then they're off.

Peer pressure is the only thing that worked for my kid 😂 I got 2 of his friends who could ride bikes to come over and teach him. He was so determined to not look incapable in front of his friends that he didn’t give up until he had conquered it. Prob not textbook parenting, but it worked after trying months of absolutely everything else!

Why not pop her stabilisers back on and wait till she asks for them off?

Take the pedals off and let her ride it as a balance bike. Once she gets the hang of balancing, just pop the pedals back on. Shouldn’t take more than a week or so to get the balance bit

(edited to try and remove some ambiguity!)

Did for my DC, who could not learn until after his hip op

We used Pedal Power but they’re London only - not sure if that would work for you?

That's what worked for some of the kids I've taught to ride bikes.

Alternatively is just explain how a bike works then tell them to pedal, and send them off with another calm family member/family friend.

I would take the pedals off and let her get the hang of balancing first so she is not trying to pedal and balance at the same time. When I start kids off on a balance bike I take them to a park with lots of open grassy space and some gentle slopes - gravity helps a lot with getting them going and the grass makes for a soft landing. Once she's confident on a gentle slope, find some steeper ones, then when she has the hang of balancing, put the pedals back on and tackle the pedalling.

Definitely on a big grassy gently sloping hill.

Show her how to position the pedals and push off downhill with one foot still on the ground. Once she masters this part she'll be away in minutes.

What bike do you have for her? From experience, a good lightweight bike makes all the difference in the world. If the bike is weighs as much as she does, it’s going to be so much harder to stay balanced.

Then I would follow PP advice and take off the pedals so she is using it as a balance bike. Practice on a gentle downhill incline until she can balance down it all without putting her feet down. Add the pedals on at the end and will all come together

This method had both mine cycling from 3-4 years old but they have friends who suddenly decided around 6/7 years they just wanted to do it and kept practicing until they got it. The determination made all the difference for them!

My DD was like that at that age. So stressful and fraught, I gave up as I didn't want to make a bigger thing of it that it already was and consequently she never really used a bike.
Fast forward to now, she studies in the Netherlands and has become the best and fastest bike rider in the family

You spend a lot of time holding the seat and running along side her.

We cracked it by going to a park that had a children's cycling area with pretend roads and junctions.

I agree, there is a world of difference between a typical child's bike from Argos, for example (complete with unicorn theming and a dolly seat on the back) and a well designed, lightweight bike like an Islabike or Frog. They are so much easier to handle and ride. I believe Islabike have stopped selling new bikes now, but they are often available secondhand and keep their value well to sell on after you're finished with it.

my dad pushed me down a hill and told me to pedal 😝