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?

I don’t know why anyone would pay to get someone to teach their kids cycling. It’s really to teach. You child need to know how to glide on a balance bike first. You need to see them actually gliding and feet off. Not just walking with the bike between their legs. Then you need to get them to pedal. Most kids pedal backwards naturally. This is the part where you need stabilisers. Some children learn gliding and pedalling quickly, some are slow. Once they can pedal properly, take off the stabilisers. Use some knee padding and gloves if they are not confident. Hold on to their jackets it t-shirts, not their seats. Also tell them to start the bike by running like a balance bike and not by pedalling. It’s harder to start pedalling and balance from a standstill.

There are videos and tutorials on how to teach cycling. I don’t think all areas have classes teaching kids to cycle. We have bikability but that’s done through school at year 5 or 6. DC said everyone can cycle then and they go on the streets. We live in an area with really nice cycling paths and lots of kids are taught by parents. Also lots of balance bikes. Most can ride by year R or 1.

I mean some kids can learn without stabilisers and they are the ones who learn pedalling quickly. Age maybe also a factor. 4 and 5 year olds probably take longer to get pedalling compared to a 8 or 9 year old.

Are you sure the bike isn't too small? The one you posted is a 12 inch and unless she is very very small for her age, it will probably be why it isn't clicking. My 6yo is on an 18inch bike and probably only a few months away from needing a 20inch.

I also used the ‘tie something round them’ method. Scarf/jumper etc, tied tightly under their arms with a knot at their back. No stabilisers. Gentle hill, and hold the knot so that you balance them and they cycle for longer than they would balancing themselves. Prepare to do this for 1-2 hours, gradually holding further away from the knot as they balance better.

Nope it is really child dependent.

It doesn't even depend on siblings as I know younger siblings who have learnt to cycle quicker than their older siblings.

From memory it takes a weekend but is backbreaking on the parent , I did both my sons . Then we got my bike out and we went for rides , good fun .

Another vote for a little bit of peer pressure. My DS was a whizz on a balance bike from the age of 2, but he couldn't quite crack pedals, even after multiple sessions on a gentle grass slope - he could pedal for very short distances but wasn't confident at all. Then one afternoon when he was about 5, he wanted to go out on the grass behind our house (fully enclosed field) to watch some slightly older neighbours playing on their bikes. I left him to it for about 20 minutes (all the parents were hovering at the back gates keeping an eye), and when I went back out, he was pedalling round like a pro and going over jumps, riding somebody else's enormous old bike that they didn't use any more because it had no brakes 😱He never looked back after that.

I do have to day I did live on quiet roads and had access to an unused airfield .

You should have her practice on grass a lot first

I do have to day I did live on quiet roads and had access to an unused airfield .

^

Sorry, but peak MN

😂

I lived on an army camp that had an WW2 airfield , was unused 😂.

Two points to follow up on my previous post:

• don’t try and reach her on grass. Cycling on grass, even closely cut, is back breaking work on small wheels and she will struggle to build up enough momentum to start gliding effectively.

• if she needs support do not hold the seat or (especially!) tie a scarf around her. Place the palm of your hand lengthwise between her shoulder blades. This will be less hard on you and provide her with enough lateral support without doing all the work for her.