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Have you ever tried teaching a child to ride a bike? Trying to run as fast as you can alongside them to keep them from falling down. It is exhausting. It seems endless. It is not fun. Then when you decide to finally let go of the bike, you watch your child ride off and then fall down. It’s heartbreaking.
Well we tried that with our first child, Rudy. I remember the day my husband, at that time, and I tried to teach my son to ride his new bicycle… he did NOT learn to ride. He didn’t even stay upright for a little bit on his own!
We felt like failures as parents. Rudy felt like a failure because he still couldn’t ride his bicycle. We were all sad when we went back in the house but we tried to stay positive for him. Honestly, I gave up. There’s no way I was gonna run around after that bicycle. It was hard work. Teaching a kid to ride a bike looked easier in the movies!
Then someone gave my son a scooter. I was grateful that kept his attention off our bike failure. I figured he can learn to ride his scooter without his dad or my assistance, which was great. We didn’t feel bad because he had something else fun to distract him from riding his bike. So we didn’t touch the bike for a while.
Rudy got really good on that scooter. He loved riding his scooter. He was fast. He could maneuver that scooter with ease. He had lots of fun on his scooter.
Now that he had confidence in riding something else we decided to try the bike again. This time when Rudy got on the bike, he didn’t want us holding on to it. He wanted to try it all by himself. So he got on and rode away! We were shocked!
He taught us something very valuable that day. Rudy said while riding in a circle,
“It’s just like riding a scooter! It’s just bigger.”
As soon as he said that, I knew we had discovered something valuable. After Rudy, every single one of my children has to learn to ride the scooter first. I refuse to consider getting a child a bicycle if they won’t ride the scooter. Once I see them confident and easily maneuvering on the scooter, I then allowed them to try and ride the bike. All five of my children had jump on a bike for the first time and ride off like they’ve been riding it forever!
Way too easy you say? Well, it’s worth a try!
First, you want to choose your child a two wheel scooter because the balance skill is the same as on a bicycle. The three wheeled scooters are cool but they don’t have the same balance feel like a bicycle.
This scooter is for ages 3-12 years old.
This scooter is a simple, affordable one for children 5 years and up.
This scooter is more durable and for older children 8 years and up holds 220lbs.
Balance bikes are super cool too. They do the same thing, help a child to get use to the feel of balancing on two wheels. They just cost more and your child will outgrow it. A scooter they can keep on using for a lot longer and can switch too when they don’t feel like riding a bike. Just because balance bikes are cool, here are a few to check out.
This balance bike is for children 18 months to 5 years old.
This 10″ balance bike is about half the cost of the first balance bike but only for children ages 1-3 years old.
This is a 16″ balance bike that is for bigger kids ages 5-9 years old.
Disclaimer: Children should be wearing a helmet when they wear a bike or scooter, especially when going long distances. The videos I’m sharing are right in front of our apartment and none of my children are wearing helmets. Helmets are on my “To Buy” list.
Once you see that your child is starting to feel comfortable on the scooter and really having fun, then think about buying a bicycle. You will NOT need the training wheels that most kid bikes come with. Training wheels are junk because most children get dependent on the extra support so don’t bother. They will take even longer to learn to ride a bike WITH training wheels.
Here are some nice bikes to check out. This bike is an affordable one for kids about 5-7 years old.
This is a really nice one for kids between the ages of 5-10 years old.
This bike has several size options and a bunch of colors too!
Thanks to covid19, I’ve finally been able to get some of our second hand bikes usable for my #4 and #5 children to try riding a bike for the first time. In one day, they were riding and hooked! You can see the joy and feeling of freedom on the bikes!
Only a month after getting on a bike for the first time, my kindergartener was already starting to get sassy on her bike! The confidence she had on her scooter transferred naturally to the bike so that it looks like she’s been riding for a LONG time.
It REALLY is that easy to teach a child to ride a bike! Unless you enjoy the extra exercise of running next to a kid on a bike, you should give our easy method of learning how to ride a bike a try!
Great idea! Kids seem to love scooters and it helps teach balance!!
Yes! Exactly! 😊
Great post. Something every kid needs to learn to do so tips on how to make it easier are always nice.
Knowing how to ride a bike gives kids a lot of confidence!
Great tips! My son was riding a bicycle without training wheels at 3.5 because we took the pedals off. He was so ready!
Cute! They are so happy when they can ride all by themselves!
I remember having to teach my youngest sister how to ride a bike. She is 8 years younger than me so our dad and her mom were well into their 40s by the time she was old enough to learn how to ride a bike without training wheels, so they were not as hands-on as I feel like my childhood was. It definitely took awhile, but we made it happen and we still talk about how I had to be the one to teach her because her parents didn’t bother to.
Wow! You are a wonderful big sister!!! Your experience turned into a bonding time. That too is wonderful! ❤️ Teaching to ride a bike the traditional way takes lots of patience and determination from several people. 😉
What a great story. Who would have thunk scooter riding translated into bike riding.
Right?! We can learn lots from children if we just listen. 😉
This is interesting! Haven’t thot of not weaning from training wheels. Good to know!
If you watch kids on training wheels they don’t balance. They ride crooked. Lol it’s kinda funny to see.
We’ve never tried a balance bike before. My 4-year-old just got her first bike with training wheels and I’m wondering how long it will take us to teach her how to ride.
Balance bikes are more expensive than a cheap scooter. Get her a scooter and encourage her to ride that before the bike. You’ll be grateful. AND she’ll have two things she can ride and play on. 😉
We started our younger 2 on balance bikes and my daughter could ride a bike a 3. My 5 year old boy is almost there!
Its funny how much joy I feel when my kids realize they can ride a bike! Soo fun!
We just bought all three of my kid’s bikes for Easter, no of which had training wheels. My oldest jumped on and took off on her own. My youngest son had a balance bike so he was good to go, the peddles just confuse him sometimes. My middle daughter is not having it! Maybe I’ll get her a scooter! Thanks for the advice!
A scooter is a lot less scary way to start and practice balance. Have fun!
How fun. I bought my grandkids scooters, bikes and the bike without pedals all over time. And they all love riding their bikes. Very helpful if you haven’t done it before. Thanks!
Oh they are so blessed to have a grandmother like you! ❤️
It is really hard to teach them. Plus, it requires a lot of patience. Something my oldest does not have. I wonder where it gets that from? LOL
Lol yes it does require a lot of patience but if you start with a scooter, less patience is required. 😉 lol
Such great advice. It seems much more scientific than when we were kids!
Nah it’s all about having fun still. Just doing fun in a certain order. Scooter than bike. 😉
This is a great idea for parents of young children.
Or grandparents, aunts and uncles who like to give gifts! 😉
Great idea! We did the run alongside routine with the kids. But the grandkids started with scooters and still actually prefer them over bikes. But they did naturally progress to bicycles.
That’s awesome! I think the older the kids get, the more they will gravitate to their bikes. It goes faster and farther! 😉
I just got my daughter a big girl bike with training wheels! These are great tips! Thanks!
Awesome! Happy riding! ❤️
I will be needing this in the near future. Thank you for posting
Awesome! Thanks for reading! 😊