Teaching your child to ride a bike can be a great big to-do! Or it can be organic and entertaining. The devil is in the details.
Option 1: Wait until your child turns 5 or 6. Buy them a bike. Spend many tear filled weekends at the park bent over, holding the seat of the bike while alternatively running and awkwardly avoiding tripping over your kid as they slam on the brakes and/or fall off their bike. Call the chiropractor. Hide in the closet and eat a bar of chocolate.
Option 2: Progressive developmental toys. Allow your child to learn one skill at a time, while you sit back with a cup of coffee and enjoy the weather. I mean... The choice is yours, but this is the path we take. Here is the super important part. Don't hover. Don't help much. (aside from safety!) Just hang out outside with your kid as they play. They will develop these skills as they go. It really is that simple!
Skill: Learning to steer
Skill: Learning to pedal
Skill: Learning to balance
Skill: Putting it all together
Skill: Caring for my own vehicle
Now this path assumes you start at a pretty young age. What can you do if you already have a 5 or 6 year old? Is it too late to easily teach your child to ride a bike? Nah. This is one of the reasons I love these Guardian bikes so much. #1 They are ridiculously easy to put together! #2 Amazon. Enough said. #3 You can just leave the pedals off for a bit. Abracadabra! Big kid balance bike. If you wait until 5, your Sweet Joy will not really need to learn to steer. That will be pretty natural. The real trick is learning to balance. Challenge your big kid to sit on their bike and keep their bottom on their seat as they walk their bike along. Then take a walk. It won't take very long before they try pushing both feet at a time instead of walking. This is perfect! Keep walking. They will have balancing figured out, and start coasting along before you know it! This is when you can screw those petals in. Also, because these bikes keep the break in the hands, your child will not be able to slam on their brakes accidentally if they get their feet going in the wrong direction while figuring out their pedals. Enjoy the ride!! You can both do this!!
Blessings on your journey,
Buckets and Berries
"Who taught you to ride your bike, Sweet Boy?"
"I just know."
