Earlier in the summer I shared this tutorial on Paging Supermoms as a Tuesday tip. It’s so simple that you still have time to cross “learn to ride a bike” off the summer to-do list before summer is over!
Riding a bike is a right of passage for kids, and teaching them how to ride falls on the parents. Be a SuperMom and teach your child how to ride a bike without any scraped knees! It’s easy, it’s fast, and it’s frustration free!
Of course you’ll need a bike. You’ve seen those cool looking balance bikes, and instead of buying one, we’re going to convert a traditional bike into one. Just a regular old bike will do. It just needs to be small enough that they can touch flat footed while on it.
Step 1: Remove the pedals. One pedal will be threaded backwards (so it doesn’t come unscrewed while riding). You’ll need a wrench to take them off.
Step 2: Drop the seat down as low as it can go. The lower it is, the safer the child will feel. You can raise it back up once they’re riding. You want them to be able to touch the ground easily with both feet.
Step 3: Take off the training wheels. You’ll also need a wrench for this.
And ta-da you just created a balance bike. Have the child ride by pushing with their feet. This allows them to put their feet down to catch themselves, and prevents them from falling over. An important key in riding a bike. At first they will just take baby steps, but soon they’ll be able to coast a distance. Have them practice turning and weaving. When they’ve got the hang of it, we like to throw crackers on the driveway and have them aim to crush them (this is the favorite part!) It’s not going to take very long (some kids only need a half hour, others will need a few hours) and then you can put the pedals back on. When they are able to turn and weave and balance for a good distance you will know it is time to put the pedals back on.
This really worksl! My son learned how to ride his bike with this method in just a few days!
My Daughter Revived
My daughter got a bike for Christmas several years ago, but had always been too afraid of falling, so she would never try to learn how to ride. We spent a month away visiting Family this Summer & when we got there all the other kids had bikes or one of those little Razor scooters. Not wanting to be completely left out- because those kids absolutely lived outside on their wheels- she chose to ride on a scooter. She got pretty good, & loved it!! Needless to say, when we got home she had a desire to get on the bike that now sat completely covered in dust! In a matter of minutes she was pedaling away! She learned to balance on that scooter, & it made bike riding feel more natural. I only wish we had thought to try something like that sooner!
My daughter got a bike for Christmas several years ago, but had always been too afraid of falling, so she would never try to learn how to ride. We spent a month away visiting Family this Summer & when we got there all the other kids had bikes or one of those little Razor scooters. Not wanting to be completely left out- because those kids absolutely lived outside on their wheels- she chose to ride on a scooter. She got pretty good, & loved it! Needless to say, when we got home she had a desire to get on the bike that now sat completely covered in dust! In a matter of minutes she was pedaling away! She learned to balance on that scooter, & it made bike riding feel more natural. I only wish we had thought to try something like that sooner!
This worked for my 7 year old. He was riding after an hour! Amazing! Now all he wants to do is ride his bike!
Wow, this sounds like a great idea, my son has been afraid of his bike for years and refuses to ride it. I think we’re going to have to give this method a shot this weekend. We have nothing to lose at this point!!
I LIVE TO RIDE! LOL, can’t wait to get back on the road, but for now hating this car… oh well, great article. Enjoyed the read. Appreciate it.
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My son is almost 6 years old. I’m totally doing this this weekend!
wish my mom had this idea when i was a kids cus it took me until i was 9 ti turn how to ride a bike with out trannning wells
You are a genius! Thank you so much for writing this and sharing it with us! My almost seven year old finally knows how to ride her bike…YAY!!!
What if it’s operating the pedals that they can’t figure out?
They should pick the pedaling up within an hour if they have the balancing down pat. My 4 year old rides a 2 wheel bike without training wheels.
Thank you so much for sharing this! I can see how this can work well! I’ll definitely be using your method to teach my daughter to ride her bike!
at what age should your child be riding a bike
my daughter is very nearly 2 and has a scooter already and a trampoline her balance is very good already
If you can find a bike short enough where feet can touch the ground, she will pick it up fast. My 4 year old learned to ride without training wheels this spring. It took him a few weekends of balancing around before we took off the training wheels from his real bike.
We took one training wheel off… Adjusted the remaing one a little high… They learned to ride with a slight lean and we reminded them that when they can’t hear the sound of the training wheel they are balancing! The kids concentrated of listening for the sound of quiet… And ride in an hour or less… All five of our kids, three grandkids, and at least a dozen neighbor kids over the years!
Great idea. I learned on a very small bike when I was 5. Never had training wheels. I think that was the key. Small size with the ability to touch the ground with my feet.
Ps. Love you son’s shoes on the wrong feet! I thought only my kids ran around like that. Too fun!
It works. We could never teach our grand daughter. Her other grandpa learned of this method, and voila! She rides like a pro :))
I did this for my son after reading your post. I left the pedals off for a while until he was really into riding the bike and decided he wanted them on. Couple hours later he was off! 4 years old, he was so proud and loves to tell people he rides a 2 wheel bicycle. I’ve told all my friends to do this. So much better than training wheels and better than wasting money on a balance bike!
Good! A nice bicyle… It is necessary that children will like it.