4 Easy Tips to Teach Bike Riding

"It's as easy as riding a bike." For some kids, that saying might not ring true. Bike riding is a complex motor activity that requires multiple systems to work together, and when one or more of those systems are delayed or are experiencing challenges, bike riding can often be a fearful activity that does not lend itself to positive childhood memories. Bike riding requires balance, timing, bilateral coordination, body awareness, dissociation (ability to move opposite sides of the body differently), core engagement, and even hand strength!

Riding a bike is a great activity that can provide heavy sensory input, provide exercise, increase independence, be a bonding activity with friends and family, teach a child about safety and responsibility, and introduce them to new scenery that they may not get to see without being atop a bike.

Over the years I have been fortunate enough to teach 15+ kiddos how to ride their bikes, and there is nothing like watching their faces light up when they finally taste success and freedom. There is also nothing like their faces when they realize they have yet to learn how to brake! Here are a few tips you can try at home to help your child break down the steps to being able to say goodbye to those training wheels once and for all!

1. Start them early: Balance bikes are a great way to get your child used to balancing atop a bike and not worry about knowing how to pedal. woombikesUSA is a local balance bike company here in the Austin area and they are fairly easy to find secondhand.

2. Try not to introduce training wheels at all. I find a lot of kiddos learn how to ride bikes using training wheels, and what I see the most is they tend to lean to one side and ride that training wheel hard. The problem with setting the foundation on training wheels is that they learn to ride a little off center, which can affect their balance.

3. When practicing balancing, I find that a slight slope or decline is helpful in providing a little gravity to the situation. When the bike is moving slowly down a gentle slope or hill, the child can focus on steering and balancing with their legs stuck out either side. This eliminates the need to incorporate pedaling.

4. Once your child is comfortable steering and balancing while rolling down a slight decline, they are ready to start peddling! Even if they are just practicing putting their feet on the pedals and then back out to the side, they are learning to shift their weight and will gradually be more and more comfortable with their feet on the pedals.

** A side note: the girl pictured here is on a bike much too large for her! Make sure that your child's bike allows for both feet to nearly rest flat on the ground, to ensure they can catch themselves when they inevitably tip while learning.**