Mom and dad, it’s time to stop punishing your child by teaching them to ride a bicycle using training wheels. There’s an alternative method that will have your child riding a bike faster and without the fear that most kids experience as part of the learning process.
Using a balance bike
The secret is teaching your child to ride a bike using a balance bike, a pedal-less bicycle that’s designed to teach kids as young as two to how to ride. The reason this method is so successful is that it puts the focus on balance and steering.
Simplifying the process of learning to ride a bike accelerates the learning curve. Kids don’t have to master multiple gross motor skills simultaneously, so they are more comfortable with the learning process and make faster strides.
Kids push the bikes with their feet to propel the bike forward similar to how they would ride a scooter or skateboard, but with both feet. This “striding” motion is at the heart of the balance bike method and how one of the most popular balance bike models, the Strider ST-3, earned its name.
Other distinguishing features of a balance bike include the light weight and low seat height. While a 12” pedal bike found at Walmart will probably weigh in the neighborhood of 20 lbs, most balance bikes weigh less than 10 lbs. That’s a huge difference. Kids feel much more in control on the lighter balance bike.
Balance bikes are also built with a very small frame and low seat height. Some adjust to as low as 11 inches. This helps a child maneuver more easily on the bicycle and allows kids two and under to start learning to ride.
The best time to teach them
While it might seem crazy to try and teach a child who’s barely learned to walk how to ride a bike, it’s actually a great time to do it. While kid’s motor skills vary, most two-year-olds can balance a bicycle as long as it’s not too heavy. Young kids are also less fearful. They don’t focus on the risk and dangers of bike riding the way older kids do.
The low profile and light weight of a balance bike also make it a safer alternative to heavy pedal bikes with training wheels. Bikes with training wheels tend to wobble and can tip over. The low-profile balance bike keeps a child close to the ground and makes it easier to recover when they do lose balance.
The best part of the balance bike method for a parent is that their child will teach themselves how to ride a bike. No bending over and trying to keep the bike upright. No frustration for parent or child. You won’t spend weeks, months or years trying to teach your child to ride. They’ll learn quickly and naturally on a balance bike.
The transition to a pedal bike will be swift and painless with the mastery of balance that comes with this method. Don’t expect your child to give up their balance bike in a hurry, though. Most kids enjoy the freedom and fun of a balance bike for a year or two before making the move to a pedal bike.
So ditch the training wheels and discover a new way to teach your son or daughter to ride a bike that’s more effective and fun. Your child and your back will thank you. server ip . Conssymroycupo . Crazaberamer
