Learning how to pedal a bicycle- help!

[WindyCityMom]

I have a simple question, but I feel like the answers will probably not be that simple 

How did you teach your child to pedal a bicycle?  Trike, bike with training wheels, etc?

My DD turned 4 in December and has some motor planning delays.  She has been wanting to ride a "big" bike with pedals for the longest.  She is insistent on it.  When she was 1 she got a tricycle for her birthday.  A nice radio flyer one.  She couldn't pedal it, and when she turned 2 and still couldn't after much effort, we decided to get her a Skuut balance bike.  She doesn't know how to balance on it (has practiced for two summers), and is quite tall and too big for it so we are passing it down to her 2yo sister.

I had her outside for an hour, she was pitching a fit because she couldn't pedal after trying for some time.  My DH, who taught every kid in his neighborhood to ride a bike as a kid, offered his expert advice to her.  "Straighten your leg"  "Push down like you're standing" "Try to stand up on it" were some of his tricks, but none worked.  I even got on the bike to show her the circular pedaling motion.  She couldn't grasp it and is quite angry and sulking at the moment.  She is very insistent on learning how to ride a big bike and wants to go out again tomorrow (it will be 50 degrees again :)  )

What have you tried with your own kids that worked?  Everything I've read online points to using a balance bike first and learning to coast, which she hasn't grasped.  And she's too big for her balance bike, or I'd let her just continue to use that.

It is so hard having a child with motor planning delays :(  I hate to see her disheartened.

[tbone_kneegrabber]

I would put my hands on her feet and do 'hand over foot' and actually make her feet/legs pedal. (I'm assuming she has training wheels)

In my experience bikes with coaster brakes (most kid bikes) are super hard to pedal.

[pianojazzgirl]

That's what I did with both my kids - grabbed their feet and "made" them do the pedaling motion (ie. gently pushed the pedals with them!).  This was when they were younger and first learning to ride a tricycle.

Besides that, one plan to get the whole coasting/gliding/balancing thing down could be to get her a (three-wheeled) scooter.  My friend's ds had a lot of trouble moving to a "big" bike, but after he got a scooter it just clicked.  He found the scooter easier than the bike, but the skill of balancing did transfer to the bike.

[jmarroq]

My son had fine and gross motor delays. Pedaling a bike was very difficult and frustrating for him. I had to push him everywhere.

Some bikes are easier to pedal than others, so keep that in mind when buying. Maybe a little WD40 will help as well.

Sometimes kids can't reach the pedals properly, and I have seen people strap wood blocks to the pedals to help...We also tried the velcro straps that attach the feet to the pedals, but that didn't help.

My son wasn't a very active child and preferred to play indoors (he was very sensitive to light and heat and would get very itchy outside....and we live in swampy central FL). He did finally learn to pedal around 5 yrs old after years of OT, but still didn't go out on his bike much. He learned to ride without training wheels right around his 8th birthday. He's still a little shaky when starting off, since he doesn't get much practice.

My daughter doesn't really have fine motor issues like my son did, but she is a little behind in some gross motor areas (just seems a bit clumsy to me, and was a somewhat late walker at 19 months). She is also having trouble pedaling and hates to go on her bike because of it. She gets stuck a lot and needs a push every minute. Her bike does seem a bit stiff to pedal, but if she doesn't start to get the hang of it by next year when she is 6, I may mention it to her doctor because she seems fine in other areas.

[LynnS6]

Our son had a hard time -- same kind of motor delays that your daughter has.

I remember at one point in time helping his feet go up and down to demonstrate. But, I think what really helped was the Fisher Price Rock, Roll & Ride trike we had: http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Rock-Roll-Ride-Trike/dp/B00005UOSC -- the beauty of this was that when I pushed it, the wheel and the pedals went around and so he got the feel of it. I could also give it a gentle, subtle nudge if he was having a hard time himself. I was shocked to see how expensive it is now (the child in question is now 10, going on 11), but I bet you can get a good used one. I think I paid $10-$15 for ours used.

Another trick is to have her go down a very gentle hill. The momentum of the trike will get the pedals moving and again, she'll get the feel of how to do it. Gravity is definitely your friend here. We live on a hill (fairly big) and so I got one with a handle to push because my kids couldn't get up the hill. I got tired of bending down to push the bleeping trike up. (They couldn't get up the hill until they got real bikes, and even then without gears, it's a bit of a struggle.)

[LaughingHyena]

We found the kids got on best with a bike without a free wheel, ie when we pushed them/ or they scooted the bike the peddles went round. For easier pushing you can get a patent handle to attach to any bike like this one http://www.trailgatorspares.co.uk/accessories/parent-handle-for-childs-bike/67/4/1.

My younger brother needed his feet strapping to the peddles, he got the hang of the pushing down part but could not manage to keep the other foot on the peddle as it came up. I think my parents just tied him on with string! I wonder if you can get toe clips to fit a childs bike.

Another option if you want a bigger balance bike might be taking the peddles off completly an using the bike that way.

[WindyCityMom]

Thanks!  The bike is from a reputable manufacturer (Specialized) and it was a gift from her uncle who did a lot of research on it before purchasing (he's an avid biker).  It also came recommended by the people at the bike shop.  I don't think it's the bike- the pedals seem very easy to push.  She can also reach them just fine. 

She's going to have a go at round 2 today, but I'm just going to have my DH help her out.  I don't think taking the pedals off would be a good idea... she was always very uneasy with the balance bike and is insistent on learning to ride a bike with pedals.  She did say at dinner last night that she wanted a smaller bike (really just motioned with her hands) but with pedals.  This bike is really as small as it can get for her- but I'm curious about that trike you posted Lynn, so that may be worth a shot if she's not riding by midsummer.  I'll also look into the handle I can use to push her with- though it may not help since when you push, the pedals don't go round.   I'd have to get down on the ground and squat-walk (fun!) next to her and move the pedals along.  It's hard to do that even because she pushes backwards! 

When she does attempt to pedal, she just alternates pushing backwards with the backmost pedal, and forwards with the frontmost pedal- but really fast (they move no more than a cm) so the bike just shakes.

If she wasn't so insistent I would just put it away until summer, but she really wants to learn.

[pigpokey]

http://www.losethetrainingwheels.org/   See if there is a clinic coming to a place near you.

I do recommend a two-wheeled scooter also, as those can be great fun --- one with nice bike tires like this -- and that also teaches bike balance at the same time:

http://www.amazon.com/Kent-Super-Scooter-Black-Red/dp/B001CH3MHI/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1328115676&sr=8-9  Plus when they're biking and past the learning stage these things are still fun.

As far as pedaling, the Fisher Price Smart Cycle might be the way to go, assuming (and I'd test this in the store) that you can get it down to almost no resistance.  I would start with very little resistance and add that gradually.

[justmama]

My littlest girl was the only one out of my 3 that didn't just teach herself.  The other two figured it out on their own.  So when the little one was having trouble, I was baffled.  So I put her on a trike this past summer(3 1/2) and stood behind her pushing down her knees/thighs in rhythm with the way she should peddle walking behind her.  I just kept doing that and telling her that her feet needed to take turns pushing and not both at the same time and eventually it clicked.  I'm sure that probably doesn't help.  But she just all of a sudden figured it out one day and it clicked and she's been racing around on her bike for about a month now.  My oldest used to be terrified of the bike and refused to learn how to ride until she was like 7 I think?  REFUSED.  And then one day she just decided she was ready, got on it, and started riding.