6 1/2 dd cannot ride a bicycle--any tips?

[nannyboo]

dh and i have been trying for a very long time to get dd to ride her bicycle but it's just impossible. it's like she won't even try and i'm about to lose my mind.

does anyone have any tips for how i can motivate her!?

[Potty Diva]

Kailey willbe 7 in a few days and can't ride her bike either. It's just not something she is interested in. She prefers swining on her tire swing, gardening, and doing arts and crafts. She has really been into writing short stories lately.

I wouldn't worry about it. Just give her the opportunity. I don't think riding a bicycle is something the must do to meet a milestone in life.

[Momily]

My son learned to ride a bike right around his 6th birthday. For us the razor scooter was key. When he was 5 he spent hours and hours each week zooming up and down the block on that thing. I think it really developed his balance and prepared him for riding a 2 wheeler. I had tried to teach him earlier but he just wasn't interested, and then one day he was ready, hopped on and took off.

So, my vote is to get her a scooter and let her work on balance that way.

[Golden]

My son didn't learn until this past summer so he was 7 1/2.
I asked around, googled, etc. The one thing that stood out as duh, common sense, but had never occured to me was to spend a lot of time with their feet skimming the ground, instead of on the peddles, with you sterotypically running behind him holding the seat or him.

They need to learn how to balance and steer and those two things are hard enough. Isolating those skills makes it easier to learn. Add pedaling and braking later. Put on some old shoes you won't mind she drag the soles of and gain some confidence in simply balancing.

And also for him, it was peer motivated. We got him a razor scooter for the previous year which was fine because they were barely upright on bikes. This past summer they had moved on to zooming around.

Trying to do while he watched the others tetter and once or twice fall was enough to delay it quite a bit for at least a year. When they were blazing around, he spent about a week with his feet hovering the ground, then he literally just got it. Feet up and off he went.

[singin'intherain]

I second the no-pedals thing. My oldest was scared to even think about taking off her training wheels, and when we lowered her seat and took off the pedals, she became very confident. She asked for the pedals one day and that was it. Ds 1 and ds 2 have been riding with the pedals since age four, and my 3yo dd is still scooting on her shoes. Other than that, I would definitely make bike riding an optional activity.

[nancy926]

You could just leave it alone for awhile. I was 8 before I learned how.

You also could get her a balance bike (or make one from a used bike) - it's essentially a bike with no chain and no pedals. The child pushes off with their feet and then coasts. It helps them learn how to balance on two wheels (unlike training wheels which help them learn...how to ride with training wheels). I have seen them for under $40 (there are wooden ones that sell for astronomical amounts but really - all you need is a bike with no pedals and a low seat).

Also, make sure the bike is small enough so she can sit on the seat and touch the ground at the same time. This gave my DD confidence that she wasn't going to fall - she could just put her feet down whenever she felt she needed to.

After 1 summer on the balance bike, my DD got on her friend's two-wheeler and took off with no coaching, falling, or crying. It was very cool!

[swellmomma]

I just left my kids alone to learn. My son just learned this past summer, he was turning 9. The issues with balance and fear of falling made him not even want to try. Both he and my dd(7 when she learned) taught themselves, once ready they mastered it within a few minutes. Just provide the opportunities without the pressure, she will get it when she is ready.

[2crazykids]

I would take off the pedals and let her get to it. She'll figure it out on her own and then one day she'll be ready for the pedals!

[savannah smiles]

Originally Posted by Momily

My son learned to ride a bike right around his 6th birthday. For us the razor scooter was key. When he was 5 he spent hours and hours each week zooming up and down the block on that thing. I think it really developed his balance and prepared him for riding a 2 wheeler. I had tried to teach him earlier but he just wasn't interested, and then one day he was ready, hopped on and took off.

So, my vote is to get her a scooter and let her work on balance that way.

This is what we did although we didn't buy the scooter with the intention of using it to transition to a bike. I'm too lazy to think that far ahead, lol! Once she could stay balanced on the scooter decently she felt ready to try her bike. I think it only took about 2 days of teaching her (with me holding onto her back as opposed to the bike itself) before she got it. From the scooter she had a basic grasp of slowing down and turning so it was easy overall.

[Xoe]

Here's another tip for improving balance in general:
Let your kid stand on one foot while he/she brushes her teeth. Allow them to grab onto the sink when necessary, obviously. But slowly, surely, their balance will improve. A good sense of balance is useful for all sorts of things-- but I used to encourage this exercise for those who wanted to learn how to roller skate.

xoe

[SabraMamma]

My DD was not interested until her 7th birthday (this past summer) and she suddenly wanted a bike and she learned how to ride within a few days. I never pushed it with her and when she was ready she let us know.

[franklinmarxmom]

Just a personal note to add:

I rode great with my training wheels up until my 7th b-day, when my dad removed them. I was so scared, I refused to get back on the bike for months. Dad finally made me, in spite of my crying, and set me loose. I remember falling a lot. And crying a lot. And feeling resentful toward Dad. And not caring one bit that all the other kids had no training wheels while I still needed them. I did eventually learn before I turned 8--although at a forced pace. So, let your DD take her time, too. If she's not bothered, you shouldn't be either--she'll get there.

[nannyboo]

thank you, everyone, for all of the tips and reassurance. all of dd's friends have been riding for a long time now, so it was really worrying me that she still can't. but hearing that lots of kids are even older before they learn makes me feel better. i also realized that we probably need to lower her seat, to help her scoot more easily, with her feet off the pedals. great idea.

and good points about not pushing her too hard, too!

thanks!

[pigpokey]

(1) Razor scooter on a smooth surface or an inflatable tire scooter on sidewalks. My son started on his two wheeler as a young 2 year old? Why? Of course he's brilliant, but let's face it. Two wheeled scooter. My daughter also learned this way at 3 after being motivated by her brother and she was much more cautious and careful. She didn't fall very much because scooter balancing and bike balancing -- same thing. Also these are not outgrown like a balance bike in the sense that the bike riding kid will still want to ride on the scooter sometimes for years to come.

(2) The seat needs to be low enough that her knees actually bend when her feet are on the ground. This gives her the confidence that she will not fall and hurt herself. I get very frustrated seeing people train their kids (failingly) sitting high up on the bike, higher than they would ever ride without training wheels because they can't start like that! Seat can be moved up eventually but don't go crazy.

(3) The bike cannot be too heavy. If you possibly can afford it go with an aluminum frame bike like a Specialized Hotrock. The steel 16 and 20 inch bikes are IMO very difficult for many kids because they are so damn heavy. The difference is huge. A 16 inch Toys R Us bike may weigh 28 pounds, an aluminum 16 inch bike 18 pounds. If you can't, train her on a bike one size down from her real size at least to get some of the weight out of the picture. So if she fits a 20 inch, get a 16 inch from freecycle or Goodwill for her to learn on.
(4) There is a video for parents you can download for $20 bucks or so called Pedal Magic.

[AllisonR]

One word: broomstick.

Where are all the broomsticks folks? Any sort of wooden or metal rod will do. Take off the training wheels, put the broomstick in the back of the bike, and then you help steer and balance the first few times. No falls, no scared kids.

My nephew is in the states, and he didn't learn how to ride a bike until 8, and that's only when DH and I were there with a broomstick. People depend on bikes here and the average kid takes off their trainers between 4-6. I guess it really depends on where you live. And if it isn't important, then I suppose it's like anything else, some kids will like to bike, and some won't. Take it easy with your DD and try a broomstick when/if she is ready.

[karliyanchus]

my 7 yr old girls don't know how to ride 2 wheelers, havn't really even tried. we've got 2 handmedown nice bikes for them, a little on the big side, and we MEANT to work on it with them a bit last fall after our move, but never got around to it before the snow came. also it's just gravel around here (and lots of idiot drunk drivers!!!) so i am NOT really looking forward to them being on roads any time soon.

them riding bikes is one of my biggest mummy phobias, for some wierd reason i just feel sick at the thought. turns out they are very cautious children, either natually or picking up my fear, i don't know, lol. i just can't stop picturing them wobbling out in front of a car. i'm probably underprotective in alot of areas, but irrationally overprotective in this one.

the "no pedals" idea makes sense to me. i will probably try that with them in the spring. if i can work up the nerve, lol.

[4evermom]

Originally Posted by pigpokey

(3) The bike cannot be too heavy. If you possibly can afford it go with an aluminum frame bike like a Specialized Hotrock. The steel 16 and 20 inch bikes are IMO very difficult for many kids because they are so damn heavy.

I think that is part of my 6 1/2 yo ds' problem. He is happy with his training wheels but he is going much more slowly with the 16" bike he got last year. The size is fine but he just doesn't go fast enough due to the weight. He also tends towards being cautious and enjoys the stability of the extra wheels.

[nicole lisa]

DS is 7.5 and doesn't ride a bike, but he's amazing on his scooter so I got myself one and we use them all over the city. We go for 2-4 hour scooter rides, up and down huge hills, to the market for produce etc. In the summer we're out on them for at least half the day most days. He's really skilled and really fast and I don't know if he'll ever use a bike he loves his scooter so much. He started on a razor and doing tricks. This year he wants to get into skate boarding as well.

[*jeanine*]

why doesn't she want to? if it's because she's scared, i think everyone gave good advice (no pedals, scooters, etc). if it's something she just really doesn't want to do, has no interest in, i'd leave it alone.
why do *you* want her to? because you think she should, all the other kids do? i'd leave it alone. because the rest of your family really enjoys riding bikes together, but you can't because she won't? they make those bikes that hook onto the back of the parent's bike ( http://www.rei.com/product/752015) - maybe she'd see how fun it is for the rest of you and decide to try it on her own. or not, but at least you'd still be able to do it.