2024-02-25 14:10:57
Do you dream of sharing bike rides with your toddler, but you don’t know how to pass on your passion for two wheels to them?
Here, Sport Equipements shares eight tips for teaching your child to ride a bike.
With suitable equipment, a few exercises and a little patience, you should quickly see him set off on his own to attack the paths.
Have a good trip with the family!
#1 Balance bike, tricycle, bike: go gradually
To succeed in your mission, go about it gradually.
If you want to anticipate the training of your young cyclist, offer him a balance bike from his first steps.
The latter is ideal for acquiring certain psychomotor skills and in particular the sense of balance.
The tricycle is also a good way to put handlebars in your little hands. Enough to allow him to understand piloting before launching him on a real bike.
Thereafter, learning to ride a bike generally takes place between the ages of 4 and 8. However, it remains essential to adapt to the abilities of each child.
Above all, avoid rushing him or devaluing him by comparing him to his classmates. Good things come to those who wait for !
#2 Equip your toddler correctly
This second point makes sense, but it is important to remember: learning to ride a bike is only possible if you have suitable equipment.
A bike of the right size is an essential prerequisite to allow your child to ride in complete safety.
This must be adjusted so that your toddler can place his foot on the ground, knee slightly bent while his other foot is placed on the top of the pedal board.
Also don’t forget to equip him with a good helmet, or even knee and elbow pads if he is afraid of falling. This will make him less afraid to get started!
#3 Make sure your child is in a good mood to learn
It’s Sunday and you have every intention of teaching your child to cycle after their nap.
If your little one shares the same desires as you, it’s bingo.
But if he doesn’t seem determined to get in the saddle, it’s better to postpone your session until later.
Otherwise, the session could well turn into a nightmare and distract him from his machine for a long period.
Once on the trail, adopt an empathetic and caring attitude. Reassure him, encourage his progress.
Avoid devaluing or pressuring him. Like all learning, feeling comfortable on a bike requires time and confidence.
In order to create a reassuring framework, ban the use of phrases like “Be careful, you’ll fall” or “Don’t go so fast, you’ll hurt yourself!” “.
Instead, encourage him to pay attention to his environment in order to prevent dangers.
Make him alert to curbs, stones or small ditches to allow him to adopt a cautious attitude, without frightening him.
#4 Choose a safe place to cycle
The environment should not be a source of disturbance.
To make your child feel reassured and stay focused on their learning, take them to flat ground that is easy to practice on.
Also opt for a car-free, uncrowded portion.
This will make it less difficult for him to stay focused on putting your advice into practice.
Finally, a familiar place can be reassuring.
In front of your home, on a large terrace, in your grandparents’ garden, etc. : an environment that he already knows will offer him a framework conducive to the acquisition of new skills.
#5 Take the time to teach him the basics of cycling
Before letting him set off alone on the handlebars of his car, take the time to explain the basics of cycling to him.
Show him how to put his feet on the pedals, how to propel himself forward, explain to him in simple words the relationship between balance and speed, teach him how the brakes work, etc.
To facilitate transmission, divide the explanation into two stages: first with words, then with gestures.
Do not hesitate to show him the example on your own bike to facilitate implementation.
#6 Turn learning to ride a bike into a game session
There’s nothing like turning a boring learning session into a real play session to motivate your child.
In addition to passing on your information more easily, you will enjoy a much-appreciated moment of complicity.
To do this, give him small challenges to complete (reaching a stick, going under a branch, etc.), transform his bike into a supersonic motorcycle or a fire truck on the way to save teddy bears, etc.
Challenges and simulation games are perfect for making learning fun… and therefore easier!
#7 Have him do exercises to help him progress
Exercises to learn how to get started
Getting started on a bike is probably the most difficult step to take, as it requires a good deal of balance and confidence.
To help your child get started, start by teaching them to place their feet without looking at the pedals. To do this, keep him balanced on the bike and encourage him to repeat the operation several times.
Afterwards, place your bike on a slightly downhill road to facilitate forward propulsion.
Then change to a flat road, then slightly uphill. This will allow your little one to gradually develop their balance, strength and technique.
Exercises to learn to brake
Another crucial step in learning to ride a bike: braking.
The simplest exercise consists of drawing a mark on the ground on which your child must place his wheel. Increase the arrival speed as you go.
A second exercise also allows you to work on your reactivity. Make him pedal freely to your “Top” which should invite him to stop immediately.
These two small training sessions will allow it to become more responsive and to cope with all types of braking encountered on the road, both predictable (traffic lights, stop signs for example) and unpredictable.
#8 Try the sling technique
To avoid chasing the bike while keeping your child balanced as best you can, try the sling technique.
In addition to being gentle on your mount, it will generally allow your young blonde to find his balance in a few back and forth movements to earn his ticket to the freedom of pedaling.
To do this, slip a long scarf under both of his arms and hold the two ends up to support him.
Then adjust the tension according to his progress, compensating for his loss of balance.
You should quickly be able to cut your budding cyclist a little slack, even admiring their first meters alone on the handlebars of their two wheels.
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