Want to Teach Your Kid Cycling? Follow These 8 Easy Steps

The ability to ride a cycle opens up a world of independence and adventure for all children, marking an important stage in their life. It’s a lifelong skill that starts right from childhood.

Teaching your kid cycling is way more than running behind them while holding the bike’s saddle! In this simple and fun article, we will discuss all the amazing tips to help them gain the gift of two-wheeled liberty.

1. Get the Size Right

The age at which a child starts biking varies. While a bike could be advertised for a 5-year-old kid, all 5-year-old kids are not of the same height and weight.

For starters, you need to first get a cycle that fits your child’s age and height. The size matters a lot in the case of buying a bike for your kid. Adult bikes are sized differently and more precisely than kids’ bikes.

You will have to make sure that your kid’s inseam height is aligned with the bike’s minimum seat post height. it’s important that their feet touch the ground and give them stability.

2. Gear Em Up!

A well-padded helmet is a must for your kid’s first training session. A well-fitted helmet that holds straps properly is a must to protect their head and chin.

Make sure their knees and elbows have shock pads for maximum safety. This is crucial because your kid will fall at times while practicing by themselves. We all did!

3. Working on The Balance

A bike’s balance depends on its shape and components. Thought there are many bikes that can be described as the best bike for kids, not every bike lends itself equally to a well-balanced ride for children.

Often overlooked, getting on and off the bike frequently is a good beginner’s step to riding a bike. Get your child comfortable with how he manages to get on to his bike and get off. This also includes tilting the bike on a side to a position where getting on and off seems easier.

Get your child used to his very first bike by allowing them to sit on the seat first. Before that, make sure you remove the pedals so that their legs don’t get sore while hitting them when they glide the bike on their own.

You will have to adjust the saddle to their comfort such that, at the optimum height, the legs touch the ground with flat feet. Seat post height is an important factor so that they can balance their cycle while taking turns.

4. Hit the Brakes

Once the balancing phase is done, the real deal begins. Have your child sit on the bike properly and let them walk. Now, this is all about sitting and walking so that they can get the tone of the road they are biking through.

Once mastered, the next phase is sitting and running with your legs to gain momentum slowly. In between them, teach them to use brakes whenever they feel the momentum is beyond control.

If the bike has no handbrakes, then your kid should work on slowing down the speed by placing their feet on the ground.

5. Mastering the Curve

Next is to learn about the inclines and curves of the road. They need to know when to control their step while approaching a steep or a curve ahead. Find a safe area to gain this skill, particularly a parking lot. When hitting the road for the first time, your kid may get really nervous.

You can also make DIY steeps for a better and practical understanding for your kid. You can set up a pattern with some orange safety cones so that your kid can steer their way through with controlled speed. You can demonstrate this at first with your own bike and then let your child follow the lead.

6. Pedals On! Uplift the Height

Once your child can glide on the bike with both feet up, it’s time to teach them how to actually ride a bike. Be very patient and don’t try to force anything on your kiddo.

You can now fit the pedals back again to the bike and then slowly raise the saddle to a more natural position for your kid. This seat position setup will be the ideal position for your children’s cycling days ahead.

You will want your child to feel the pedals and learn to maintain a good grip on their feet with the pedals. Then it’s time to teach the child to start moving using pedals from the stopped position.

You may want to hold the saddle occasionally for a short stretch while your child builds up his speed and momentum from the start position. This really helps to maintain the initial balance.

Children commonly have difficulty pedaling at first. They pedal backward rather than pedaling forward. This gradually gets resolved over time. Your child may not be pedaling right away but with continuous practice and a bit of motivation from your end, they will get it

If your child is having trouble pedaling and balancing at the same time, a gentle push behind them can do the job as balancing a bike is easier at higher speeds.

7. Go By the Rules

Your child needs to know the basics of your local cycling laws once he hit the open roads. This may include wearing helmets at all costs and abiding by the traffic laws and using the cycling lanes where necessary.

8. Ride It!

Congratulations! Finally, your kid has mastered the skills of cycling. But beware of letting your kid cycle alone initially as you will need to guide him to get a grasp of it.

Avoid practicing in the grass, it may seem safe during the falls but it’s harder to balance the cycle and gain momentum in the grass.

Conclusion

There is nothing like a family outing such as riding bikes with your kids on well-known trails or in the mountains or just on the roads. Not to mention that bikes are an eco-friendly alternative that leads to a cleaner environment with less pollution, and a healthy hobby for you and your child.

Teaching your child how to ride a bike is a rite of passage and by following the above tips, your child will master this universal skill of biking in no time.