4.5 yr old and riding bikes

[Minnie824]

I posted this on the families board also, but I figured I may get some more input here.
Does anyone have a 4.5 yr old who is not that good at riding a bike? We bought DD one last year, and she did good in the summer a little, but never wanted to ride it much. Now, its gotten warmer, she's gone out a couple times, but never wants to ride her bike much. She gets the pedals stuck in the up/down position, cuz she's going so slow, then can't get started again and gets frustrated. We've tried to help her, but she's not that willing to try it on her own. I feel bad, cuz all these kids in our neighborhood are zipping around on their bikes and I want to help her learn. Any suggestions?

 

[2bemarried]

Just keep working with her. When I was her age I had a bike with training wheels. I did fairly well riding it, then my dad took the training wheels off. From that point on I never rode it again and still to this day I don't know how to ride a bike. I really wish they had nagged me to ride my bike.

 

[RUDisney]

My DD will be 10 next month. She has no interest in riding a bike. We try to get her to do this but she won't. Thing is, we want to take her mountain biking with her brother. We love to do this and there is an easy trail that she can start on with us. She couldn't care less.

 

[Servants of Evan]

My son is definately not the greatest bike rider at age 4.5 either. He has many the same problems when he gets stuck in the "up/down" position. Just tell her to get off and give it a push. I started by giving him a push to get started but after a while, I told him to do it himself. He's getting the hang of it, and soon I'm going to begin creaping his training wheels up on him. He'll get it, and soon he'll be on his own.

 

[daisyduck123]

My DD will be 10 next month. She has no interest in riding a bike. We try to get her to do this but she won't. Thing is, we want to take her mountain biking with her brother. We love to do this and there is an easy trail that she can start on with us. She couldn't care less.

This is exactly how our DD11 feels. We've told her that when we get to CBR next month, we're all renting bikes. She has just been "brushing it off" when we say that.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I have a 9yodd that is the same way...has no interest and does not want to learn.
She is afraid of falling or wiping out. Her big sister has wiped out enough to have to go to an ER for severe "road rash" once (which she still has the scars for it), and I think that about killed ANY interest she had, which was about none to start off with.
DH feels like a failure because he loves bikes.

We bought a trail-behind thing as a compromise, not the baby thing, but the extra bike trail behind thing. We figure, one of these days.

 

[summerrluvv]

I was just coming to post about at what age a child should be riding a bike without training wheels. I took the training wheels of my 7 year old DS's bike today and he was hysterical! I held onto him while he was riding and he was a bit wobbly and really nervous, but did okay. Then he started bawling that he wanted to go inside I feel it's important to learn how to ride a bike, but I just guess he just isn't ready yet.

 

[Rachie0507]

We're going through the same thing with our DD who is 5.5. She is too nervous to go 'fast' and keeps getting stuck. She got really upset this week, though, because her little brother who is 3.5 got on his bike for the first time and immediately started zooming around (with training wheels, of course). I think her feelings were hurt that we were so proud of him, even though we never said anything negative about the way she was doing it. I've accepted that bike riding may never be her thing. The Easter Bunny is bring her a scooter though, we'll see how that goes

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I was just coming to post about at what age a child should be riding a bike without training wheels. I took the training wheels of my 7 year old DS's bike today and he was hysterical! I held onto him while he was riding and he was a bit wobbly and really nervous, but did okay. Then he started bawling that he wanted to go inside I feel it's important to learn how to ride a bike, but I just guess he just isn't ready yet.

He probably just need some more time! I've head that a grassy slope is a good place to learn, which we need to find for our 6yo. He's had his training wheels off since last fall and just didn't get the hang of it then. We will work with him this spring and if he doesn't get it we'll think about putting them back on for a few months and then trying again.

My other kids learned to ride without training wheels at 6, 4 1/2 and 4 1/2. The one who learned at 6 was pretty uncoordinated. Jake, my 6yo isn't, so I don't know what his issues are. He's fine with other stuff, like playing basketball, catch, etc. I guess the balance just isn't as good.

 

[Anjiebaby]

My DS 6 was still really wobbly last year and always chose his scooter instead. Well actually he chose his scooter until his best buddies mom ran over it with her car, then he tried his bike again but was too scared because of wobbles. We actually decided to move him up a size in his bike because he was riding a 12" wheel with his legs really bent and when we moved him to a 14" wheel he didn't have as much trouble. Now he whips around our neighbourhood keeping up with me.

 

[MrsJackSparrow]

I posted this on the families board also, but I figured I may get some more input here.
Does anyone have a 4.5 yr old who is not that good at riding a bike? We bought DD one last year, and she did good in the summer a little, but never wanted to ride it much. Now, its gotten warmer, she's gone out a couple times, but never wants to ride her bike much. She gets the pedals stuck in the up/down position, cuz she's going so slow, then can't get started again and gets frustrated. We've tried to help her, but she's not that willing to try it on her own. I feel bad, cuz all these kids in our neighborhood are zipping around on their bikes and I want to help her learn. Any suggestions?

Is she having less fun outside than the other kids? Maybe you should get her a bigwheel and let her ride that. My kids both have bikes and bigwheels and switch between the two. Learning to ride a bike is not fun if there is pressure. If your daughter's not interested, let it go. Maybe when she's a little older, she'll be more interested.

 

[mickeyboat]

My DD's learned without training wheels at 4.5 and 5.5. It took a while, though before they got the hang of it. I had to remind them all the time that they could maintain their balance by pedaling - I even invented a little song that I panted while I ran beside them. And I am proud to say that I (not DH) taught them.

We have a neighbor whose son is in 3rd grade and has no interest in riding a bike without training wheels. I think he is deathly afraid of falling off, but I am sure he will overcome it one of these days.

Good luck to everyone.

Denae

 

[elgerber]

My dd is 10. She managed to learn how to ride last summer in a parking lot, but she hates it! She road home about 1/4 mile from there with her dad and brother and stopped about every 100 yards and cried most of the way. She was terrified. She has not been on the thing since. Drives my DH nuts. I wish she would learn and ride, but I don't know how to really change her mind.

 

[EthansMom]

I posted this on the families board also, but I figured I may get some more input here.
Does anyone have a 4.5 yr old who is not that good at riding a bike? We bought DD one last year, and she did good in the summer a little, but never wanted to ride it much. Now, its gotten warmer, she's gone out a couple times, but never wants to ride her bike much. She gets the pedals stuck in the up/down position, cuz she's going so slow, then can't get started again and gets frustrated. We've tried to help her, but she's not that willing to try it on her own. I feel bad, cuz all these kids in our neighborhood are zipping around on their bikes and I want to help her learn. Any suggestions?

Sounds just like my DS4.5!!!! He gets stuck trying to pedal backwards, which hits the brakes and he hasn't figured out that if he pedals faster, he'll get momentum and it'll be easier to pedal. Add in the fact that DS has absolutely no desire to ride his two bikes (yes, FIL bought him a second bike because there had to be something wrong with the first one that was making it hard for DS to ride).

I'm not too concerned. DS is an excellent swimmer -- not uncoordinated in the least, so it's not a matter of physical disability. When DS complains that he can't ride a bike and his cousin (the same age) rides without training wheels, I just tell DS that if he practices a lot, he'll be able to ride just as well as his cousin.

 

[golfgal]

I was just coming to post about at what age a child should be riding a bike without training wheels. I took the training wheels of my 7 year old DS's bike today and he was hysterical! I held onto him while he was riding and he was a bit wobbly and really nervous, but did okay. Then he started bawling that he wanted to go inside I feel it's important to learn how to ride a bike, but I just guess he just isn't ready yet.

An old neighbor of ours had a similar problem with their DS. They put one training wheel back on the bike and off he rode. It was quite funny but the kid thought that the one training wheel "helped" him and that was all he needed. They eventually got that off the bike about 2 months later.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

My DD did not have the control she needed to ride until age 5 or so. I remember us all going into the woods one day with our bikes, so excited the kids could finally ride without training wheels, and she kept crashing into the bushes and crying. Luckily I still had the seat on my bike so that day she rode on that. The next summer she was completely fine riding, it just took a while to gain the balance and control. Hang in there!

 

[clarabelle]

Try lowering the seat and telling her to just put her feet down on the ground when she feels she is going to fall. Some people even remove the pedals for a little while so they can just kind of scooter it.
If the seat is up to high and they can't get a foot down sometimes it makes them feel more insecure.
When they get the hang of it you can raise the seat back up.
Ideally (after she gets the hang of it) the seat should be where the knee is slightly bent when the pedal is at its lowest position.
Try this article: http://sheldonbrown.com/teachride.html

 

[summerrluvv]

An old neighbor of ours had a similar problem with their DS. They put one training wheel back on the bike and off he rode. It was quite funny but the kid thought that the one training wheel "helped" him and that was all he needed. They eventually got that off the bike about 2 months later.

Clever! I'll have to try that

 

[Stacey2grls]

My DD almost 6 had this exact same problem at that age. It was so upseting to see her try to keep up with her older sister, and she would get so frustrated! Last summer she was in the backyard (a part of our yard is blacktop) she just got the hang of it. Ever since than she has been a speed demon! Today I took them for a walk to the park with them bike riding and me walking, well, I figured if I just walked fast I could keep up with her. Boy, was I wrong! I had to run, and boy that wasn't fun. Give her some time, and if she sticks to it, she'll get it.

 

[clh2]

I am still grateful that my DD went to "Uncle Jim's school of bike riding."

We were visiting my BIL's family, and DD was wanting to keep up with her 3 older cousins. They had extra helmets, and an extra smaller bike. Jim worked with her for about 30 minutes, and she had the hang of it.

The next week, DD kept doing loops in the driveway. (We live in the country, no sidewalks here)

DD was 5 at the time!