Any tips for teaching DD 10 to bike ride?

[golfgal]

We used a long beach towel, wrapped it around the kids' stomach and let them go. If the started to tip you could pull up on the towel. You are also not holding onto the bike so they have to learn to balance without any assistance. This took each of our kid about 3 trips down the street to catch on.

 

[disneysteve]

Have your daughter start at the top of a slightly sloped area. Have her coast down the slope with her feet not on the pedals, but down near the ground, raised just high enough to allow the bike to move without her feet stopping it. This will help her with the balance part, which seems to be what she needs. Have her do this over and over until she feels comfortable and able to balanc. Then, when she has the hang of the balance part, have her start to do it while pedaling.

For my DD it was important to separate the two parts (balance and pedaling) because she just couldn't manage them together at first.

I like this idea a lot. I will definitely try this as balance seems to be her main problem.

Thanks to everyone for all the suggestions. And I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one with this problem (although it doesn seem to be a NJ phenomenon )

 

[disneylizzy]

My three kids (7, 6, and 5) all ride without training wheels. They learned on bikes that were actually too small for them. When they started to lean, the bike was so small that they were able to put their feet down to prevent themselves from falling.

If you have younger kids to pass it down to, buy a smaller size bike than the one she is trying to learn on. A smaller bike makes it so much easier to learn. Good luck - what a great feeling of accomplishment when she learns!!

 

[Adventurejimbob]

I had the same problem with my DD and this method worked like a charm...

Have your daughter start at the top of a slightly sloped area. Have her coast down the slope with her feet not on the pedals, but down near the ground, raised just high enough to allow the bike to move without her feet stopping it. This will help her with the balance part, which seems to be what she needs. Have her do this over and over until she feels comfortable and able to balanc. Then, when she has the hang of the balance part, have her start to do it while pedaling.

For my DD it was important to separate the two parts (balance and pedaling) because she just couldn't manage them together at first. Now she rides very well and has no problems.

Good luck!

This is exactly my DS's problem. He needs to separate balance and pedaling since he can't do either one. This suggestion is great, we're definitely going to try it. If I can convince him to get back on the bike!

These ideas are all great. Thanks Steve for posting this, I thought I was the only one with a child who couldn't ride a bike.

Edited to add: Posted by J's m, I though I was signed in, but it was DS.

 

[elgerber]

These ideas are all great. Thanks Steve for posting this, I thought I was the only one with a child who couldn't ride a bike.

Nope, you are for sure not the only one. My dd is 10, and doesn't want to learn. We got her to try a few times last year, and she actually was able to finally ride. But, she is so terrified of falling that she doesn't want to do it at all. She hates every second of it. I am not all that concerned actually, if she doesn't learn, life will not end, but dh really thinks she needs to.

 

[Snow Brite]

My DD was like this to. She tried and tried for many summers and then was so upset when her little brother just took off one day without his training wheels.

The slightly sloping grassy area was a huge help, because she didn't have to worry about falling. I also tinkered with her seat, handlebars, etc to get the most comfortable setting for her to be in control. And like someone else said, she practiced coasting and balancing without pedaling first, then after about 20 times with that she started the pedaling and braking too.

She still isnt that good at it, but she can keep up if she has too.

 

[Ronda93]

someone mentioned physics... a young friend of mine was afraid of speed. He crashed once and then wouldn't "get going" again. I pulled out a gyroscope, gave the string a pull. I explained how things that spin have balance all their own. His bike wheels would be the same way. We watched the gyro slow and fall and he rode off.

 

[elan]

Get her a scooter if she doens't have one. She can control the speed and learn to balance without the fear of falling off her bike. We thought my ds would never ride a bike and a friend suggested a scooter. After she rides the scooter for a couple of weeks you'll know when it's time to put her back on her bike.