How do you teach a child to pedal a bike?

[Jenn Lynn]

DD has a bike with training wheels and loves to ride it...with me pushing her. I don't know how to teach her to pedal.

Does anyone have any tips/tricks?

Thanks!

 

[ckay87]

Don't push her

No, really, I just think this is one of the many things that they have to figure out on their own. You have to just tell her to push down with her feet - or whatever she'll understand - and she'll feel it out on her own and evenutually get it. It seems impossible to you, but this is one of those examples that show how truly brilliant kids are. How did you "teach" her to talk? She pretty much figured it out on her own, didn't she?

Swinging is the same thing. Nothing you can do to teach them really, but they will sort it out on their own.

And hey before you know it, it'll be driving!!

 

[Beth76]

I agree with the above poster. I just got a bike for my 3yo son and it took him a few days to figure it out. Move her feet on the pedals so that she knows how it feels. The rest she's just going to have to figure it out on her own. You may also want to tell her to rock forward, kind of like putting her body weight into it. She'll get it don't worry. Sometimes I do have to give him a little help to get started if he's going up hill, but just a little nudge.

 

[Rock'n Robin]

It can take time. My son will be 6 next week and he pedals all right, but way too slow--if we took the training wheels off he'd fall over. All my kids pick up skills like that (bike riding, tying shoes) later--there is a boy on the next street, same age, who rides his bike and plays hockey on inline skates!
Robin M.

 

[Chrissi Pooh]

The only thing I would add is to make sure that your dd has her feet on the pedals and push her a few more times to make sure she realizes what should happen and maybe push her slow enough that she maybe tries to help you move those pedals with you. She will get it, my dd picked it right up around 2 yrs old and funny thing she just learned how to pump her legs to get the swing going yesterday she turned 5 in April!!!

Good luck!