Would You "Make" You Child Learn How To Ride A Bike?

[stego]

I haven't taken my son fishing. He doesn't play on the little league team. I've noticed that I've "nourished" him in activities I enjoyed growing up. Non-team sports, bore easily with fishing, etc. Bike riding isn't one, though.

He was riding at about the same age I was, 4yo. We got him the 20" bike for xmas when he was 7. He got on, was a little scared, but 15 minutes later was racing around showing the other kids.

Go figure.

For years, when I go walking and jogging in the evening, he's riding his bike alongside. I guess the only reason I don't see parents out with their kids in the evening is because they're at some kind of practice.
Last year we decided to sign him up for an extra curricular activity.
He picked the drums.

Just like Freddie Mercury sings: get on your bike and ride!

As I've shared in the WISH board, I got a bike for my 40th birthday, so I could ride with my son and wife.

Just keep practicing. They'll eventually get it.

Good luck!

 

[elgerber]

I am so glad to find this thread. My dd is 8 and she can't ride her bike either. Up until this spring, she wanted nothing to do it. This year she seemed to want to, and we went once to try to learn, and she didn't get very far. We hoped since she was 8 now, it would be easy, but it wasn't. She has no since of balance. I have no idea if she'll learn this year or not. I know I learned pretty late, and I'm still a very cautious biker. My son learned before he started Kindergarten, and taught himself, so this is very different for us.


Erika

 

[Cindy B]

We taught my son on a baseball diamond with grass. My DH would have him go to first base w/o stopping, then 2nd, then 3rd.., etc

He was afraid of the street and sidewalk, so that was the motivating factor.

With my daughter we couldnt' use the baseball diamond/park method (moved away), so we used our backyard.

She really didn't want any parts of the training wheels, so she refused to use them. We took them off at a early age (mayb late 4/early 5) She started on her 12 /14 inch bike without training wheels (Sure she looked silly, but thats how she wanted it). She got a 16 inch bike from her cousin, and she on her own went from the little to the big. (This just happened in the past month or so.)