My Daughter Is Having a Difficult Time Riding Her Bike Without Training Wheels, Any Suggestions?

Question

My Daughter Is Having a Difficult Time Riding Her Bike Without Training Wheels, Any Suggestions?

Answer 1

I never tried this idea with my kids but I heard it has been effective. Take the training wheels and PEDALS off. Help your daughter learn balance and bike handling without worrying about pedaling. When she looks and feels confident, put the pedals back on and she should be ready to fly. Like I said, I've never tried it, my kids learned the old-fashioned way, but I spend hours on my bike every day and it sounds like a good idea.

Answer 2

Let her push it around while straddling it *without pedals.* Or, get her a little scooter - Razor or something and let her learn balance with that. It shouldn't take her long to figure out how to steer to balance. Once she learns balance on one, she'll have it for both.

Answer 3

just be patient and be sure she is wearing all her padding and the proper shoes it just takes time before she'll get it and after you've ran with her a few times run with her again but then just let go ...

Answer 4

just keep holding on the seat and stearing wheel next to her and help! shell get there! make sure she believes she can do it and not to get frustrated! good luck :)

Answer 5

Just went through this, too.  Took a week.  First few days, I ran beside her while holding onto the seat and letting her see that my hand was resting near the handlebars.  We started out on the street, riding for two houses (about 100 yards) -- a large oval without a turn.  We'd ride for two houses, stop, turnaround, and come back.  Call that a loop.  I did two loops the first day, both in the a.m. and in the p.m.  The next day, I asked her to ride for three houses, and we did three loops.  Again, twice a day.  My routine was, in the a.m. and in the p.m.  And each day, I added a house.  Without telling her, I pulled my hand away.  Now she was steering by herself.  I gradually let go of the seat, but didn't tell her, but I kept my hand close.  By the end of a week, riding twice a day, and adding to the length each day and adding loops each day, we made it to the end of the street, a cul de sac, where I taught her to do a turn.  I had to run with her through the cul de sac, but after a couple of days she learned to do it without my help,. same as before:  pulled my hands away without telling her.  Same thing about holding on to handlebars and seat.  After a week, we moved to a large parking lot with no cars.  That's when she really took off.  She loved it, and we began to experiment with ovals and figure 8s and circles.  By the time we reached the parking lot, I had quit running along side the bike.  She was on her own, other than with starting.  Her confidence shot through the roof after one hour on the lot, didn't want to quit.  Overall, in that first week, she crashed s only 2-3 times, and learned that crashing isn't so bad.  For my daughter, who is timid, I had to walk her once or twice or thrice each time I added something new -- going up and down curbs, for example.  I would put her on the bike, hold the seat and handle bars, tell her to do the same, and let her feel what it felt like to ride in a circle or to ride curbs.  Overall, I ran alot that first week, would have to stop and pant every few minutes, but now she's doing great.  Again, my daughter is timid.  But it's been three weeks now since we started and we ride the neighborhood together, both of us on bikes.  What a thrill.  The first week I was breathless, all that running, but I took it in stages, and each day I added something new.  For example, she had to learn left and right turns.  She had to do figure 8s.  She had to stop properly, not just hopping off the bike while it was moving, but riding the brakes until she came to a complete stop.  She had to push off from a dead stop using first one leg then another.  Each day, another stage, another request for something new.  Overall, that first week was spent increasing distance and making the turn through the culdesac.  By the end of the first week, I ran only half way with her, long before she reached the cul de sac.  But she didn't need me anymore.  And I never ran with her in the parking lot.  I think riding in the street concerned her more because a car might come by.  It rarely did, but it was in her thoughts.  The parking lot of a school that is closed for the summer worked great.  She could see everything.  I know that sometimes in the process she would tell me that something was hard but I would always make her try it anyway with my assistance, to help her see that the idea of what I was suggesting was far scarier than the actual thought.  I think the biggest thing was getting her to believe in herself.  And the repeitition.  Up until three weeks ago, we dabbled at it, and always seemed to get nowhere.  Three weeks ago, I made it my mission, so we rode twice a day, and I found that that helped a lot.

Answer 6

I have been through this twice, just be patient, keep the training wheels on for a while. Maybe once a week, I would put my son in full hockey / rollerblading pads. I would run beside the bike and launch him. It took a few days, but he got used to crashing and not getting hurt.

Answer 7

In the words of the Prophet Lance, "Pain is temporary, but quitting last a lifetime." Tell her to saddle that bike and get her ride on.

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