Whats a good way to teach a scared girl how to ride a bike?

Question

My daughter wants her training wheels off but last summer when we tried to take them off she got to scared and dad and I dont know how to really teach her. She is very cautious and when she gets scared she stops and wants to give up. We dont really let her give up but after several lessons we decided that maybe it was too early ( she was 5 then) and to try again this summer. Does any one have tips or pointers on how to teach her this.

Also we are working on roller skating but this is another thing that she worries about falling, she wants to roller skate but as soon as she gets wobbley she starts crying and says she doesnt want to do it anymore. How do we help her build up her confidence and get over her fears?

Answer 1

My kids liked the scooter better because they felt like they had more control because they could just stand on their free foot.

Maybe try teaching her the scooter first, or roller skating where it is 2 sets of 2 wheels so that she has more balance.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Well...

Maybe  the way that I was taught.

Aha.

I was terrified and my father just pushed me down a hill.

>_<

It's unethical.

Answer 3

take it slow and let her build confidence as she goes.  hold her while she rides for awhile.....make sure there are no cars and soft grass if she falls

Answer 4

What my dad did was leave the training wheels on. Then each week raise one wheel on the training wheels just a bit (so she will be using 3 wheels), if she starts to fall the wheel will catch her. Leave that for a week or so then do the other side. Keep raising the wheels each week til she really isnt using them any more. It takes a while but just stay with it.

Answer 5

I think you did the right thing - you listened to what your child was really saying. She wants to ride a 2 wheeled bike because today kids ride two wheelers when they are 4-6 years old.

When I was a kid, people didn't move to 2 wheelers until they were 6-8.

So this summer, you could consider a few ideas.

- she tries it and if she has the same reaction, you tell her it's OK to be cautious. She'll ride her bike when she's ready. You could even explain the advantages of caution. She should be prepared that when other kids say something she responds with something like "I'm a cautious child" or "I like to be careful". But this option means it has to be OK with you for her to not reach this milestone yet.

- let her try on the grass so that if she falls, it won't hurt so much.

- instead of removing her training wheels, just raise them a bit. This will help her get used to the tippy feeling without the resulting crash and pain.

- you could rig up a piece of fabric and run it under the seat bar of the bike. You could hold one side and your child's other parent could hold the other. You could run alongside her. This will prevent the bike from crashing but it will allow the tippiness, which she needs to accept.

- you could play games where she tips and you catch her. Then you could tell her this is what happens on a bike. She will tip and catch herself.

Hope this helps.

-

Answer 6

Definitely pads and helmet for roller skating - assuming she's doing it on a hard surface, it hurts if you fall over!

She's still only little. I really wouldn't worry yet - just keep having occasional little goes. And some kids are just much slower to get it than others!

Answer 7

Try lowering the seat (or having her practice on a bike that's slightly too small for her) so her feet can easily touch the ground on both sides.  That way, when she gets nervous, all she has to do is put her feet down.  It's not scary at all, and with the fear factor gone, some kids can learn faster.   I know some 2-year-olds who could already ride bikes because they learned that way.

Answer 8

Hold her when she gets on, tell her "You can do it, just look far away, think that I'm holding you." all over again until she can finally do it.

Answer 9

Find a level, smooth place, like a parking lot. If you could get on one side and dad could get on the other side, each of you hold onto the ends of the handlebar while your daughter sits on the bike. SLOWLY start walking forward, keeping the bike steady and upright while your daughter pedals and gets the feel of how the bike balances.

You can keep doing this, back and forth, working toward not so much holding ONTO the handlebars as just keeping your hands there to keep things steady, giving your daughter more and more control of the bike while she keeps pedaling and learning to balance.

DON'T pad her up with knee pads and elbow pads -- this makes her feel like it's already dangerous. A helmet is okay (though I never wore any of that stuff as a kid and I'm alive today, without skull fractures).

When I first learned to ride a bike, I was about 6 and practiced in the backyard -- on grass -- in Florida. By the following year, I was riding my bike to school -- and I never used training wheels.