Learning to ride a bike

Baya had a new bike for Christmas, and while she’s been out a couple of times on it, we’re desperate for some warmer weather so it’s a little more enjoyable! I found that picture above – it must be two or three years ago, I can’t get over how little she was! That was her first bike, and now she has a shiny pink BMX that she is SO proud of! My kids all love going out on their bikes – Beastie has one of these ToddleBikes that he literally goes everywhere on. It means we get stopped loads when we’re in the shops, by every old lady who tells me how cute he is!

I can still remember learning to ride my bike, in the back lane behind my Dad’s house, in fact, I still have the scar on my leg where I fell off and cut all my leg on the gravel. As a teen, I loved the freedom that a bike gave me – I could get out, visit friends, go to town, all so easily, and for the few years I was working before I got married, it was my daily transport to and from work each day. I keep thinking about getting a bike again, though in reality, what I’d opt for is an electric bike ha! Takes the hard work out of it…

We’ve always encouraging the girls to learn to ride a bike, here are a few tips for helping your kiddo to learn…

1| Start them off young – Beastie loves the toddlebike { a fab pre-balance bike for toddlers} and I need to get in the shed to find out the balance bike for him to progress onto – they are a great way to get kids used to cycling – and can sometimes mean they can skip the whole stabiliser phase.

2| There is no right or wrong age – some kids are ready at three and a half, others when they’re seven – though five seems to be an average age.

3| head to the park – we’ve always found the park a good place for ours to practice – the short grass is easy to ride on, and cushions any falls more than the path would. A nice wide space is good too.

4| Find a slope – we started ours off on a gentle slope, feet help above the pedals, getting the hang of balancing, then practicing braking when they want to stop.

5| Practice starting off – once they have the hang of balancing and braking, get them to practice starting off – with the pedals in the right place, hang on to the back of the seat while they get themselves going.

6| Have fun! Practice makes perfect – keep it light and fun while they get their confidence.