Does anyone have any tips for teaching my 3 years old to ride a bike?

that’s young for a two wheeler even with stablisers.just keep running beside and holding the bike. He’ll get it but not for awhile. One day, he’ll just take off like magic and then you can remove the stabilisers.

If he doesn’t get how to pedal yet, you might want to go with a tricycle for a while. Pretty sure I was still on a big-wheel at that age. Didn’t get a bike til probably 6.

It sounds as if he never even had a tricycle since he seems unfamiliar with how the momentum works. I’m not speaking so much of comprehension as of muscle memory in terms of pedaling.

Learning this at the same time as mastering the primary skill for a bicycle (balancing) is most likely rather daunting.

Are there any kids in your extended family (nieces, nephews) who have outgrown their tricycles or even a friend or neighbor from whom you could borrow a trine for a few weeks? That might be a better start for him.

Most kids are a bit older before tackling the intricacies of bicycle riding balance and steering.

I’m not saying it would be impossible for him at his young age, just that it is a steeper learning curve and may be more frustrating than pleasurable.

Well I see that Sharp typed faster and more succinctly than I.

Great minds and all that…

We used training wheels on our daughters 2 -wheelers.

We started with them flush on the ground then raised them up as the girls learned.

Fully up they allow the bike to tip side to side without falling so the girls learned balance.

Perhaps you have to wait a year or so until his leg muscles are stronger…as well as his sense of balance. No need to rush things.

I was on a trike until I was 4, then I got a Princess Big Wheel (pink, of course. :P). I didn’t get a real bike until I was 6 and had the proper hand/eye/foot coordination. He may not yet be ready for a two-wheeler.

Try getting him to sit on it and then pushing it for him, so that he understands how his legs are supposed to be moving. I think once he passes that hurdle he’ll be fine. I started riding a 2-wheeler when I was really young, I was in kindergarden I think. How old is that again?? A trike really isn’t that different than a bike with training wheels, though, so I don’t think you need to put him on a trike so long as he’s not afraid of falling of the bike!

I only learned to ride the bike somewhere between age 6–8, why does a 3 year old need to learn this? He’ll figure it out when he’s ready.

There’s a lot going on in terms of muscle coordination to push pedals around…remembering that running and jumping is still a bit of a novelty at that age.

Our daughter got it eventually (she is 3.5, and started just before her third birthday, so their ages are similar) but it took probably 7 brief tries (10–15 minutes) on and off over a month or so before she really got it.

Also for a three year old just playing with the legs going forwards and backwards can be as interesting as going forwards as we want them to. So perhaps let him mess around a bit at first. We then walked with her so we kept the forward motion going, while encouraging her to keep the pedals turning in the right direciton. She kept intermitent breaking at first. Also, as soon as she started getting annoyed we stopped. The main thing is that it should be thought of as fun to be on a bike. The peddling then comes naturally eventually.

Best of luck!

here in Sweden most kids are cycling with training wheels at 3, but some are even off the training wheels by that age. Pretty amazing to see a barely three year old shooting around balancing on a two wheeler next to their Mom and Dad as they all cycle down the bike path

Our daughter just turned four. We have been working on the tricycle with her since she was two and she just “got it” late this summer.

I remember my dad helping me ride around the block on a bike with training wheels at about age 4. He pushed me and I just left my feet on the pedals until I got the basic idea.

My 4yr old has zero interest in riding, and though his muscles are developed through dance, he cannot balance while pushing the pedals at all.

for fear of being hauled to the coals by various people for being a pushy mother… I got the bike off freecycle and it was advertised for a 3–4 year old…so I presumed they would be able to grasp this concept at this age. Obviously not.

I shall forthwith start looking for a tricycle

-@lynneblundell – Lurve for the freecycle lurve! Perhaps after a bit on the trike, he’ll be ready for a two-wheeler, you never know. All children are different. :)

@lynneblundell Does you son show interest in riding? My son has a pedal car (a really nice one that was a gift) and a big wheel…he wants neither. (Too bad we don’t live nearby)

@lynneblundell I wouldn’t dream of raking you over the coals, but that does tend to happen, doesn’t it? People tend to get a bit judgmental about how they think other’s are raising their children. Which is really the best way to start a fight.

Now I miss my bigwheel! Do they make them adult-sized too?

@lynneblundell You are not a pushy mother! If he likes the bike, keep doing what you’re doing. He’ll get it eventually and he’ll have a good time figuring it out, too.

I know several kids who were riding a two-wheeler at age 3, without training wheels.
—Use a tiny bike, so the kid can sit and still reach the ground with both feet. Some will tell you the bike is too small, but for learning purposes that’s exactly what you want. I recommend thrift stores for tiny bikes, it seems like they are always available.
—Never hold the bike, hold their shoulders so they learn to balance.
—A gentle slope helps.
—As others mentioned, kids will learn to ride when they want to. Some simply aren’t interested. Parents, siblings & peers on bikes are the most effective lures, the little ones want to keep up!
—Have fun!! The day my father passed away, the first thing I thought of was the moment he took off my training wheels. Forty years later, I’m still riding. Thanks, Dad!

As with most things bicycle, the late great Sheldon Brown wrote some advice:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/teachride.html

@lynneblundell You’re not being pushy at all. All three of my children started on little bicycles with training wheels at the age of three. It just takes time and patience.

In my neighborhood, most people teach their children between the age 3 to 5.

We have found particular help from a specific type of bicycle: one with two wheels (no side wheels) but also without pedals. Both our children started out at age two with small bikes with training wheels. The problem with these training wheels, is it teaches the kids to keep the bike straight up, also in corners. (If they don’t then, they’ll tip over, which through pain is a great incentive to keep the bike straight up.)

This reflex to keep the bicycle straight makes it harder for the kids to switch to one without the trainer wheels. That is where this specific type without pedals comes in. It is easy for them to pick up, therefore it is fun and it teaches them the most important element of riding a bicycle: keeping your balance.

Here is a picture of a bike that is similar to the one we had. Try it – it really does wonders and takes the pain away from training for the bicycle. (Ours has left our house and went on to help other kids. So far I know of at least 8 families that used it and all are excited about the effects.) I don’t know about availability of these types around where you live, but ours costed less that 30 euros.

BTW
Einstein said something akin to: “life is like riding a bicycle, you need to keep moving to keep your balance.”

@lynneblundell I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to making you sound like a pushy mother. Maybe I came of a bit snappy, but I just wanted to be to the point (for once), not hurtful. Everyone wants to be the best parent they can be, and sometimes it’s hard not to buckle under the pressure that is: other kids developing faster in a particular area (whose parents never tell you what their kid sucks at, btw). From what I’m reading on Fluther you seem to be doing great. I stand by my answer, I just wish I had formulated it differently.

My son edited the MassBike Newsletter for several years. He put this on the masthead;

“When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race.” – H.G. Wells

My grandson’s live the Smart Cycle Extreme . They can’t ride a bike yet, but they are learning the concept of pedaling and steering in a safe environment.

@lynneblundell My kids were all about three when they got their first bikes. Small, with training wheels (which is what I think you must mean by stabilizers?), and easy to manage.

The hard part is waiting until they get the hang of pedaling. It’s one of those things that just has to “click.” If your son hasn’t had a tricycle or some other kind of pedal-powered toy, it might take quite a few tries before he suddenly gets it. I think practicing inside is a good idea, and then once he has the pedaling motion down, take him outside. He’ll go very slowly at first, which will make it easier for you to walk along beside or behind him. He’ll probably need a little push to get the bike moving. Even with training wheels, they can tip over if they try to turn too hard. He’ll probably look at his feet instead of where he’s going, and you can be right there to help guide him. He’ll have to learn to steer, which is another thing that kids just have to “get” before it becomes second nature. You’ll probably remind him seven hundred and twelve times to watch where he’s going and not turn too fast. :)

My youngest was three the summer before last, and spent several weeks practicing on his bike, off and on, but never really felt confident enough to do more than ride in a straight line for a while (after a push from me to get him started), get off, turn the bike around, and ride back the way he came. This past summer, he did much better. He could ride all around the driveway without a push from me to get going from a stand-still, rode in circles around my car, and figured out how to break by pedaling backwards. He liked for me to ride my bike around the driveway too, so he could follow me. A huge difference from last summer!

Just give your son time, and if he gets frustrated or tired of the bike, let him take a break for a while. Odds are the bike won’t be too small for him for another year or two, and by then he’ll have the hang of it. Once he really gets going, probably age 6 or 7, he won’t need the training wheels any more. The time frame just depends on his own level of coordination and how much practice he gets. My other son took a bit longer to be comfortable on a bike, while my daughter has been biking like a champ since she was six.

Have fun!

I bought a tricycle for my grandson, and I put it out for him to play with at his own convenience. He gets on it once in a while, and puts his feet on the pedals, but he’s not ready to ride yet. When I offer to push it for him, he says “NO” and gets off.

I was just surfing from my homepage, when I came across the attached bizare video. Don’t know whether it would work for you, nor whether it is actually for sale. (And I would surely not buy it.)

It is a curious invention though, that makes me think only in America

The site is in Dutch, the audio of the clip in English.

@whitenoise That is very cool, but another blog I saw gives the price for the 12 inch wheel at $100! I wonder how much the 16 inch wheel or entire bike would cost. Learning to ride might be safer and faster, but where’s the lesson in perseverance? What will kids have to be proud of if they don’t earn a few scars along the way? ;) I know you aren’t in favor of this product, and I agree.

I remember when my daughter was learning to ride without training wheels, she took a couple of falls that nearly gave me heart attacks. Each time, she got right back on the bike to try again, even when she once banged her leg on the bike hard enough to make her cry. She was so proud of herself, and I will never forget the look on her face once she really got the hang of it.

@MissAusten

I agree… you painted a beautiful mental tableau.

You don’t want that taken away by an ugly battery controlled bicycle that your child may fall off of, but then will continue on its own.

thank you all.. x

The best way we found to teach our youngest son was to take him to a not-too-steep grassy hill and take him just part way up the hill. We then got him to coast down without pedalling and his legs out for balancing. As he got his balance we took him further and further up the hill. When he felt confident enough he started to just put his feet on the pedals and then eventually pedal. I think he learned in about an hour of practising.

I wish we had tried this with our older two kids. It was by far and away the fastest and the safest way to teach them how to ride.

Update from my November entry @YARNLADY above, he has learned to start at the top of our slightly downhill drive way and coast, with his feet on the pedals, down to the gate we installed to keep him out of the street.

thank you @tranquilsea I’ve not done anything with Theo since I last posted on here… with the weather getting nicer I shall be able to take him out soon and do something similar… x

@YARNLADY :-)

Have a good time with it. I hope the little tyke does well :-)