What Are We Doing Wrong? How Can We Teach My 5 Year Old to Ride His Bike?

This is going to sound weird, but I wish I could say my son can't ride without training wheels! =-) My 5 y/o son will not even get on his bike AT ALL. His friends ride their bikes around the neighborhood but he is perfectly content on his plasma car. We're a bike riding family but I figure as long as I don't push him, he will come around eventually.

By the way my daughter wasn't riding without training wheels until she was 7, and she was never teased.

The suggestions you received below are good!

Best of luck!

3 moms found this helpful

If you or your husband are tool handy take off the training wheels and pedals/chain. Let your kid just use his feet for pushing and balance eventually he will start picking his feet up more and coasting. Once the balance is fully established put the pedals/chain back on and he should be going strong. It usually doesnt take that long.

3 moms found this helpful

My son had a bigger bike with training wheels and got frustrated easily when trying to learn so we put the bike away for awhile and got a razor scooter. he rode that alot and learned to balance on it and then he picked up the bike really easily.

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My 4 year old just learned to ride. We started trying to teach him last summer. The trick that finally worked was getting (off the curb for free) a bike that is too small for him. That was a month ago. He was much more confident when he was able to put his feet firmly on the ground. First we had him push off an coast. Then, when he was confident with that we had him try the peddles. At first we had to help him get started but after a few days he got the hang of that. Soon we will try putting him on the bike we originally bought that is the right size. We never allowed him to use the training wheels, because based on his personality we knew he'd never quit using them if we put them on in the first place.

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Here is the way to do it:

Take him to a small grassy hill and tell him to go down with his feet out to the side-just balancing, Send him down this way until he is comfortable. Then find a little steeper hill and do the same thing. Then go back to the smaller hill and tell him to now pedal. Practice this for a while. Once you get him to a sidewalk he should be good to go. Both of my boys learned this way in about an hour. Its all about the balance and this method teaches that. I dound it online when my oldest was struggling to learn. I was doing the old follow behind holding his seat and letting go and he just wasn't getting the hang of it. When I tried the above method it worked right away.

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Have you tried practicing on a small hill? A guy at the bike store recommended it.
Is he really wanting to learn or are you guys pushing it because you are afraid he will be teased? He may not be ready. Our son was 7 and we didn't even try until he expressed a desire to learn. Our twins are 5 1/2 and still use training wheels. We haven't even attempted teaching them to ride without t. wheels because they aren't ready.

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My first daughter learned at 6 the other at 7 yr old. Your son is still young. We took our daughters to a parking lot to learn and they both could just ride. However with my youngest daughter, I tried to teach her on the sidewalk and it was a disaster. Yet when we went to a parking lot there was no problems although she had no control over where the bike took her:0) Steering seemed to more of the issue than balance although she could not do either on the sidewalk. Go to a parking lot.

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You might try one of the European non pedal bikes, like the Like-a-bike (just google it). They are supposed to teach balance really well and be easier to learn on. Good luck, that is our goal for this Spring also.

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My older daughter rode without training wheels 2 months before her 4th birthday. My younger daughter was almost 7. We tried and tried too, but it was too frustrating. I would say keep the seat as low as possible so his feet can touch and let him coast around like that on the sidewalk, to see how to balance. Save the pedaling for later. Make sure his bike isn't too big for him. The smaller the better when they're learning. He just may not be ready yet. Kids learn at all different ages. I hope he doesn't get teased.

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Take the training wheels and pedals off of his bike. Have him push it around with his feet (this method works better if the bike is a little small for him because he can reach the ground easier). We had our son practice almost daily for about 15 minutes a day for two weeks. We told him after the fact, that every time he lifted his legs, he was riding a two wheeler. He was riding independently in 20 minutes when we put the pedals back on. It took some time for him to learn to stop well, so wear old shoes. And when he moved up to the bike that fit him, that slowed him down a little too, because he couldn't reach things as well. He learned to do this the summer after he turned 4. We learned the method because his cousin who is 8 months younger, not very athletic or adventurous, learned to ride a two wheeler before our son. Her mother used this method. And she said everyone in her neighborhood has done it this way.

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No. My son didn't learn until he was 6.5.
I don't think it is unusual at all.

Who is doing the teasing??

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I don't know, but don't feel bad - my son was the same way, this spring (he is now 8) he just took off and rides everywhere now!

1 mom found this helpful

I have four kids, not one of them learned to ride a bike until they had a friend to ride with them. Sometimes peer pressure is a good thing. It is kinda odd but even a bully will not tease a kid for not being able to ride a bike. At least I have never heard of it. Even random kids on the bike paths would stop and give my kids advice on how to stay up better.

I don't know why this happens, I guess there is something special about bikes.

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Let him go down a grassy hill. Thats how my 2 oldest figured it out all on their own. My youngest has no interest for bikes all he wants is his scooter, roller blades and ice skates.

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As others have mentioned I would encourage him to walk the bike (sit on his bike and use his feet instead of pedaling to move the bike with or without pedals) with no training wheels until he can find balance. Then encourage him to lift his feet and coast a little. A small bike low to the ground where he can use his feet to catch him if he falls will give him some security.

I got my son a Strider Bike off of craiglists (its a balance bike) 3 months ago when he just turned 3. He is can now ride a 2 wheeler at almost 3.5 just fine.

I haven't had anyone tease my little guy at all! In fact, the older kids are really interested in the no pedal bike and "want to try it". I wouldn't worry about it, every kid acquires skills at different times. I think I was closer to 7 when I rode my 2 wheeler. I never even had a bike with training wheels (just a trike). My friends Dad said oh you can do it and pushed me down his driveway and the rest is history. Maybe its worth taking a break for awhile just so he doesn't get so flustered. Unless he's really wanting to learn, then I would definitely try the walking instead of pedaling for awhile! Good Luck

Here's a link so you can see what myself and others are describing...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5J4VTIGYC90&feature=re...

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I would do like Sarah K mentioned... Take the pedals off the bike. I did this with my 3 year old brother, and in one week he had the balance down, and the next week he was riding without training wheels. He's almost 5 now, and is already starting to do little 'tricks'.

My 7 yo grandson cannot ride a bike in spite of much effort trying to teach him. We've been told, after an evaluation for other physical concerns, that he has a developmental issue that causes the two sides of his body to be unable to co-ordinate with each other. Physical therapy may help.

His sister had difficulty learning to ride a bike also with lots of help. I bought her a bike without trainingg wheels for my house and in an afternoon, with very little help, she'd mastered the skill. I think it's possible to give too much help. I also think that their body has to be mature enough to manage balancing. She was 9 when she learned.

I learned to ride a bike when I was 10 without using training wheels. From watching my grandchildren I think the training wheels get in the way of learning out to balance the bike.

5 is awfully young to have tried this for 2 summers. He is just not ready. I nanny for a family and the little boy will be 7 this fall. he just learned. His dad ran along beside him holding the seat for a while. I can't do that. (I am old and fat lol) But I did hold the bike still so he could get used to the seat and then I gave him a good push. he has to look up and out not down at his feet. have him start with the pedal up so his first movement is to push down. remind him to keep looking forward. and make sure the bike is the right size. if its too big he won't be able to do it and same goes if its too small. good luck and let him have the training wheels a little longer if he needs them.

My third child, a boy, was the same way. His stopping method was to steer into the side of the house or garage, when he hit the house or garage, he'd fall to the grass, bike and all, and then get off the bike. One day, his older brother, who is 6 years older, was going to go bike riding with a friend and little brother, who was 5 or 6 at the time, wanted to go along. Older brother told him he had to ride his own bike, so older brother plopped younger brother on younger brother's bike, gave him a push and told him to keep up. Little brother kept up and learned how to ride the bike. They had a few funny stories that they brought back from that bike ride, but little brother enjoyed every minute of his bike learning experience and of that bike ride.

My daughter (5) took her training wheels off first chance she got in March. We have been trying to "get it"...my husband told her to leave one foot on the pedal and one on the groud to push herself and gain speed...it works until she realizes shes got it then she loses all focus and bam she's on the grouund.

I have 4 children and my 2nd child didn't ride a bike until she was 7! She's very bright but didn't care to learn until then. Then there is my oldest than learned at age 5 and my son at age 4. My point being that all kids learn at different ages and that's ok. Of course as aprents, we want to protect our kids from everything and even worry about teasing :-)

Anyways, when my children did learn they all learned by riding down a small grassy hill. They didn't go on harder surfaces, like cement, until they had it down on grass.

Good luck. He'll get it :-D

Updated

I have 4 children and my 2nd child didn't ride a bike until she was 7! She's very bright but didn't care to learn until then. Then there is my oldest than learned at age 5 and my son at age 4. My point being that all kids learn at different ages and that's ok. Of course as aprents, we want to protect our kids from everything and even worry about teasing :-)

Anyways, when my children did learn they all learned by riding down a small grassy hill. They didn't go on harder surfaces, like cement, until they had it down on grass.

Good luck. He'll get it :-D

He is not too old. Many 5 year olds don't know how to ride. I think most learn around 6, so don't worry yet.

We taught my 5 year old on a track at teh elementary school on the weekend on a 12 inch bike (I think, it was really little and too little for her, but it was easier than a big bike). we had to do some "good cop, bad cop" - she would get easily frustrated with my husband or get bored after 5 minutes and want to stop. And I would come in and say, "I'll help you, but if you don't try, then Daddy is going to do it." We also said there would be no big girl bike until she learned.

We weren't really as mean as I make it sound, but she really wasn't trying. We ran along side her, no training wheels, small bike, and didn't let go for a long time. Once she got moving, she got the hang of it in 3 minutes.

he won't get teased. we tried last year when my kids were 5 and it was a no go. we really gave it a try. it just didn't work and there were tears involved too.
this year, we went and measured them for new bikes. got the new bikes. they got on their seats, while one of us was holding the seat and they started paddling. they fell a few times (almost not really). we did that throughout the day. the next day, same thing, but one learned how to ride. the other one took a few days. they're six. so just holding their seats worked.

We bought this "balance bike" it's a wooden bike with no pedals. Our daughter rode this for about 3 months on a semi daily basis. What this bike did was help them learn their balance. Because they are pushing the 2 wheeled bike with their feet, as they go faster they take longer strides, having both feet off the ground.
After this bike, we took her out on a pedal bike w/o training wheels and after 15 min, she was off, and has never looked back. She had just turned 4.
Here's a site
http://www.kidsbalancebikes.com/
This is not where we bought ours...... (we r currently living in SH, and they are all the rage here)
IT's worth the money!

Our daughter was 5 when she learned how. She was so frustrated as well. We ran behind her and tried to get her on course, but nothing seemed to work. We then drove to a very large business parking lot on the weekend. Within an hour she learned how to ride. The issue was that they have so many things running through their mind at first -- balance, steering and gaining confidence that it was difficult to do all 3 when there are curbs, uneven sidewalks or grass distracting the natural progression of the balance. It will take a few times going behind them until they get their balance, but once they do, it all starts clicking from there. In our case, our daughter would think about the other facets of learning how that she would forget to steer. On an open parking lot, this was not an issue as she did not worry about running into anything. This also helps give them and you time to teach them how to stop (either the brake or back pedaling) without worrying about running into something first. Give it a try. We swear by this method.

I have twin boys who just turned 6 and can't ride yet. Give it time, it will come.

Is he trying to learn because he wants to, or because you want him to? My mom really wanted me to learn all the typical kid stuff on, or ahead of, schedule. The schedule was in her head, though; it didn't seem to matter to my friends whether I could jump rope or ride without training wheels. I remember how frustrated and anxious her urging made me feel. When she wasn't looking or teaching me was when I actually made my best advances.

This article on praise and motivation may be helpful to you: http://nymag.com/news/features/27840/

Why would he get teased? I learned around age 7 and that was back when everyone was outside all the time playing and riding bikes. My own son learned just after he turned 6 and his sister (the natural athlete!) learned at age 4. My youngest was almost 8 when she learned. Just leave it alone for a while, let him decide when he's ready to try again. In the meantime he can ride a big wheel, scooter, etc. and still have a good time :)

Aren't you just supposed to leave the training wheels on until they can ride really well? My son had his on until he could learn the "feel" of the bike and balance by himself. When he could do that we took the training wheels off and he was off and riding without a problem. I guess I would just say to put the training wheels back on and let him ride with them until he gets really good and then take them off. But make sure he's really good WITH them before you take them off. It's too confusing to put them on and off and on again. Good luck.

Stop trying to teach him to ride without training wheels. Let him ride his bike because he enjoys doing it. He'll want the training wheels off when he is ready. If you force the issue he may not want to ever ride the bike again.

We took my son's training wheels off too early and he ended up not riding a bike at all for 8 years. One day his cousin wanted him to ride with her down the road for something so he got on a bike and took off. He had never actually ridden the bike successfully without training wheels before that. He just couldn't get the hang of it.

The point though is that he did eventually do it...obviously later than most kids since he was 13 years old that day with his cousin. But because we forced the issue years before, when he enjoyed riding his bike, we ruined it for him. He was scared because he fell, he was frustrated because he tried and failed, he was frustrated because we were frustrated, and so on. I wish we had just let him decide he was ready.

As for being teased because he can't ride without training wheels: I asked my dad to take my training wheels off when I got teased. The teasing didn't scar me for life, but was motivation to learn to ride like a big kid. Honestly, I think that is more normal than forcing kids to ride without training wheels because you think it is time. Let him decide it is time on his own.

Sounds like you started way too soon.
My best friend's son started at 6 yrs old. My son is about 8 months younger and just had to ride, too :)
I took the training wheels off, ran with him for about 20 feet and let go! He did great, curved a little then hit the curb (we lived in an apartment, so we were in the parking lot), but he didn't hit any cars, and just got it after that.
He'll get it eventually!
D.

He's certainly not the only 5 yr old who can't ride. Many cannot. Stop the pressure and let him ride however he's comfortable until he wants to change it. Why does it matter to you? If he gets teased, he'll deal with it.

My daughter didn't ride without training wheels until age 7. She never got teased. Most of the kids in her class learned at 6 or 7. If you've been "working for two spring/summers" did you start at age 3? He might start to hate riding bike if you push too hard. I would wait a few months and see if he's ready to try again. He'll tell you when.

M.,

Our son was 8 when he finally learned how to ride a bike. We tried for two years and every time he failed he burst into tears. We tried everything and he really got to the point where he HATED learning how to ride.

My husband and I finally got the picture and backed off. Instead he got a scooter for Christmas at the age of 6 and he practiced with that. When he used the scooter we realized his balance was not yet developed enough for a bike. Amazingly, one day, at the age of eight, suddenly everything clicked and he could balance on his scooter. At that point we knew he would be ready to learn how to ride a bike, but we waited, we wanted him to come to the idea naturally.

Finally, a cub scout requirement pushed the issue. If he wanted to advance to the next rank he had to learn how to ride. It only took a day and he was riding faster than my husband can run. Now, he loves riding his bike and going out on the trails with us.

Your son's body may not be ready just yet. Maybe trying a scooter will take some of the pressure off of him and derail the negative emotions everyone is feeling.

Good luck.

C. J.