Hi ladies! I have an almost 3 1/2 year old boy who we are trying to teach to ride a trike. He picked it out himself, in fact we have two of them! We have been trying to teach him how to pedal for quite sometime now. All he seems to want to do is push himself around with his feet. The end result is usually tears on his part and frustration on ours. How did you teach your kids to ride bikes for the first time?
I would drop it for now and just let him push himself along with his feet. Mastering the pedaling motion can be really hard. Kids learn at different rates and you don't want him to get to the point where he "hates" his trike.
Really, once he gets it - there'll be no stopping him!
He may not be exactly ready to give up the security he has feeling the ground under his feet. Is the frustration from trying to get him to use the pedals or from him feeling like he can't? Would it be possible to let him do this for a while, encouraging him to use the pedals but not pushing him to do it. Also, something to consider, is this his first time with pedals? A long time ago one of my grandmother's neighborsr has one of those little cars that toddlers push themselves around on. When she got too big, they bought her a bike but she did the same thing your son is doing. They let her continue but were able to get her comfortable enough to pedal while they held the back of the bike and pushed. She got used to the pedals moving and eventually did it herself. She said she was a big girl and didn't need them to hold it anymore. It took about 2 months. And yes, it had training wheels so she would not have fallen. I would think time and lots of encouragement will help.
I have a daughter that was 2 1/2 when she learned how to pedal on the tricycle and got up on her "big girl" bike w/ training wheels and had the same success. My friends son who is the same age is pushing with his feet like your son. We work on it each week when we get together and he just does not seem interested in the pedals yet. we thought if he watched my daughter then he would try to do the same and it has not happened yet. They still have fun together just the same !
Hang in there, he will pick it up soon
I'm so glad to hear my son is not the only 3 year old that doesn't know how to ride a trike. I purchased the spendy Kettler trike last year and thought he would be triking up and down our side walk. He didn't have any interest in it last year so we simply parked it in our garage. We brought it out a month ago and he still doesn't have any interest in it. He'd much rather play in his sandbox or swing. I'm starting to think the expensive Kettler bike was a waste of money. The pedals do not go around when you push it and it's heavy. I even think it's hard to pedal! Good luck!
Maybe try "monkey see, monkey do". If there is a neighborhood child or a niece or nephew around I would have him ride around with them, but not put too mch pressure on it.
Good Luck
My daughter had a hard time with the tricycle pedals because it was just attached to the wheel, bikes are easier because they have a chain and gears.
I used to have her put her feet on the pedals and I would push her down the sidewalk and back. It was so exciting to be on a "bike ride" and see the flowers, neighbors, etc, that it made it more fun. After she built up her muscles (or experience), we could make it all the way around the block, until she was 5 and she could ride a two wheeler.
I would definitely not worry about it. All kids learn at different paces. my son loved when I pushed him on the rock, ride, & roll (it's a big wheel that converts to a rocker and back) and sometimes put his feet on the pedals and sometimes on the little bar. Once he was ready to start pedaling he did so, but this took time also because it's hard work for them, when their not used to it. But it's funny how they all of a sudden get the hang of it!! Don't put any pressure on him or yourself, it will happen when it's supposed to.
IMHO pedaling is something that simply comes with age. I got my son a trike for his 2 yr birthday and he NEVER figured it out all last summer. We finally put it away for the winter and when we got it out this spring, presto! Like magic, he could suddenly pedal.
For now, let him push himself around with his feet. You can also have him put his feet on the pedals and you can push the trike (this is a back breaker if you don't have one of those handles, though!) This will help him feel the recipricol motion that is required with his feet. Ultimately, the point of the trike is for him to have fun, so as long asn he is enjoying it, dont worry too much about how he moves it. He will figure it out himself over the course of the summer I bet.
I think 3 is pretty young for actual bike riding. I'd let him do what he can on his own and stay out of it. It'll come when he's physically ready.
J.
3 is a litle young, but maybe he is ready. We had no idea how to do this either, but we followed a program we found on the web. The first thing they tell you to do is take off the pedals. That way they can glide around and get the feel for what it is like to balance. The other thing they recommend is to start them off (after you put the pedals back on and take off the training wheels) in low grass, so the bike doesn't go to fast and it doesn't hurt when they fall. These two things worked great for both of my kids. Good luck. You will do a lot of running behind them for a while!
He might be kind of scared as the trike seems to sit higher. I wouldn't push it. If you want him to ride something, a big wheel might work better as it sits lower and closer to the ground.
M.
D.:
Please do not worry too much about the bike riding. He will get it. I will tell you what we did and the help we got from 'grandma'. If your son is riding a regular bike, this is usually hard for them to pedal because they need to push down and back to create movement. I've learned that big wheels are easier for toddlers to adjust to as the children push out versus down. This is a more natural movement for them. This helps them get the pedaling down easier. Then you can move to a regular bike after he masters this. Also, if you don't have a big wheel, place his feet on the pedals and push him along so he can 'feel' how the pedals move. This will give him insight as to how he can make the pedals move. It sounds so simple, but my mom taught me this and I never thought to do it. It works, but give him time. You can also walk next to him pushing his feet along with your hands to guide him, but this gets very tiring for a parent. He will get it in no time. Just be patient. My son was riding with training wheels and learned to balance all on his own. When we took ths training wheels off, off he went. We didn't have to teach him a thing and he is only 4. I'm still trying to adjust to that. Good luck. I'm sure all will be fine.
My son did the same thing until his uncle adjusted the seat. He can pedal just fine now. Of course, half the time he pushes and half the time he pedals. Whatever suits his fancy at the time. I'm sure he'll get there!
the trick is to get a bike that doesn't brake when you peddle backwards and that is low to the ground. They should be able to put their feet flat on the ground comfortably.
Then teach him to turn INTO the fall and keep peddling.
Get the kind of trike that the pedals automatically go around if you push the bike. Get small bungie cords to put on his feet and pedals so that his feet stay on the pedals. Push the bike. His feet will go around and he will get the motion after awhile and begin pedaling on his own.
My three year old loved pedaling on a Smart Cycle. :)
