Bike Riding Tips
By: Hayden Jinright PT, DPT
Summer is a great time to ride bikes with family and friends. But, as a parent, you might find yourself wondering: what can I do to best prepare my child to ride a bike? We've gathered some helpful timelines and resources to get your kiddo(s) ready to ride!
age appropriate equipment
Your child might show interest in riding a bike as early as two years old, but each child is unique. There are multiple equipment options you can choose from to prepare your child to make the jump to two-wheeled independence.
- A balance bike can be tried when a child has reached 2-3 years old.
- A bike with training wheels can be tried around 3-4 years old.
- A bike without training wheels can be tried around 4-8 years old. However, some children are not ready until 10 years old.
what is needed to ride a bike?
Riding a bike is excellent exercise, both for the brain and for the body! Biking exercises all of the following muscular and neurological skills:
- Core Strength
- Coordination
- Motor planning
- Balance
- Body awareness and spatial awareness
- Visual tracking
activities you can do at home to prepare your child for their first ride
Training some of the muscle groups used while riding before you or your kiddo hop on a bike will be useful to avoid injury and ensure a smooth ride. Try integrating some of these simple exercises into your daily routine.
- Coordination activities:
- Jumping jacks
- Cross crawls
- Pretend pedaling while lying on their back
- Strength activities:
- Sit ups
- Boat pose
- Sitting on a yoga ball with a throwing and catching game or ring toss/bean bag toss
- Balance activities:
- Standing on one leg
- Hopping on one leg
- Walking on a balance beam
ways to help when your child is scared
Here are some tips to employ if your child feels hesitant to start pedaling when the training wheels have come off.
- Practice balance: Start with practicing balance on a flat grass surface - this will provide some resistance to keep them in place as they get used to balancing without pedaling.
- Be specific: Teach them to put the first foot on the higher pedal and then bring the second foot on the lower pedal AS THEY BEGIN PEDALING. This will ensure they do not topple over. Stand nearby and hold the bike for them to start.
- Offer support: Hold a bike handle with one hand, and with your other hand, offer some support to your child’s back. Tell them that they need to pedal while trying not to lean too far forward to the left or to the right.
- Communicate clearly: Take your hand off your child’s back first, but tell them that you are doing so. Stay close by so that they feel safe.
- Encourage as you go: Throughout the entire process, help support your child’s confidence. Focus on the positives, such as turning the bike around or getting onto/off of the bike.
how we can help
If your child is having difficulty learning how to ride a bike, a physical therapist may be able to help! Check out our free developmental screening tool right here: https://hoggtherapy.developmentchecklist.com/, or give us a call at 859-353-3666 to see if your child would be a good candidate for a physical therapy evaluation.
