my 2nd one learn to ride at nursery, one day I turned up to pick him up and he was pedalling this tiny bike all on his own. My eldest didn't seem interested, but eventually learned the same way I had - you push them by the seat until they gather speed, then at some point let go.
The method involves a few falls, which is why I favour grass surfaces these days (my younger brother back in Peru wasn't so lucky; come to think of it, neither was I - it was pavement for us in them days). So I took No.3 to the park a couple of weeks ago, and gave it a go. Long overdue.
The good news is that she did get to ride on her own. We just run out of time as the weather closed in, and have not had the chance since, so next spring we'll have to try harder, for longer - so that she can reach that tipping point of self-belief that enables us all to carry on when our senses tell us we shouldn't be able to, without anyone else holding on to the back of our seat or rack.
Come to think of it, how handy reaching that tipping point would come in other spheres of life.
1 comment:
I am at the stage with my three year old where I am considering removing her stabilizers so it is nice to hear of someone else's experience.
She has a wooden 'foot to floor' bike as well as her pedal/stabilized bike and does very well with that for long coasts including leaning into corners. The problem is she isn't keen to have the extra wheels removed and bursts into tears when I suggest it.
I don't want to push it too much and she is still quite young (her five year old cousin still has stabilizers). I will just keep it enjoyable for the moment and maybe go for it next spring/summer when we can get to Heaton Park for long periods.
I think I will be as excited as her when she manages it!
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