How to teach a kid to ride using a balance bike

Balance bikes are perfect for kids of two years old and above who are already walking. If you teach a kid to ride using a balance bike, he or she will quickly learn how to ride on a regular cycle.

What is good about a balanced bike is that there are no pedals, and it has two wheels so that kids can ride them by their running legs instead of giving the power to push the pedal into motion. The children can learn to keep balance while sitting and pedaling on the regular bike.

Even though a balanced bike can benefit children, it cannot be useful if you don’t buy a flat bike perfectly fit for your kid. Besides, children need to learn how to ride a balance bike in the right way. 

Thereby, this writing will show you a few tips to teach a kid to ride using a balance bike properly. 

Related:

==> A Beginner’s Guide to Cycling with Kids

==> Best Kids’ Bikes 2021 You Should Not Miss Out

Step 1: Psychological preparation

Nowadays, we can not neglect the importance of outdoor exercise rather than sitting the whole day watching television or electronic tablets. 

Showing your kid about the video about another kid’s balance bike riding or having your kid ride a balance bike on trial would trigger her or his interest in learning to ride using a balance bike. Once you get a balance bike for them, make sure to tell them they always need to wear a fitting helmet when riding to ensure their safety.

Step 2: Get the right balance bike for your kid.

Undoubtedly, choosing the right bike will affect your kid’s cycling experience, which has a similar meaning to him/her will hate cycling forever or not be good.

Thereby, make sure your kid’s height and weight fit the balance bike the most, so your kid can comfortably ride on. It’s important to note the saddle height, handlebar that suit your kid. Other than that, please also tell your kid different parts of the balance bike so the little one can be aware of the bell, wheel, seat post, handlebar.

Step 3: Get the right safety gear for your kid.

Chances are, even cycling on a balance bike, your kid can fall. Therefore, to avoid possible injuries, you’d better prepare a protective helmet, gloves, elbow and knee pads for your kid. 

It is essential to protect your kid physically because when your kid gets hurt, they would be obsessed with going on a ride if they are a shy one.  This is such a crucial step in the process of how to teach a kid to ride using a balance bike.

Step 4: Teach a kid how to stride a few paces 

Upon equipping your kid with all suitable gears, it’s time to have your kid use their power to stride a few paces on the balance bike so they can start getting along with the cycle. 

Tell the kid to use their feet to move along with the balance bike and let them enjoy driving the bike on their own feet. Also, ask them to direct the cycle in the direction that the kid wants. At this stage, kids will learn to slowly stride a few paces and get to know to move with necessary short and slow steps.

Step 5: Teach a kid how to stop a balance bike

Next, while knowing how to strike a balance bike, the kid must know how to stop the balance bike when they want. As kids use their feet to move the balance bike along, slow it down, they will use their feet to stop the balance bike too.

A balance bike typically has no brakes, but some balance bikes are designed for those who are ready for transiting to a pedal bike. Still, it’s a bit tricky for kids to use their little hands for squeezing the hand brakes in time. 

Thereby, most kids will push their feet on the ground to stop the bike from moving. Some kids even use toes to slow the move; thereby, it is not recommended to use open-toed shoes for kids when riding a balance bike and recommend kids to use their feet’ bottom to stop.

Step 6: Teach your kid how to glide a balance bike

After knowing how to stride and stop the balance bike, the kid now starts to get along well with the bike and has more confidence in gliding. Once kids can get faster gliding, it means that they are now better at stabilizing the bike.

The longer and the faster the glide means that kids have a better sense of balance. By that stage, you can start to think for kids to learn pedal bikes.

Step 7: Keep practicing

What else is necessary? Encourage your kid by giving them a lot of compliments. They might fall, cry, or not be in love with a balance bike for the first time, but making them better with your calm and passion will help them keen on practicing. It is because practice makes perfect. 

The more they practice, the more exciting for kids to be braver to outdoor exercises and easier to transit for learning to balance on a regular bike.

Final thoughts

Balance bikes are perfect for kids of two years old and above who are already comfortably walking. By using a balance bike, children can learn to keep balance while sitting and learning how to transit for pedaling on the regular bike. However, to make the most of the balance bike, as a parent, you should teach your kid how to balance in the right way. 

This writing has listed seven main steps that you can use to teach a kid to ride using a balance bike: psychological preparation, get the right balance bike with safety gears, then teach kids how to stride, stop and glide on a balance bike. As the last steps, practice makes perfect, keep encouraging your kid on practicing with calm, patience, and love; he/she will surely love to use and make the most of the balance bike.