swamp
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Post by swamp on Apr 12, 2014 11:06:35 GMT -5
How old were your kids when they learned to ride a bike?
There is a little boy at the park, probably about 4, and he ride his bike down here. No training wheels.
I am embarrassed to admit my kids can't ride bikes yet. And not for a lack of effort.
They can swim, skate, dance, hit a ball, catch s ball, throw, and ride scooters, but for some reason, biking eludes them
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8 Bit WWBG
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Post by 8 Bit WWBG on Apr 12, 2014 11:17:50 GMT -5
I was still working on it at around age 7/8 I think. My Dad taught me and it was a great bonding experience. But man oh man it took time to take the training wheels off. For the longest time I just didn't want to.
I do enjoy the Calvin and Hobbes strips about his killer bike.
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Sum Dum Gai
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Post by Sum Dum Gai on Apr 12, 2014 11:17:46 GMT -5
Around 4 I guess. Probably the summer before kindergarten. Teaching a kid to ride a bike is super frustrating. You know they'd be fine and get it in like two minutes if they'd just go faster, but they feel wobbly and are scared so they don't want to peddle.
I'm starting to think my stepfather was on to something. When I got my first bike he took me to the top of the hill near our house, not super steep, but a hill. He had me sit on the bike and walked along for a few steps while I pedaled. Then he let go and gave me a little push and off I went down the hill. It was terrifying, but the bike stayed upright while I picked up speed. The middle part was pretty cool. I was legitimately riding a bike on my first try. The bottom third sucked because I could see the chain link fence at the bottom of the hill coming up, but couldn't really do much about it. I smacked into the fence, the bike stopped dead, I slid forward right off the bike seat and landed on my nuts on the bike frame. See, he never told me how to stop. Just put me on the bike, said to peddle faster if the bike felt wobbly, then let me go. I cried and whatnot, but was back out in the parking lot by our house later that day riding on my own.
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The Captain
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Post by The Captain on Apr 12, 2014 11:20:44 GMT -5
We live in an area that basically doesn't have anywhere DD could practise safely so we had to take her to the park. She had a hard time of it for a year or two.
DH was trying to teach her and it wasn't working. Then one weekend mean mommy said "It's my turn". She was doing the normal thing of losing control, running into the bushes (it was like she had a homing beacon) and getting frustrated. She kept wanting to quit and find reasons to stop (I need to go to the bathroom, my shoelaces need to be tied etc). When she started asking for water every 5 min I finally said no, she'd get some water when she rode from point a to point b.
By the time I was done with her that day she was riding a full circle around the running paths.
I should have done it sooner, but she was 8.
She can swim, shoot a basket, throw, catch and hit a ball and play a mean game of frisbee golf. Now she can ride a bike as well.
Skate? The kids around here don't do much of that, so nope, no skating.
As far as dancing, yea (it makes her dad's head explode). She's kind of a natural at that as well.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Apr 12, 2014 11:23:51 GMT -5
It was while I was in kindergarten. It is one of my clearest memories I have as a child.
i had received a bike for Christmas and it had training wheels. My dad kept moving them up, then took them off. I tried several times and failed.
Then one day a switch went off in my brain and I knew I could do it. Mom was on the phone, so I bugged her to the point she got off to help me. She held the bike while I got on, let me go and I took off rode around the block and came home from the opposite direction I took off.
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bookkeeper
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Post by bookkeeper on Apr 12, 2014 12:45:35 GMT -5
I was 5 or 6 before I could ride on two wheels. I still have the scars on my knees from learning how. The longest run I had to learn on was the gravel driveway on the farm.
Our sons had the hang of it by the time they were 5. We did have a small beginners bike and I think that helped.
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Tiny
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Post by Tiny on Apr 12, 2014 12:46:29 GMT -5
There wasn't a lot of money for bikes... so I didn't learn to ride until I was about 6 or 7 - when we got a 'novelty' small bike that I could ride. I learned in an afternoon when the teensage girls next door took pity on me (I was out alone trying to ride the bike - like my older brothers could do) and they got me going. learning to stop was the hardest part.
I got a hand me down bigger bike when I was 10 or 11 that I rode for quite a while. I couldn't ride my brothers bikes I was too short. I got an 'adult sized' hand me down bike but it was vintage 1960s and NOT cool and super heavy (and a bit too big for me). I bought a bike in HS once I got a job. I rode that to work/school/various places for alot of years. I didn't get a car until I was 20.
LOL I use to ride my bike (when I was 10 and up) to the Public Library and the Public pool more than a mile from home- I had to cross 2 very busy streets and sometimes busy rail road tracks (pool and rec center). I'm not sure this is something that modern kids would be allowed to do alone.
I loved having a bike! there were all sorts of places to go... (again, I dont' think modern kids would be allowed to do the stuff I got to do.)
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Spellbound454
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Post by Spellbound454 on Apr 12, 2014 13:02:04 GMT -5
My kids had a little hand-me-down that was knocking about from they were about 5. No stabilisers All the kids in the street learned how to ride on it......No-one taught them they just encouraged each other When it came time for proper childrens bikes. They could ride them straight away.
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vonna
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Post by vonna on Apr 12, 2014 13:22:24 GMT -5
My son learned to ride a bike at age four -- but we were living on base, with a great and safe area for him to learn/ride all he wanted.
My daughter is now 8, and I'm ashamed to admit she can't ride. We live on a steep hill, and have never made it a priority. Now you have given me something to worry about. . . thanks. . .
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tloonya
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Post by tloonya on Apr 12, 2014 13:54:21 GMT -5
How old were your kids when they learned to ride a bike? There is a little boy at the park, probably about 4, and he ride his bike down here. No training wheels. I am embarrassed to admit my kids can't ride bikes yet. And not for a lack of effort. They can swim, skate, dance, hit a ball, catch s ball, throw, and ride scooters, but for some reason, biking eludes them I still don't know how to ride a bike?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 12, 2014 14:00:08 GMT -5
My gross motor co-ordination is pretty bad and I probably didn't learn to ride till I was 7 or 8.
You really do never forget, though- I just got in from a 15-mile ride!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 12, 2014 14:04:01 GMT -5
Didn't get the kids bikes until they were 4, 6, 8 because I felt bad that the 8 year old didn't know how yet and you really can't get something like that for just one of the kids. Glad I did since the school they go to now has bike rally's and bike parades. First year in that district was the year I had bought them bikes. They didn't really know how to ride yet, but they did have bikes and helmets so they got to participate. Lucky it wasn't much distance for the rally.
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busymom
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Post by busymom on Apr 12, 2014 14:21:39 GMT -5
My kids aren't bike riders. Not that we didn't try. DD didn't like it enough to stick with it. She did dance & plenty of other activities. DS has issues due to his disability. So, Mom & Dad ride bikes at our house, but the kids don't. (Of course, when I was a kid, & we didn't have a 2nd car for my own Mom, I had to ride my bike everywhere. Or walk. Maybe that was my motivation?)
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Post by Deleted on Apr 12, 2014 14:51:48 GMT -5
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alabamagal
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Post by alabamagal on Apr 12, 2014 15:44:59 GMT -5
Mine were 5-6.
But don't worry. Unless you want to be the next Lance Armstrong without steroids, their lack of bike riding will not hold them back.
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saveinla
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Post by saveinla on Apr 12, 2014 16:08:43 GMT -5
Swamp, wrongside - don't worry. My son refused to get on a bike until he was 15. I was really upset, but he learnt it in high school in 2 days and now takes long bike rides .
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swasat
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Post by swasat on Apr 12, 2014 16:19:26 GMT -5
My kids learned early. DS, who is 9 now, was riding a 16" bike without the training wheels around 6yo. DD, who is 6 now, is off the training wheels as off 3 weeks ago. She is still abit wobbly, but she can ride without the training wheels.
They started on a smallish 10" bike and learned balance on there. Once the training wheels were off of that and they could ride well, we moved on to bigger bikes.
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Formerly SK
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Post by Formerly SK on Apr 13, 2014 0:06:11 GMT -5
Mine got bikes around 4/5ish, but they didn't ride without training wheels for probably a year - so maybe they were 5/6? Coincidentally, we just got them new bikes today (ages 7&9). They've graduated to gears and hand brakes. They spent some time riding in the street this evening trying to acclimate to the fact that they couldn't stop themselves by slamming backwards on the pedals. Fingers crossed they don't crash into anything while they're learning.
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milee
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Post by milee on Apr 13, 2014 6:48:39 GMT -5
Mine each learned at different ages because they wanted to and were ready at different ages. Older boy is competitive and had a burning desire to ride just like the other kids, so never had training wheels and was a good rider around 4. The younger boy was really happy with training wheels, felt comfy with who he is and how things were working, so there was no need to ever remove the training wheels; I think the training wheels finally came off around age 8 when they had some sort of mechanical issue - rust maybe? - that caused a problem.
Kids all develop at such different ages and have hugely different personalities/desires that they're all bound to learn things at very different ages. Not something to worry about, be ashamed of or push them about, IMHO. When they're interested in learning and physically ready, it will take them only a day or two. Until then, trying to teach them would be really tough and maybe not even possible. If you've got a list of stuff to worry about and it's in order of priority, this should be maybe item #643 on the list.
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achelois
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Post by achelois on Apr 13, 2014 10:50:06 GMT -5
I was 7, no training wheels. My dad didn't believe in 'em.
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sunshinegal1981
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Post by sunshinegal1981 on Apr 13, 2014 11:04:34 GMT -5
It was while I was in kindergarten. It is one of my clearest memories I have as a child. i had received a bike for Christmas and it had training wheels. My dad kept moving them up, then took them off. I tried several times and failed. Then one day a switch went off in my brain and I knew I could do it. Mom was on the phone, so I bugged her to the point she got off to help me. She held the bike while I got on, let me go and I took off rode around the block and came home from the opposite direction I took off. I think it's so cool that a 'switch went off' and all of a sudden you knew you could do it. (I wonder if this has been studied scientifically?) I have a similar experience with eating liver. It was force-fed to me in early childhood and I hated it. Then I didn't have it for many years. When I was about 13 or 14, a 'switch went off', and I thought "Hmmm... I think I might like liver now." So I ordered it at a restaurant. Sure enough, delicious! Liver is on the regular household rotation now. Bike riding happened for me between ages 5 and 6.
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kent
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Post by kent on Apr 13, 2014 11:56:09 GMT -5
I was about five. The bike was too tall so it had to have wooden blocks on the peddles so my legs would reach and the only way to mount it was to pull along side some porch steps, sit down and take off. No training wheels so the first few times were somewhat of a disaster.
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sunshinegal1981
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Post by sunshinegal1981 on Apr 13, 2014 11:58:10 GMT -5
^^^ Ouch. No way to lower the seat, I guess?
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MarleyKeezy78
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Post by MarleyKeezy78 on Apr 13, 2014 11:58:44 GMT -5
I could ride on two wheels at four. My five year old will not be getting his training wheels off for a loonnggg time lol! He can thank his dad for his coordination DH couldn't ride on two wheels till he was about eight.
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MarleyKeezy78
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Post by MarleyKeezy78 on Apr 13, 2014 12:05:26 GMT -5
I do remember riding a ten speed for the first time, it was one of my boy cousins bikes and I wasn't tall enough to reach the ground. Total disaster and to this day I can't believe guys bikes have that bar I hurt myself pretty bad and I don't have nuts so I can't imagine what the guys feel
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Tired Tess
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Post by Tired Tess on Apr 13, 2014 12:56:57 GMT -5
My oldest rode before he started kindergarten. The other two were in first grade. I don't remember it being a big deal. Bear took off the training wheels and they got on the bike and rode.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2014 16:40:24 GMT -5
DD was 10. We live on a steep hill, don't have trails to ride on, and the parks do not allow bikes. She learned on our cross country camping trip. We did get some looks at the camp sites, but oh well. At the start of the trip she wanted nothing to do with a bike and now she loves it.
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973beachbum
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Post by 973beachbum on Apr 14, 2014 7:54:26 GMT -5
We used to live on a street that wasn't safe to learn how to ride a bike so DD sort of learned in second grade in a parking lot but never really did it again so didn't really feel confident. A couple of years later, I guess 10, we moved and had a long driveway and she got a new bike. She basically learned how again in a day. DS is a whole nother matter! He refuses to even try. He will just sit on it and let someone hold the bike up and move it with him on it. It was so bad we stopped trying. I actually feel bad though because all his friends ride and I'm sure he would have fun riding with them. He has basically the same problem with swimming. He has learned enough to be able to float on his back and doggie paddle to the side of the pool. So I don't have to worry about him drowning but it is sad to live here and never see him actually swim in the ocean.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2014 8:05:05 GMT -5
I learned the summer after kindergarten, so 6? I spent the entire day falling and then the next morning I got up, got on and rode it up and down the street! I needed to sleep on it, I guess. My kids figured it out last spring. They were 7 & 6.
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skubikky
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Post by skubikky on Apr 14, 2014 8:12:09 GMT -5
DS started riding a 2 wheeler at 3 years old. We got him a very small bicycle with training wheels and just took them off. DD, about 5 years old.
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