trying to ride a bike

[PinkFizz]

My 6 yr old(almost 7) will not try and learn to ride his bike without the stabilisers.He constantly moans that all his friend can ride with just 2 wheels,but every time I attempt to take the stabilisers off to teach him he really gets upset saying he will fall and hurt himself.I have bought him knee/elbow pads/helmet but still he won't try.I managed one day to take them off for an hour and gently coaxed him on.but the sec the bike wobbled a fraction he freaked out.

I don't mind if he keeps them on till he is ready,but he is getting in a right state about wanting to do this,but without the pain of learning!

[southerngirl]

It might be worth trying him with his stabilisers on his bike whilst one of his friends is with him on a bike with 2 wheels. Usually the peer competition gene kicks in and he gets to grips with trying 2 wheels. Also, he may listen to his friend more than you, you know what kids are like. They listen to their friends more than their parents!

[redcrx]

Can you do anything to raise the stabilisers off the ground, bend them up a bit so that they will still work if he tilts too much. he can then learn how to keep balance knowing that there is a 'safety net' for him should he wobble too far.

[PinkFizz]

that's an idea redcrx - im not sure but I will have a look later on.He is so frustrated with himself but is just terrified of falling.

[simsfreq]

Why not just try the old trick of holding on to the back of the bike and promising you won't let go (with figers crossed of course!)

[Gef]

sims is correct. Other than that just take them off and throw them away and tell him to get on with it.

[mgba_78]

I'm a wicked mummy my son who is 5 kept asking to ride his ibke without stabilisers on, we went through a couple of weeks of putting them on then off then on off and i got fed up with it...so i took them off altogether and threw them away, he had no choice but to learn how to ride his bike.

In the half term that has just gone took him 2 half days to get the hang of it and then rode his bike for the rest of the week and now insists on taking it everywhere with him.

I did the holding on the back of the saddle thing and running my fastest! What a sight that was!

Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind!

Becca x

[PinkFizz]

I have done the holding onto the back of the bike thing, but I guess I need to be a bit tougher.lol

[Hellion]

Hi Pink Fizz. My son is similar he's 8 and an only child. The problem is he see's other children riding without stabilisers easily but he didn't see them learning how to do it - he therefore think everyone is naturally really good at it and he isn't, so now he won't even try. He's done this with other things too (I suspect it is a problem of being an 'only') so I'm now making sure he see's people practising things they find hard.

[PinkFizz]

I know what you mean Hellion.His siblings are much older and live with their dad mid week so he is to all intents most of the time an only child.He is very very bright at school - way ahead in reading,language etc - but when it comes to things like this he is a bit behind.As you say,he has never seen anybody try,and he won't learn on the lane wher we live as all the younger kids are whizzing up and down and he doesn't want them to laugh at him.

[MORELLO]

I empathise. My lad's 6 and also just won't try. He's the only kid I know who can get a bike with stabilisers to topple over! It's so frustrating knowing he's missing out on so much fun.

[shazzzz]

i had the same problem with my daughter only she is eight and very heavy to keep pushing up and down the road in the end i let her out with her bike with no stablisers and the local kids taught her she is missing half an elbow but she can now ride a bike and im sure if you check your self over you will find one mine is also on my elbow good luck