(Please note Teenage Mutant Turtle knee & elbow pads, along with gloves and, of
course, a helmet. All of this turns out to be essential for getting your kid off of
training wheels!)How old were you when you first rode a bike without training
wheels? Five? Six? Seven?
My daughter has had two-wheelers since she was just over three, but the thought of
removing the training wheels terrified her for years. Her cousin was a fearless sort and
was actually riding on his own before he was even four years old. OK, not entirely on his
own...he needed a push at the start and you had to catch him when he wanted to stop. Kind
of like a rocket...and about as fast, too! But he's the exception...most kids have a tough
time without training wheels, and approach the thought with a lot of fear and trepidation.
For my daughter, what finally got her off them was a friend's 8th birthday party. Yes,
that's right, 8 years old. They were going to ride from this friend's house to a nearby
park, and peer pressure finally did it's part. Within just a couple of weeks she graduated
to a 24-inch-wheel mountain bike and was tearing up and down the street!
But we found a better way for my son, and it's one that could be of help for a lot of
parents. What kids fear about riding a bike without training wheels is, naturally enough,
falling (getting hurt). But what if you make it almost fun to crash? Yeah, right, how do
you do that? Well, it's not so hard. Just pick up some of the knee and elbow pads that
kids use for roller-blading and such...essentially give them body armor so it doesn't hurt
to fall...and watch how fast they ditch those training wheels! Sure, it was a bit tough at
first watching my four-year-old do face-plants on the asphalt (make sure you've got a good
helmet!), but within a very short time he was off and running on his own. I have no doubt
this shaved at least a year off the learning curve.
If you'd like to see our selection of kids
bikes...
Last updated 05/06/05
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