Giving up training wheels is no easy task for a parent or a child. For the parent, it means running along behind your child, holding on to the seat until just the right moment. When you let go, you hold your breath wondering how long it will be until the handlebars wobble and your child loses control. Eventually, every child gets it. And then, thankfully, they never forget how.
For the child, it can be just as traumatic. Countless wrecks and skinned knees seem to be protocol for learning to ride. Yet, it is so rewarding to finally be pedaling on your own that few children fail to learn how to ride a bike. Finally, there is an easier way to transition to balancing on a big-kid bike. All of the joys of a preschooler on a bike without the struggles of wobbling training wheels are available. A European model known as a balance bike or run bike is available through several manufacturers and is also available stateside.
The balance bike exists of the essential components: two inflated wheels, handle bars and a seat, but it lacks pedals and gears. Place a two or three year old on the seat with feet resting on the ground, and she will walk and steer the bike cautiously. At least for a few days, until she realizes she can pick up speed and jog the bike around. Before long, you will see her picking up her feet and coasting, after she gets a good running start. She is demonstrating that is she is getting the feeling for balancing a bike. In time, she will be leaning into turns, just putting her feet down long enough to give another push. One of the most amazing parts of watching your child transition on a balance bike is seeing her make smooth transitions from the grass to the pavement or over a lump in the yard. As her balance increases, she becomes a confident rider. She will be ready to make a smoother step onto a regular, pedal driven bike about the time she reaches school-age.
The run bike or balance bike is becoming more popular and easier to find. Toys R Us does advertise some versions, if ordering online is not an option. The online choices vary from about eighty to upwards of three hundred dollars. Your child can begin riding his balance bike at about 2 and a half years old and continue until five or six years old; much longer use than any of the other toys you could purchase for a two year old. Most balance bikes are rated for upwards of seventy pounds.
It is exciting to watch your child, or someone else’s for that matter, progressing on a balance bike. The large motor skills that are being developed are age appropriate for a preschooler. With a simple raise of the bike seat, the bike is used for years as a teaching tool that really keeps a child active. Finally, when you set your child on a real bike, equipped with gears and pedals, and see them coast away with out having to run behind, it is a great reward for you both.
Please remember, even on a balance bike; always use a properly fitting helmet.
