Empower your child -- help them learn to ride a 2-wheel bike quickly and painlessly

If you've experienced the absolute thrill of a child riding a 2-wheel bike for the very first time, you will know that this piece of advice is pure gold.

To help your child master 2-wheel biking without painful, frustrating, seemingly endless weeks with you running along behind them simply do the following:
- lower the seat to its absolute lowest setting
- remove the pedals (just use an adjustable monkey wrench. It only takes a minute)
- let the child scoot along on the bike like the would a scooter (sitting on the seat and pushing with the feet.

This gives them a great way of playing with and achieving balance.

Very soon (maybe the next day or later the same day):
- put one or both pedals on the bike

Leave the seat as low as possible (this eliminates the fear of falling, since they can catch themselves so easily by standing up)
- when both pedals are on, explain how they align the pedals with the vertical and push the top pedal forward to glide (just as they did with their foot).
- let them try it on their own (there should be no need to hold them up for this because they've learned the scootering)

It also helps to tell them how to visualize themselves riding easily with strong legs and arms. When they understand that they have to see their goal in their mind before they can achieve it, it really seems to click.

They will be riding in absolutely no time (within 24hours, for our 4year old daughter). How empowering for them!!
Let them keep the seat low until they have completely mastered pedalling, steering and stopping and are riding around like complete pros! What a feeling to be the youngest kid on the block bombing past the older kids on training wheels!

And have fun!
Andrea