A ByK kids bike review. 10 Tips for teaching a nervous child to ride.

This post is sponsored by ByK Kids Bikes.

Miss Hollie got her first big girl bike for her birthday earlier this year.  It’s a beautiful sky blue retro style ByK kids bike and she loves it.  We specifically chose a ByK kids bike for her because she is such a nervous kid that we wanted something that would be most the stable and give her the most confidence while she learnt to ride it.  Hollie has always been a ‘play it safe’ little girl.  She is a real nervous nelly and does NOT like to be out of her depth, no matter what the situation.  You know that thing that dads do – throw kids up in the air and catch them again?  Most kids have huge big smiles across their faces and ask for more.  Well, two of mine did, but not Hollie.  I will never forget the look on her face when she was a baby and Mr D threw her into the air to try and make her laugh.  It was just sheer terror.  From that moment on, I knew she was going to be a child who aires on the side of caution.

Getting her into a swimming pool to learn how to swim was a HUGE task because she was so terrified of sinking and learning to ride her bike has been no different.

It has taken A LOT of patience, and plenty of tears but yesterday she finally got it and the excitement and sense of achievement of her little face made it all worth while.  I was one proud mamma.   Some kids take to riding a bike like a duck to water and others need a lot more patience and encouragement.  Here are some tips I’ve learnt teaching our little nervous nelly to ride.

10 Tips to teach a nervous child to ride a bike

1. Never ever force them to learn.  They will only participate when they are ready.  As frustrating as this can be, it is worth the wait.
2. Take the pedals off the bike and just let them sit on it and walk around.  It helps to give them the feeling of what it’s like to be on the bike while still giving them total control.
3. While the pedals are still off, slowly start to teach them how to push off with their feet and then glide.  Count how many seconds they’ve balanced for and give LOADS of praise and encouragement.
4. Continue to remind them that they are doing it all by themselves and how well they are doing. This really helps to maintain that level of control that they need and boosts their self esteem.
5. Stop when they’ve had enough and come back to it another time.  I found this part the most frustrating as I could see that she almost had it and was ready, but she didn’t believe it yet, so we just had to be patient and wait for her.
6. Put the pedals back on and make sure the seat is at it’s lowest position (so their feet can still be firmly on the ground if needed).
7. Hold the back of their seat to maintain their balance while they pedal.  Only let go if they allow you to.  If you do it too soon, you’ll break their trust and it will take a LONG time to get them back on the bike again.
8. Be patient and continue to give praise.
9. When they are almost there offer a reward to get them over the final hurdle.
10. Celebrate.

It also really helps to have the right bike for your child to learn on.  ByK kids bikes a brilliant collection of bikes that are custom designed to fit a kids body.  They are also 20% lighter and have bigger wheels than a standard kids bike.  It gives the bikes much more stability allowing for greater confidence while riding.  I would highly recommend them.

Do you have a nervous child?

Have you ever taught your kids to ride a bike?