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6.14.2009

Learning To Ride A Bike

A and J have new bikes. I'm shaking my head wondering where they'll ride them, since we live close to some very busy roads, neither my husband and I have bikes of our own at the moment, and they're too young to use the bikes on their own as transportation.

Still, it's a life skill - gotta learn how to ride! Once you do, you never forget. Right now they're both very dependent on training wheels and parental assistance, so that means the only time they can take them out is when my husband is off work (one parent per kid).

We did this yesterday, with much success! We took the bikes to a nearby park with a big enough paved area (walkways and parking lot) so that they could ride continuously on a level surface (unlike on our hilly driveway, or the teeny patio in our back yard). The park was the ticket! We spent about an hour there, and although A still needs her training wheels, by the time we left she was braking and turning (and enjoying the speed bumps :) with much greater ease than when we arrived. J, on the other hand, spent most of the hour running beside his bike pushing it. Hey, that's ok - it was another form of exercise, and he clearly loves his new bike.

We're going to try and do this at least once a week. When the kids have enough solid skill, I'll then be able to take them out without my husband, and jog while they ride. This is still a bit far off, though, because the area we live in has too many hills and too much traffic for my liking. I'll have to see how it goes, I guess.

Meanwhile, so far so good :)



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4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I really want to get my 4-year-old on a bike. All of her friends have them. But she's solidly opposed. She tells me that she'll ride a bike when she's in kindergarten, and until then she wants a tricycle.

I know it will come some day. But I agree it's a life skill and I want her to master it, for sure!

Jeanne Elle said...

My friend's almost five year old (starts Kindergarten this Sept.) is very attached to her tricycle. They want her to switch to a two wheeler too, but are not sure how to convince her.

I think that the best time for them to learn (anything) is when they're interested. Sure she may try a two wheeler later than many of her friends, but it might only take a couple of hours one afternoon for her to master it, whereas it would have taken a younger child longer. Who knows.

Isn't it funny, though, how they have such strong opinions at such a young age!! They definitely know what they want, that's for sure.

Jaina said...

Sounds like a lot of fun! I always loved biking when I was little. The bf and I are trying to start biking again for fun and exercise.

Liza said...

Sounds so much fun. Hubs and I used to have bikes and on Sundays we'd go to the park with our daughter, who has a bike too, and ride all afternoon. :)

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