Seven tips to make your child learn to ride cycle quickly 14^th December 2021

Skills like swimming, playing body-accelerating sports, and riding a cycle on their own are must-have skills for any kid entering their teen years. Although kids learn the most skills independently, they still require an instructor or parents to help them master many skills. And that is a brilliant opportunity for a parent to grab and spend quality time teaching them while also having fun.

Teaching a child how to ride cycle is a no-brainer for a parent, but implementing the following tips can smoothen the process, and your child will learn to cycle in no time.

1. Find a grassy location:
Although most people might look for a spot where the surface is smooth, it is crucial to know that smooth flooring can result in faster acceleration even without the child’s efforts, and the cycle might move at high speed. So, always look for a grassy surface; even if your child accidentally falls from the bike, the impact might not be severe.

2. Avoid holding their cycle all the time:
Usually, parents or any instructor teaching a child how to cycle, hold it from the back for support and balance. Although it can give the child a good head start, gradually, it can become a practice, and the child might look for your support now and then. Hence, slowly get rid of giving them balance and start over again if they lose balance.

3. Lower the cycle’s seat:
A cycle sold for kids comes with training wheels and a high lifted seat, but it isn’t going to help in any way for a child to learn how to cycle. Instead, lowering the seat reduces the child’s fear of falling from height and allows their feet to touch the ground directly.

4. Tell your child to look forward:
It is natural for a child to look at their feet when cycling to ensure that they are not missing a leg while pedalling. However, your child should know what is ahead of them to avoid collisions with obstacles. You can talk it out in their language, like telling them that you do not look at the remote but the screen when playing video games. Similarly, they should not look at the feet but the direction they are riding.

5. Teach kangaroo hops for balance:
Although kangaroo hops are done without using a cycle, these can be an efficient way to increase their balance while riding. For example, get your child seated on their bike and tell them to start giving movements with their feet touching the ground, similar to kangaroo hops.

6. Proceed with pedalling:
Once your child successfully learns to balance a cycle, they are almost there. A little push on teaching the technicalities of pedals to move the cycle can instantly get them to master the skill. Then, slowly, tell them to press one pedal after another and practice it for a while.

7. How to apply the brakes:
After pedalling, the only thing that your child needs to learn is stopping the cycle on their own. Have them ride around you for a while and instruct them on using brakes when necessary.

As a parent, you should also be aware of unfortunate events that might result in injuries during the process. But, despite numerous falls and failures, don’t stop your child from pushing themselves.

Let them grind, make them feel the urge to struggle, and motivate them to rise again and try with the same vigour. Never deprive or restrict your child from taking on adventures, trying new activities, and imbibing unique experiences due to the fear of getting injured. Instead, invest in personal accident insurance online and contribute to your child’s growth years with the layer of protection.

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Disclaimer: The information provided above is for illustrative purposes only. To get more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before purchasing a policy.