Learning to ride a bike

The spring Lily Russell turned five, her best friend learned to ride a bicycle without training wheels and Lily wanted to try too. "We encouraged her to do it when she felt ready - it was a big deal the day we took the training wheels off. But once she learned, she became very competent very fast," says her dad, David Russell.

There are lots of good reasons for encouraging kids to ride a bike, says paediatric occupational therapist Cris Rowan, who lives in Sechelt, BC.

Cycling develops balance and coordination, increases strength and provides an excellent cardiovascular workout, says Rowan. "Not only that, it's fun!" And cycling is a great activity to do as a family, whether it's an after-dinner jaunt around the neighbourhood or a weekend tour of bike trails. Read on for a parent's guide to helping kids get rolling.

Ready?

Five's about the right age to think of removing training wheels, says Rowan. To ride on two wheels, along with wanting to try, kids should be able to:

• stand on one foot for 10 seconds, which indicates good core stability

• skip and gallop, which indicates that your child has the ability to easily shift her weight from one side to the other

• perform coordinated tasks with the lower body - for example, your child kicking a ball with alternate feet while running

Set

Once you've determined that your child is ready, make sure his bicycle is a good fit. He should be able to:

• touch both feet flat on the ground with about 1 1/2 inches clearance over the top tube

• rest his hands comfortably on the handlebars. Looking at your child in profile, you should see a straight line running through the top of his head and along the spine, says Rowan. Leaning too far forward or back makes balancing more difficult.

Go!

• Have your child sit on the bike, hands resting comfortably on the handlebars, feet flat on the ground. Now push forward and backward. This helps kids find their centre of gravity.

• The hard part of riding, says Rowan, is learning how to stop. It's difficult to think about pulling hand brakes or pedalling backward when you're about to crash. Teach your child how to stop with her feet: Continuing to hold the bike, ask your child to put her feet on the pedals and slowly move her forward. As you do so, say, "Feet down!" As Russell was helping Lily learn, he would say, "You've always got your feet."

• Gradually give your child the power: "You tell me when to take my hands off."

At first, kids typically say, "Put your hands back on" pretty quickly, says Rowan. This part of the process can take minutes, or it can take weeks. The important thing is to work with your child's comfort level and her ability. Eventually you'll be able to do this hanging on to just the seat, and running alongside with your hands off for longer periods. Lily is cautious by nature, so she and her dad took it slowly at first. Says Russell, "I'd just let go for a second, and then say, 'I'm back.' Pretty soon it was, 'You can let go now, Dad.'"

Expect a few spills, says Rowan, but also consider ways you can help to minimize them. "Kids get freaked out when they get going fast and then they tend to crank the wheel," she observes. Rowan suggests finding a place to practise where there is enough room to ride in a long, straight line without any obstacles. "They'll soon get the hang of not over-correcting the steering."