Persuading a reluctant 5yo

ratherbeintobago
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Re: Persuading a reluctant 5yo

Post by ratherbeintobago »

One thing is absolutely certain: there won’t be a Next Time.
eileithyia
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Re: Persuading a reluctant 5yo

Post by eileithyia »

ratherbeintobago wrote:One thing is absolutely certain: there won’t be a Next Time.

:lol: :lol:
I stand and rejoice everytime I see a woman ride by on a wheel the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood. HG Wells
Jontrev
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Re: Persuading a reluctant 5yo

Post by Jontrev »

My son was racing at 4 (under 12s MTB)
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Cunobelin
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Re: Persuading a reluctant 5yo

Post by Cunobelin »

Paulatic wrote:I’d agree not to push it.
I’d be tempted to remove the stabilisers, the pedals and lower the saddle. Leave it accessable like that and let her play in it the same as she did the balance bike.

My question is why did you ever let her see it with stabilisers? I thought it was meant to be a natural progression from balance to bike.


This is my suggestion as well, it was always discussed as the "Ballantine" method and is very successful for kids (and adults) The bike basically becomes a bigger balance bike


I must admit the best idea I have seen is by RennRad

They have a balance bike that has a fixing for the bottom bracket. When the child is ready, yo bolt on teh bottom bracket and pedals and they continue to develop on the same bike

Image
thirdcrank
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Re: Persuading a reluctant 5yo

Post by thirdcrank »

My younger grandson, my middle grandchild, actively avoided learning to ride a bike, to the extent of deliberately falling off, which takes some doing. I bought an Islabike balance bike, including the longer seat pin because he was by then too tall for the normal length. He promptly rode a two wheeler and the balance bike was never ridden. In her turn my granddaughter avoided two wheels of any sort till it suited her.

My theory is that a child without physical disabilities eg problems with balance, can easily ride a bike, so long as they want to. If they don't want to - and this may be for a range of reasons including downright cussedness - then it's best to wait till they have a change of mind, possibly because all their friends ride bikes. There's a lot less benefit to children in being able to ride a bike than there used to be: it is no long the key to increased freedom of movement.
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pjclinch
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Re: Persuading a reluctant 5yo

Post by pjclinch »

thirdcrank wrote: There's a lot less benefit to children in being able to ride a bike than there used to be: it is no long the key to increased freedom of movement.


It still is the key to increased independent freedom of movement for children, but that is now actually frowned upon by some adults.
That it's less of a benefit than it used to be is down to fewer children cycling overall: if your pals can't ride then you can't go on a bike ride, explore and push your boundaries with them, but you probably won't do it any other way either :(
Often seen riding a bike around Dundee...
thirdcrank
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Re: Persuading a reluctant 5yo

Post by thirdcrank »

I speak as someone who walked to school alone age four and went on a solo week's cycling YHA tour at 13 years old. I'm now 73 and the world has changed and not only because of the danger from traffic. :( I am saddened that the freedom I enjoyed as a child is no longer, but that's how it is.
Marcus Aurelius
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Re: Persuading a reluctant 5yo

Post by Marcus Aurelius »

ratherbeintobago wrote:
Marcus Aurelius wrote:
ratherbeintobago wrote:Our 5yo was quite capable on a balance bike but just won’t ride her big girl’s bike without stabilisers. She does hurtle about on it though.

Any suggestions what we might try? #1 took to it alllikr a duck to water.



#5


Rule 5? :shock:


Absolutely :lol:
ratherbeintobago
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Re: Persuading a reluctant 5yo

Post by ratherbeintobago »

Marcus Aurelius wrote:
ratherbeintobago wrote:
Marcus Aurelius wrote:

#5


Rule 5? :shock:


Absolutely :lol:


Not sure I can ask that of a 5yo… :-P
Marcus Aurelius
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Re: Persuading a reluctant 5yo

Post by Marcus Aurelius »

ratherbeintobago wrote:
Marcus Aurelius wrote:
ratherbeintobago wrote:
Rule 5? :shock:


Absolutely :lol:


Not sure I can ask that of a 5yo… :-P


Start ‘em young :lol:
Flinders
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Re: Persuading a reluctant 5yo

Post by Flinders »

I learned to ride a bike somewhat late in life (in my 20s). I actually learned to ride a bike alone, in London, with no help except advice on what bike to get (from a tutor at college who was a keen cyclist), and Richard's Bicycle Book. I understood at the time (1980s) that stabilisers (not available for my size anyway :lol: ) were not thought to be a good idea any more, for reasons mentioned above- you end up not learning to balance, and you learn to steer all wrong, which does seem plausible.

I just took my bike to a park and got on it, and tried to find my balance. Each time I fell over, I got up and did it again. It really didn't take all that long, just a few sessions IIRC, before my body worked out 'ah, this is how you balance on one of these things'. I suspect, though, that if I'd been doing it on concrete or tarmac, I'd have been a bit less enthusiastic about keeping at it, especially as with me being small, the crossbar was eye-crossingly high. I provided good entertainment for the local kids as well. Seeing an adult fall off a bike is much funnier than seeing another kid do it. :mrgreen:

I my experience of horses, most kids fall off and get back on again quite happily when they are learning, they're far more sanguine about falls than adults. But a few just don't have the nerve for it at that age. One well known international rider whose book I was reading earlier in the year said he had no nerve for it at first, and spent IIRC more than a year with his horse being led by someone walking or running next to him- that's very slow going for a kid the age he was at the time. But eventually he 'got it' and became an international showjumper for the USA and trained their teams. (As a kid, I was 'off the lead rope' in my first lesson, but am a very wussy rider as an adult.) Some kids need a bit more time than others, but it doesn't mean they won't ever have the confidence in the end, provided they are not pushed to far too fast.
ratherbeintobago
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Re: Persuading a reluctant 5yo

Post by ratherbeintobago »

Marcus Aurelius wrote:
ratherbeintobago wrote:
Not sure I can ask that of a 5yo… :-P


Start ‘em young :lol:


Aye, well, big sister is channelling the spirit of de Vlaeminck and will cheerfully ride herself into the ground in pouring rain.
thirdcrank
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Re: Persuading a reluctant 5yo

Post by thirdcrank »

Flinders wrote:I learned to ride a bike somewhat late in life (in my 20s). ....


I thought I was a late starter at 13. It only took a few seconds with my late mother holding the saddle.
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bigjim
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Re: Persuading a reluctant 5yo

Post by bigjim »

I can't remember teaching any of my kids to ride a bike. There was always a bike knocking about in various sizes and older brothers and sisters and friends. Gangs of kids outside playing. I think they just taught each other. I never see gangs of kids out playing anymore. I live in a cul-de-sac. 20 years ago it was full of local kids playing on bikes, scooters etc. These days it is usually deserted. To the OP. Yes don't push it, they will make their own mind up.
cowasaki
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Re: Persuading a reluctant 5yo

Post by cowasaki »

We are getting our three grand children into cycling at the moment. I've just bought a Islabike for my 6 year old grand daughter, a proper XXS adult ladies MTB for my 9 year old grand daughter and we are looking around for another Islabike for the 5 year old. The eldest one loves her new bike and we are using that as a way of getting the 6 year old to use hers as they tend to look to their elders and want to do the same. The 5 year old, however, is a different story and is having a bit of a tantrum whenever we suggest she try her elder sisters old bike as she wants her toddler bike that she has grown out of!! They are all very different.

On the subject of stabilisers, I am definitely in the against club. They turn a bike into basically a trike and don't prepare them for riding a real bike. The best route has to be balance bike - PROPER bike. I'm a big fan of the Islabikes/frog bikes where they feel like proper bikes and are light and usable. I remember when I was about 4 and my dad told me to bring my new bike round from the back garden to the front so he could fit stabilisers.... I got on it like a balance bike to scoot it along and ended up riding straight past the front of the house much to his amusement. Yes I fell off but it was the 70s and you could do things like that back then.
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