Quite envious of those whose kids have just taken to cycling easily. I've tried for a few years to teach my two to ride, and thus far failed miserably! I'd love to be able to go on rides with the family but it looks like a pipedream at the moment. I'd settle for us pootling around a park together but even that seems unlikely. I am increasingly prepared for the revelation that I'm just a crap teacher!
Child 1: 15 y.o. girl. Can't ride at all. Did the bikeability course at school in year 6 (?) or whenever they do it, but never graduated beyond the basic control in the playground. She's too scared of falling off to give the bike chance to get moving enough to achieve some balance. She'll just grab the brakes and stop before that point. Best she's done is approx 10 feet down our drive, between me letting go after pushing, and her putting her feet down. For that second or two she did seem to have almost got the balance and I think she'd get it with a little more but she has zero motivation to try. She refuses to go to the local park with the bike due to the risk of being seen by peers from her school. There is a quiet traffic free lane about 1/2 mile away from our house that should be ideal but will have to wait for better weather.
Child 2: 10 y.o. boy with autism. Also can't ride at all. He is very scared of falling off. This timidity is a theme generally, even on his feet he is ultra cautious descending steps without a railing, or a downward slope. I don't think it is a balance/coordination problem as he loves to run around and dance and rarely falls over. He has a kids bike from Halfords which was new about 3 years ago. This does seem to still be big enough for him. At one point, in a trip to a local park to try the bike out he seemed to be almost pedalling ok and getting some movement, then went round a bend and fell off*. Since then I can't get him to try more than sitting on the saddle and pushing himself around with feet on the ground. I need to find a way for it to be fun and not a battle or a chore but short of ordering him onto the bike there's not much I can do. If I force him or any hint of frustration leaks into my tone, he just gets upset and making it a traumatic activity is a surefire way to put him off for life. *The bike had stabilisers until earlier this year when I took them off for him to do the bikeability at school. All they were able to do for him on bikeability was get him to walk the bike around astride it but as one positive apparently he was fine with doing that.
I'm thinking of taking the pedals off so he can play with it as a big balance bike (something I regret not getting for them both at an early age, but I'd never heard of such things back then). When younger he used to love playing on the ride on toys so I've hope that this might bear fruit, but the scooter he got a few years back has also been a failure so I'm not sanguine.
I am looking into bikeability top up session(s) for daughter, possibly one aimed at adults who can't cycle at all might help. Being with some ten year olds at 15 would be difficult. Son will be a longer term challenge, but a trike may be a possibility.
Child 1: 15 y.o. girl. Can't ride at all. Did the bikeability course at school in year 6 (?) or whenever they do it, but never graduated beyond the basic control in the playground. She's too scared of falling off to give the bike chance to get moving enough to achieve some balance. She'll just grab the brakes and stop before that point. Best she's done is approx 10 feet down our drive, between me letting go after pushing, and her putting her feet down. For that second or two she did seem to have almost got the balance and I think she'd get it with a little more but she has zero motivation to try. She refuses to go to the local park with the bike due to the risk of being seen by peers from her school. There is a quiet traffic free lane about 1/2 mile away from our house that should be ideal but will have to wait for better weather.
Child 2: 10 y.o. boy with autism. Also can't ride at all. He is very scared of falling off. This timidity is a theme generally, even on his feet he is ultra cautious descending steps without a railing, or a downward slope. I don't think it is a balance/coordination problem as he loves to run around and dance and rarely falls over. He has a kids bike from Halfords which was new about 3 years ago. This does seem to still be big enough for him. At one point, in a trip to a local park to try the bike out he seemed to be almost pedalling ok and getting some movement, then went round a bend and fell off*. Since then I can't get him to try more than sitting on the saddle and pushing himself around with feet on the ground. I need to find a way for it to be fun and not a battle or a chore but short of ordering him onto the bike there's not much I can do. If I force him or any hint of frustration leaks into my tone, he just gets upset and making it a traumatic activity is a surefire way to put him off for life. *The bike had stabilisers until earlier this year when I took them off for him to do the bikeability at school. All they were able to do for him on bikeability was get him to walk the bike around astride it but as one positive apparently he was fine with doing that.
I'm thinking of taking the pedals off so he can play with it as a big balance bike (something I regret not getting for them both at an early age, but I'd never heard of such things back then). When younger he used to love playing on the ride on toys so I've hope that this might bear fruit, but the scooter he got a few years back has also been a failure so I'm not sanguine.
I am looking into bikeability top up session(s) for daughter, possibly one aimed at adults who can't cycle at all might help. Being with some ten year olds at 15 would be difficult. Son will be a longer term challenge, but a trike may be a possibility.