Well, I'm not sure if it's a method so-to-speak, but we did it this way:
• Started with stabalisers and just took her to the park on odd occasions so she could get a feel for pedalling and steering
• Once she got confident I took the stabalisers off and put the bike in our front yard (paved area about 15ft square)
• I lowered the seat so she could put both feet flat on the floor then gently pushed her across the yard holding onto the seat to keep her and the bike upright (this gave her a feel for balancing without the stabalisers)
• Once she got a bit of balance I pushed her off and let go so she balanced by herself for a yard or so - not very much at all to begin with, but extended this as she got a feel for it until she could do a good length of the yard
• I then took her to the park and gave her a good push-off and introduced pedalling. With encouragment she managed to keep going and in an afternoon was quite happily pootling across the park
• The final stage was getting her going from a standing start. This bit took the longest, but that was mainly my fault because I missed a trick. I told her what to do and watched her struggle for a good couple of hours.
The next night I realised what I did when I set off on a bike - you put one foot on the floor and lean on that leg for balance, tuck your toes under the opposite pedal and bring it to the 2 O'clock position, then give a good hard push on it and jump up on the seat.
That's what I explained to the little 'un - put that foot down, get your balance, and push off on the other leg.
She worked on this the next night, and after an hour or so she could pretty much get across the yard. Not quite getting he other foot up onto the pedal, but certainly getting off-the-blocks and enjoying the progress she was making.
From there is was a simple progression to the wide footpath on the main street and as she practised she got more confident.
Just need to teach her how to turn around now ....
