Moms Talk: Pedaling Away the Summer

With all the Barbie hot wheels and mini-motorcycles out there for kids, has the age-old tradition of learning to ride a bike disappeared? Does pedaling away teach your child values, or is it just a thing of the past? What are some tips on teaching your kids to ride? 

Sharon Luna 

Bike riding is amazing! Teaching children to ride a two-wheeler is probably more difficult than the learning part. For my girls and granddaughters, I used the run-alongside method on an empty church lot. Learning to ride is one step to independence and adventure! It is a good way to learn balance which is also helpful in roller skating and both are wonderful forms of exercise.

You have an opportunity to teach your child "the rules of the road" starting at an early age and it is a great way to spend family time... usually pretty inexpensive, after the purchase of a bike! In our area, we are fortunate to have Grant's Trail, JB Park and Cliff Cave Parks to ride. We also have the Moonlight Ramble, which will be August 13 this year. 

When you are an adult and riding, it kind of clears your mind and lets your thoughts drift to younger days that eventually you want to share with your children!

Lisa May

My husband has done the training for the oldest two. My daughter was 5 and my son 4 when they learned to ride a two-wheeler. My little one is still learning (she is 5). I think physical activity is wonderful for anyone. 

A couple of years ago, my husband and I purchased bikes for ourselves and a trailer for the little one. We love to go riding at Cliff Cave as a family. However, it seems to be flooded most of the time and we like to do the whole course. I was recently reminded of JB, and we plan on trying that out very soon. It is always a fun time for all of us. We love to ride and have a snack afterward.

Jenny Wescoat

We took my son's training wheels off a couple of months ago. He's had a couple of outings to try out his bike, but he's still unsure of himself. It kind of makes me understand why my dad made us go straight to regular bike-riding instead of a stop-off at training wheels. 

The only unusual experience we've had is that when we bought my son his bike for his fourth birthday, we immediately started taking him on the trail with it. Something was off on the training wheels and how they were attached, so he kept just falling over. It looked really funny, but was kind of scary for him. But I was really proud because he kept hopping back on.

My husband fixed whatever was off balance after that, but I'm not sure I would have been brave enough to keep trying if I had been him. Our neighborhood isn't great for bike riding, but we live really close to Grant's Trail, so that's our destination when we want to ride bikes. It's kind of a hassle, though. We don't have a great set-up for transporting all of our bikes, so usually my husband just takes my son out to the trail. 

Jennifer AuBuchon

I think bike riding is something everyone should know how to do. I was so determined that my kids would ride a bike that I wouldn't entertain the idea of any "power riding toys" until they had bike riding under their belts. I distinctly remember teaching my daughter in the middle of our old street. My husband taught my son in that same spot.

We enjoy riding together as a family although we don't get a chance to do it nearly enough. My husband is a "real" bike rider. He enjoys off-road biking at Cliff Cave, Castlewood, etc.  He and some buddies are preparing for a century ride Labor Day weekend. So as you can imagine, we kind of "slow him down" in terms of the riding he does regularly.

I think we're so fortunate to have so many great places to bike like the Katy Trail, Grant's Trail, etc. not to mention having so many groups that take care of the off-road trails. If it would just cool off a little, we'd enjoy getting out there a lot more!