As I mentioned here, LMS recently decided she was ready to ride her bike with the pedals on.
I questioned her to make sure she was positive- I didn't want to put them on and have her decide she didn't want them on.
She assured me she was ready, and I put the pedals on her bike.
She practiced riding her bike, but she wasn't super confident about her balance. This might have had something to do with her mostly riding on hilly grass in our very uneven back yard.
So we took her bike to the park and she practiced riding up and down a straight stretch of sidewalk (surrounded by grass on both sides!). After a couple passes, she was no longer putting her feet down every few feet to keep her balance. A few more passes, and she was confident enough to start going faster. Just before she stopped, she was racing a friend who was trying out his skateboard for the first time. I think she beat him :)
Half an hour was all it took for her to feel confident about her balance and her ability to ride her bike. No crashes, no injuries.
I have a distinct memory of riding my first two wheeler (blue, with a flowered banana seat) and promptly crashing into a tree when I looked back at my mom (who had let go, of course). The front reflector didn't make it out in one piece and I think I scraped my knee or elbow.
As I watched her ride (and the great big smiles as she realized she was doing it), I realized she's too big for her bike. The handlebars and seat can't be raised any higher, and her knees come up awkwardly high when she pedals.
This all happened a couple weeks before her birthday, so I knew what she was getting from us :)
We looked around a bit, and I quickly realized our options were limited since I didn't want to buy a bike plastered with princesses, kitties, dora, or any other characters. I'm picky that way.
online- more options, but assembly required
in store- less options, but already assembled
So eventually we went with a bike from Target. It's 20"and seems a bit big for her, but I think that's because of how small her other bike is. And I didn't see the point in buying a 16" bike just to turn around and have to buy a 20" one in 6 months when she goes through another growth spurt.
As I mentioned, it's bigger than her old bike, so she's ridden it in the house a few times but not been confident about it. I've been meaning to take her to the park for some more practice (it worked the first time!), and yesterday we finally had the time and the bike in the back of the car.
She didn't feel comfortable riding on the sidewalk so she rode on the grass, and did quite well. Until it came time to turn. Then she fell over. We'll have to work on that part. :)
So it's a work in progress, but it's so fun to see her gain confidence and try new things.
Do you remember learning to ride a bike?
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