Teaching a 3-year-old How to Ride a Bicycle
Jaden taught himself how to pedal a tricycle when he was 2 or 3 years old. He did it out of nowhere and we were all amazed. We never had to bend over and strain our backs to show him. It came naturally. And now, he’s like a speed demon on that thing.
Jonathan, on the other hand… We’ve been trying with Jonathan since last summer. He just cannot seem to get the concept of push left, push right, push left, push right down. Or maybe we just weren’t patient enough?
But he also had the same problem with the scooter. Their Nana bought them scooters a few months ago, and we finally let them ride them back in August on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City. Jaden was a natural, of course, but Jonathan struggled the entire time.
Again, Nana came to the rescue and gifted us with a bicycle that has training wheels. I had given up on the idea of Jonathan learning how to ride the scooter, so I figured I should muster up the patience to teach my son how to ride a bicycle. Like, bend over and help him figure out the pattern of pushing his feet—left, right, left, right.
I felt like a drill sergeant. But you know what? He kind of got it! I feel like with a little more practice, he will be riding around that park just as fast as his brother can.
I’m not going to lie, though, I did give up on him a couple times. I literally walked away and told him to come to me. I was tired! Don’t judge me. But I saw that look of hopelessness on his little face, and I walked over to hm and continued to drill him—left, right, left, right…
I think it’s important for Jonathan to have this memory of me not giving up on him. He himself wanted to give up, but I encouraged him and told him that he was doing a great job. I can’t imagine what must have been going on in his little head. My son needs to learn to not give up. Don’t stop trying to do something just because you can’t figure it out in an hour. I needed that positive reinforcement as a child, and I never received it. It’s the reason I stopped playing piano. It’s the reason I used to throw tantrums when I couldn’t figure out a puzzle. And no one said, It’s ok, Larianne. Just keep trying. You almost got it.
That spirit of frustration that lived inside of me was so real, and no one tried to do anything about it. They just let me scream and cry and get mad. I don’t want my children to be like that.
So how to teach you 3-year-old to ride a bicycle? Just do it.
