# Anyone else have a 4 year old who can't pedal a bike????



## tylerdylan (Aug 29, 2007)

DS turned 4 two months ago. He can pedal his trike no problem, rode it lots last summer, can still ride it now. He's getting a bit big for it so we bought him a two-wheeler with training wheels and backward pedaling breaks. For some reason he keeps trying to pedal backwards and hence breaking so he doesn't move anywhere. The only thing I can think is the trike pedals are infront of him and the 2-wheeler pedals are straight under him so it is a different leg motion. He just can't seem to grasp pedalling his new bike and then gets frustrated and gives up. Any thoughts on how to teach him to do this (we've tried walking beside him pedalling the pedals with our hands, but the second we let go he pushes backwards and stops again)??
Does anyone else's child have this problem? Is this something that is just hard to do for some kids?? DS has a brainstem tumour and we never know if when he struggles with something if it is because of the tumour or because it is something that is just hard for a child of his age group (it seems such an easy concept to us as an adult, but maybe it's not?). Any thoughts?

TIA


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## eirual (Mar 21, 2006)

DS is 3.5 and just started using his trike independently this spring. For him, we told him to go backwards in order to get one pedal in the air, then push forwards from there. Maybe that's what he's trying to do? Any way of disabling the brakes temporarily? Otherwise, get the pedals into pedal-ready position for him and just tell him to push forward. Maybe you could try out the trike and show him how he pedals backwards sometimes but he can't do that on the two wheeler. Maybe show him while he's on the trike how he pushes forward with his L then R then L then R and THAT's what he needs to be doing on the two wheeler, that same feeling.

If it's just getting everyone frustrated, I'd take a break and let him call the shots- either let him figure it out on his own or let him ask for your help and in the mean time just watch other kids do it and he'll figure it out eventually!

I can see how it would be tricky and more of a developmental challenge than tumour related, but that's just my guess.


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## lindberg99 (Apr 23, 2003)

It just takes some kids a while to get the hang of riding a bike. Would he ride on a tag-a-long bike behind you? Then if he accidentally pedals backward, it won't stop the bike so he wouldn't get so frustrated. Plus I found the tag along helped the kids learn to balance on a bike too.


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## Ellen Griswold (Feb 27, 2008)

Mine is almost 6 and still can't master the pedalling motion. Part of that is lack of desire on his part and lack of mommy wanting to run down the road with him on my part.


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## mags (May 4, 2004)

Don't stress over it too much. My 5 yr old is still not as good at riding his bike as his 3.5 yr old brother. Some kids aren't that interested in learning how to ride bikes until they are a lot older. I think kids want to pedal backwards, b/c trikes allow that option, while, "regular" bikes don't. It just takes them some time to get used to it.


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## LynnS6 (Mar 30, 2005)

3.5 is really young for a 2 wheel bike.

Our ds didn't ride a 2 wheeler until he was 7. Dd was 4, but she did it because her brother did it!

What about a balance bike? Or taking the pedals off the bike you have (and the training wheels) and letting him use it as a balance bike? (You have to put the seat all the way down so his feet hit the ground flat.)

Personally, I'm not a fan of training wheels, as they don't actually prepare kids for riding that well.


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## tylerdylan (Aug 29, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *LynnS6* 
3.5 is really young for a 2 wheel bike.

Our ds didn't ride a 2 wheeler until he was 7. Dd was 4, but she did it because her brother did it!

What about a balance bike? Or taking the pedals off the bike you have (and the training wheels) and letting him use it as a balance bike? (You have to put the seat all the way down so his feet hit the ground flat.)

Personally, I'm not a fan of training wheels, as they don't actually prepare kids for riding that well.


I don't want to sound snarky, but DS is 4 + 2 months old, not 3.5. And is it really a two-wheeler? I considered it more of a 4 wheeler! And if your kids aren't riding two wheelers till age 7, then what are they riding? I haven't seen any trikes big enough for such an old child.
Can someone explain the concept behind these balance bikes because I just don't get it. I get that learning to balance a bike without training wheels is the hardest part of learning to ride a bike, but to spend $100 on a bike that has no pedals so that he can slowly move by running his feet on the ground just makes no sense to me. How fast can they really get going doing that? Fast enough to glide and learn to balance? And how long would they "ride" one of these balanace bikes? They seem like a waste of money to me (and we don't have a lot to spare). And learning to balance the bike seems like a moot point to me if he can't figure out how to pedal the thing. He actually really wants to learn to ride a bike (he just wants it to be easy to do) because he sees all the other kids racing by on theirs and he wants to "go fast" too.


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## ~PurityLake~ (Jul 31, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tylerdylan* 
DS turned 4 two months ago. He can pedal his trike no problem, rode it lots last summer, can still ride it now. He's getting a bit big for it so we bought him a two-wheeler with training wheels and backward pedaling breaks. For some reason he keeps trying to pedal backwards and hence breaking so he doesn't move anywhere. The only thing I can think is the trike pedals are infront of him and the 2-wheeler pedals are straight under him so it is a different leg motion. He just can't seem to grasp pedalling his new bike and then gets frustrated and gives up. Any thoughts on how to teach him to do this (we've tried walking beside him pedalling the pedals with our hands, but the second we let go he pushes backwards and stops again)??
Does anyone else's child have this problem? Is this something that is just hard to do for some kids?? DS has a brainstem tumour and we never know if when he struggles with something if it is because of the tumour or because it is something that is just hard for a child of his age group (it seems such an easy concept to us as an adult, but maybe it's not?). Any thoughts?

TIA

My oldest daughter has a bicycle with pedal brakes which is equipped with training wheels ($5 at salvation army for the bike). She never owned a tricycle. When she first tried riding last summer, shortly after turning 3 years old, she mostly tried to back pedal, resulting in a braked bike. This summer, she successfully forward pedaled across the living room and into the kitchen! I coached her only a little bit by telling her to point her toes up so she could push the pedals forward with her feet. She is also much taller this year. She's frequently mistaken for a 5 year old and she won't be four until the end of May.

There was a thread a while back by a mother of a 12 year old having a hard time learning to ride a bike (no training wheels), so if I were you, I wouldn't be too concerned right now.


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## 2xy (Nov 30, 2008)

Both of my kids were about 6yo when they learned to ride a 2-wheeler.

I didn't learn until I was 8.

What were we riding? Well....Big Wheels, skateboards, roller skates/blades. A bicycle is not an essential item for young children. At any rate, 3/4 of the year where we live is cold/windy/icy/snowy. Bike season is rather short.


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## DaughterOfKali (Jul 15, 2007)

My son is 6 and still can't pedal properly.


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## snoopy5386 (May 6, 2005)

I didn't learn how to ride a bike until 6-7 years old.


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## tylerdylan (Aug 29, 2007)

Thanks everyone. We feel better knowing DS isn't the only one struggling to pedal properly (we are so worried his tumour is going to affect his development - we just want to be a normal child KWIM?).
Is 4 years old too young for a 3 wheeled scooter?? No pedalling with those. He jumped on one at the store when we were buying the bike and really wanted one (and did quite well on it), but for some reason he seems young for one. Am I wrong?


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## pigpokey (Feb 23, 2006)

Four is too OLD for a three wheel scooter in his case. He can ride a two wheeler, even if he can't balance right away. He will stabilize with one leg. The prob. with three wheel devices are that if a kid can work some decent speed, i.e., ride them well then they are liable to have a tipping accident. Three wheels become more unstable as speed increases. Two wheels, more so. If he can't pedal the bike, get 'im a Torker scooter.


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## jillmamma (Apr 11, 2005)

My 6 year old finally got the hang of pedaling on a 2 wheel bike with training wheels last year at age 5. He really likes the tag along type where it is attached behind daddy, and we are hoping that gives him confidence and helps him learn balance. My 3.5 year old has a 2 wheel bike with training wheels, but does not have the coordination to pedal it yet, though she can do the trike. I am guessing by age 5 she will get it though. So I think it is normal, and the only thing to do is keep trying.


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## LynnS6 (Mar 30, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *pigpokey* 
Four is too OLD for a three wheel scooter in his case. He can ride a two wheeler, even if he can't balance right away.

Yep, I'd agree with that. He can learn balance on the 2 wheeled scooter and that will really help his balance when he gets on a bike.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tylerdylan* 
I don't want to sound snarky, but DS is 4 + 2 months old, not 3.5. And is it really a two-wheeler? I considered it more of a 4 wheeler!

Sorry I got his age wrong. The problem, IMO, with training wheels is that they're (a) slow and (b) they take a different steering motion than either a 2 wheeler or a trike. Dd learned to ride a 2 wheeler at 4 years 1 month last year, and then she got on a neighbor's bike with training wheels. She had a devil of a time learning to steer the training wheel bike because she was used to leaning to turn, and she would practically take the thing down.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tylerdylan* 
And if your kids aren't riding two wheelers till age 7, then what are they riding? I haven't seen any trikes big enough for such an old child.

Well, ds (who was my 7 year old, and who is TALL), rode a Kettler trike that I'd gotten used, but his favorite was an older Rock-Roll-'n-Ride XL that I'd gotten when he was about 2-3. The seat was adjustable. It was quite tight the last year he used it, but mostly by then he was using his 2 wheeled scooter. You could also use a "Big Wheel" type thing.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tylerdylan* 
Can someone explain the concept behind these balance bikes because I just don't get it. I get that learning to balance a bike without training wheels is the hardest part of learning to ride a bike, but to spend $100 on a bike that has no pedals so that he can slowly move by running his feet on the ground just makes no sense to me.

I didn't buy one of these because I decided to use a 2 wheeled scooter to the same effect (and for $29 it was a much better deal). If I wanted a balance bike, I'd take the pedals off a regular one.

I've seen kids go really fast with the balance bikes though. Just like roller skating or riding a scooter, once they get the idea of gliding, they go pretty fast.

Honestly, I'd just practice in short bursts with your ds until he gets the pedaling down.


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## bestjob (Mar 19, 2002)

My kids are 14, 11, and 8 years old, and they can all ride gnarly trails whenever and wherever.

I read these posts and I honestly cannot remember when who learned to ride what or when he or she did it, but I do recall the feeling of watching a neighbour kid ride by at high speed while one or the other of my kids dawdled and dandled and generally didn't bike. It's a growing moment for a mom.

Relax, your kids will understand how to use wheels when it makes sense to them. Seven months is nothing. One neighbour was almost 12 before he got the hang of riding a bike. Recent reports indicate that he's still going to be allowed to vote and pay taxes when the time comes.

As for getting around, which is a big deal in our biking family, I can happily suggest that an older (4 years and up) kid would love the "gator" that we had... it clamped the kids' bikes to the seat post of the parent's bike. It was fabulous and it works with training wheels. When you get where you want to go, the two bikes can be separated so kids and parents can go in opposite directions.


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

I learned to ride when I was like 7 and then had to relearn around age 12 because I didn't have a bike for a few years. I remember as a kid that it was very important for me to set the pedals in the right positions before I started.

So I'd say, start with that, set his pedals where he can really push off and start moving fast enough to not fall over before he has a chance to make the next push.


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## hhurd (Oct 7, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *DaughterOfKali* 
My son is 6 and still can't pedal properly.

Mine too.


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## Dandelionkid (Mar 6, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tylerdylan* 
I don't want to sound snarky, but DS is 4 + 2 months old, not 3.5. And is it really a two-wheeler? I considered it more of a 4 wheeler! And if your kids aren't riding two wheelers till age 7, then what are they riding? I haven't seen any trikes big enough for such an old child.
Can someone explain the concept behind these balance bikes because I just don't get it. I get that learning to balance a bike without training wheels is the hardest part of learning to ride a bike, but to spend $100 on a bike that has no pedals so that he can slowly move by running his feet on the ground just makes no sense to me. How fast can they really get going doing that? Fast enough to glide and learn to balance? And how long would they "ride" one of these balanace bikes? They seem like a waste of money to me (and we don't have a lot to spare). And learning to balance the bike seems like a moot point to me if he can't figure out how to pedal the thing. He actually really wants to learn to ride a bike (he just wants it to be easy to do) because he sees all the other kids racing by on theirs and he wants to "go fast" too.

I love our balance bike! We bought the glider-rider for ds when he turned 2 and he has been riding it since. It goes up to 5 yrs old. He was able to go as fast as his sister with her training wheels last year and this year he has been faster than her (well, until she started riding without tw) It is awesome for rough terrain and he loves gliding down big hills with both his feet up.
I think the best part about it is the ability for young kids to keep up well with siblings (tricycle or bike with tw are really a lot slower) and the balance he has learned can't hurt either!


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## rzberrymom (Feb 10, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tylerdylan* 
Can someone explain the concept behind these balance bikes because I just don't get it. I get that learning to balance a bike without training wheels is the hardest part of learning to ride a bike, but to spend $100 on a bike that has no pedals so that he can slowly move by running his feet on the ground just makes no sense to me. How fast can they really get going doing that? Fast enough to glide and learn to balance? And how long would they "ride" one of these balanace bikes? They seem like a waste of money to me (and we don't have a lot to spare). And learning to balance the bike seems like a moot point to me if he can't figure out how to pedal the thing. He actually really wants to learn to ride a bike (he just wants it to be easy to do) because he sees all the other kids racing by on theirs and he wants to "go fast" too.

My DD started on a balance bike at 2, and learned to ride a regular bike with no training wheels by 3 1/2. She's about the LEAST athletic child I've ever seen, so I think these balance bikes really must work!







She used to FLY on that thing--that can really go fast once they use them for a while.

For an older kiddo, you can just take the pedals off the regular bike and it will be a cheapo version of a balance bike--a friend did this with a $5 bike from a thrift store. I'm not sure that would work for a younger child since the regular bikes would probably be too tall, but it should work for a 4 year old.

She's now 4 and she doesn't like her friend's bike with training wheels--she gets on it and says she's scared and that it feels like it's going to tip over.


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