Life Land mark - Proud Pappa moment
 

My 4 year old (turns 5 next month) learned how to ride her bike over the course of 3 nights and ~6 hours. I used her old 14 inch bike as a coaster bike (no peddles). She mastered coasting w/o putting her feet down for a whole block (we live on a slight hill) so I put the peddles back on it. By the end of the second night she could peddle her 14 inch bike up and back where ever she wanted. Roughly 20 minutes into night 3 she figured out how to peddle in a circle, and by the end of tonight (night three) she was riding her Giant Puddin' just as well as her much lighter and smaller Lil' Pudding.

It was a great night!

Can you say riding partner.

Practice this conversation..to make it sound convincing
You: Honey I need a new bike.
Your Honey: WHY
You: To ride with my little princess. The bike I have now is too fast. The XYZ bike would be just right for me to ride along with princess. You know children who ride with their fathers at a young age, excel later in life (can't smile here).

I learned the same way when I was 4, coast down a hill and then walk my bike back up. I remember the day I turned around and pedaled back up.

Congratulations! :beer:

Wonderful. Three nights and already she rides better than I do. :cry:

Seriously, congratulations.

I look foward to that life moment. My daughter will turn 4 this year so she's not to far off. Funny thing though, I think my son will have a easier time learning to ride then my daughter. He's 2, and picks up stuff like that much faster then she does.

I hope my teaching is as successful as yours!

We bought her her first bike when she was about 2 and a half. It was late February at the time so she really started to ride a bike w/ training wheels right before her 3rd b-day. The second bike was for her 4th B-day.

I learned of the push-bike technique over on the Rec - Family forum. I was amazed about how easy it was. Of course, it helped that Lauren had been bugging me for 3+ weeks to take her training wheels off her bike. She was bound and determined to do it. Also, we used a set of elbow and knee pads so that she was comfortable w/ falling down on concrete. I wish we had a set of kid six full-finger bike gloves for her too. But that wasn't needed once she figured it didn't hurt her to crash.

She's also pretty competitive when it comes to mastering something. So once we turned it into a game of how many sidewalk squares she could go w/o putting her feet down thing moved quickly. Switching to the much smaller bike made it easier for her to figure out her balance too.

I'm already angling for a tag-along bike. We're going to a store on Saturday to try one prior to going on vacation since Lauren "want's to peddle not ride in the trailer now that she's a big girl who can rider her bike." I didn't even have to prompt her to tell her mother that.

Sweet! Video would be very cool, be sure to get some, regardless of whether you post it anywhere. Its important for YOU!