How to Teach a Child to Ride a Bike Without Training Wheels

The problem is the order, not the child

The training wheels came off, your child pushed the first pedal, and the bike tipped straight over. That happens because training wheels hold the bike upright, so a child learns to pedal but never learns to balance, and balance is the part that has to come first.

So teach them in the opposite order. Take the pedals off, let your child learn to glide, and put the pedals back once the balancing is done.

What do you need before the first session?

Start with the bike. Take off the training wheels, then take off both pedals. To loosen either pedal, turn the spanner towards the back of the bike; the left pedal has a reverse thread, and this rule works for both sides.

Lower the seat until your child, sitting on it, can put both feet flat on the ground with the knees slightly bent. A child on tiptoe will not feel safe, and a child who does not feel safe will not lift their feet.

The helmet should sit level on the forehead, not tipped back, with the strap snug enough that it does not slide when your child shakes their head. Put it on for every session, including the first one where they only walk the bike.

For the ground, a smooth path or an empty car park well away from cars and motorbikes works best, ideally with a very gentle slope at one end. Grass feels softer to fall on, but it drags at the wheels and makes gliding much harder.

Teaching balance first

Step one is walking. Your child sits on the seat and walks the bike forward, feet on the ground, hands on the handlebars. Keep this going until they stop looking down at their feet.

Step two is scooting. They push off with both feet together, a little faster each time, and lift them for a moment between pushes. At this stage the feet are their brakes, so tell them to put both feet down whenever they want to stop.

Step three is gliding. After a few strong pushes, they lift both feet and hold them up while the bike rolls. Count the seconds out loud so they have a number to beat.

Step four is steering. Ask them to glide in a wide curve around you, then the other way, looking where they want to go rather than at the front wheel, since the bike follows the eyes. Your child is ready for pedals when they can glide for a few seconds with their feet up and steer a gentle curve without putting a foot down.

When do the pedals go back on?

Only once the gliding test above is passed, whether that takes one afternoon or several short sessions. Screw the pedals back in by turning the spanner towards the front of the bike, which tightens both sides.

Keep the seat at the same low height for the first pedalling session, so your child can still catch themselves with their feet. Raise it a little at a time later, once starting and stopping are easy.

How do you teach a child to start pedalling?

Stand the bike still and have your child put one foot on a pedal. Turn that pedal so it sits high and slightly forward, just past the top of its circle. This is the power position.

They push down hard on that pedal and lift the other foot at the same moment. The push moves the bike forward fast enough to balance, which is exactly the glide they already know. Then they find the second pedal and keep turning.

If you want to help, hold your child lightly by the shoulders or the back of their top, never the seat or the handlebars. Holding the seat keeps the bike upright for them, which takes away the balance they just learned, and holding the handlebars takes away the steering.

How do they learn to stop?

Teach braking while your child walks beside the bike, before they ride it. Show them which lever or pedal action is the brake, then have them squeeze it as they walk so they feel the bike pull up.

On the bike, practise the stop as its own drill. Ride slowly, brake gently and evenly, and put both feet down once the bike has stopped. Repeat it until stopping is boring.

If it is not working

Keep each session short and stop while your child still wants more. A tired or frustrated child wobbles more, falls more and remembers the falls.

If they keep stopping on tiptoe or refuse to lift their feet, lower the seat again. If they wobble and swerve, check where they are looking, and give them something to look at further ahead. If they are afraid after a fall, go back a step for the rest of that session, to scooting or gliding, and end on something they can do.

Places to keep practising

A quiet park path on a weekend morning is an easy place to keep going, and riding together makes a good regular outing, as our guide to father and child weekend activities describes. Our piece on what outdoor play does for a child covers why that time is worth protecting. If your child wants something more structured, the activity finder lets you look at sports classes near you, and the activity quiz is a quick way to work out what to try next.