The safe way to teach your child to cycle

By Christoph Walter Aug 25, 2011, 3:06 GMT

Cologne - Manuel was given his first bicycle at the age of three. It stood one morning in the kitchen with a red bow attached to the handlebars. His first impulse was to go for a ride straight after breakfast but he couldn't just simply jump on and head off. Riding a bicycle has to be learnt first. But how?

'Parents should first look for a good place to practice,' says Bettina Cibulski from Germany's ADFC cycling club. Good spots to choose are parks, school yards or supermarket parking lots if they're not in use on Sundays. Places like that have few obstacles that can pose a danger to your child.

'Falls are part of the learning experience and usually only result in small scratches. Parents shouldn't be too concerned about them,' says Achim Schmidt from the German Sports University in Cologne. Schmidt says worried parents can opt for a lawn as a place to practice. 'Grass is softer than tarmac when it comes to crash landing.' A bicycle helmet will also reduce the risk of injury to a minimum.

Stabilisers will prevent a fall during practice but Schmidt and other experts don't hold them in high regard. That's because they give a false sense of security. 'Stabilisers suppress the pendulum movement you need when cycling a bike so you can keep balance,' says Schmidt. A good age to begin learning to cycle is from the age of three.

As soon as they begin to learn it's important that your child be as independent as possible. 'A gentle push will encourage them to start peddling and to keep their own balance. The learning process is slowed down if you push your child or hold them by the arm,' says Schmidt.

As soon as your child has learned to cycle in a more or less straight line the next step is teach them good posture. 'A good way to teach them to keep looking ahead and to sit up is to get them to cycle towards someone they trust. Walking beside your child as they are cycling is counterproductive,' says Schmidt.

Getting your child to feel secure on a bike will require you to get creative. 'Make up a few games and do them yourself on your own bike.' Schmidt advises cycling slalom around bottles or a row of trees with just one hand on the bars. Another game is to push a ball with the bike's front tyre. Try practicing getting over kerbs or cycling as slow as possible. 'Games like that will give your child a better feeling for cycling and will keep them motivated.'

If your child does not feel like practicing anymore because they have fallen too many times you will just have to accept it. 'Trying to achieve success quickly will have the opposite effect,' warns Schmidt. It's okay to have a break in training for a few weeks.

When is a young cyclist ready to go for their first ride in traffic? 'They must be able to brake, stretch an arm out to indicate a turn and be able to look over their shoulder without the risk of crashing,' says Hannelore Herlan from the German road traffic safety organisation Deutsche Verkehrswacht. Your child should begin their initiation to the open road by cycling on side streets where speed limits are low.