At what age should my child learn to ride a bike?
Is there actually a right age to start cycling? And if so, what is the best way for us as parents to make it as easy and frustration-free as possible for our child?
We give tips and tricks for the best start on two wheels.
A question of age?
One thing first: The “right” age for cycling cannot be determined across the board. Every child – and every family – is different. It is a question of personal development level, body size and, above all, motivation. Some kids want to ride around on their bikes all day long when they're three years old, while others don't get excited about it until they're four or five. As a quick guideline, your child should be able to maintain their balance on a two-wheeler while doing multiple things at the same time, such as pedaling, steering, braking, and cornering. As a general rule, however, it can be said that most children are between three and four years old when they sit on a bike for the first time.
How to approach it correctly?
Is every beginning difficult? That doesn't have to be the case. A balance bike can provide good preparatory work to make it easier for your child to get started on their cycling career. In fact, children who have previously ridden balance bikes regularly find it much easier when they get on a real bike for the first time, as important factors for cycling such as balance, coordination and motor skills have already been trained on the balance bike.
We would advise against the classic training wheels with which many of the older generation probably learned to cycle. They give a false sense of balance; once the training wheels are removed, the child essentially has to start learning balance from scratch.
Our conclusion
In this sense, there is no “right” age to start cycling. True to the motto “ready when you are”, children can get started when they are ready. Decisive factors here can be size, development but also the will or desire to ride a bike.
To make it easier for your child to enter the exciting world of cycling, we clearly recommend using a balance bike beforehand.
