At What Age Do Kids Learn to Ride a Bike?

Learning to ride a bike is a key milestone in the lives of most children. Many of us have fond memories of being taught to ride a bike when we were young, and want to pass that joy onto the next generation. But when is the right time to introduce children to bicycle riding? At what age do kids learn to ride a bike these days?

Kids commonly learn to cycle between the age of 3 and 8. However, the right age depends on a number of factors – including co-ordination and mental development. Their level of interest is another factor you need to consider.

You can get little ones started on a balance bike sometimes as early as 18 months old. If they’re capable of mastering that (and seem to enjoy it), you could move them onto a pedal bike. Although it’s not part of the average age range, some kids can even start riding at 2 years old.

As a parent, you need to make sure your child is ready. The experience of riding a bike will likely stay with them their entire life. So you need to make it special!

The physical and mental development of children

The most important factor in deciding when your child is ready for the bike is their physical and mental development.

Simply put: if you don’t think your child is capable of pedalling, holding onto the hand brakes, and cycling in a straight line, you should hold them off for the time being.

The three core skills of bike riding

The three core skills involved in riding a bike are balance, visual skills, and motor skills. Starting your children out on balance bikes is a good way of testing whether or not your child possesses these skills.

Firstly, make sure your child can get on and off the balance bike successfully on their own. Next, if they can successfully tip-toe to move the bike and then glide in a chosen direction, then they could be ready for a pedal bike.

Spatial awareness and bike riding

Spatial awareness is another essential milestone a child should pass before bike riding. When steering, they need to be aware of objects that are in front of them and understand how to direct the bike to avoid them. Normally, children learn the basics of spatial awareness by the age of 18 months.

Of course, every child is different. They could learn spatial awareness, balance, motor, and visual skills at any time during their infancy.

So, getting them a balance bike and monitoring their skills development would be the best way to judge when your child is physically and mentally ready for a pedal bike.

You should also wait until they’re interested in riding a pedal bike. If not, their enthusiasm may not be strong enough for them to master the skill.

Common age ranges for learning to ride a bike

To give you a more specific idea of the common age ranges for bike learning, here’s a breakdown of when children generally learn:

• Balance bike — 18 months to 5 years old
• Pedal bike with training wheels — 3-6 years old
• Pedal bike without support — 3-8 years old

Of course, the above are just estimates.

It’s not uncommon for children to be much older than 8 years old when they first ride unsupported. And learning later on in childhood is unlikely to have any noticeable impact on their riding ability.

In fact, according to the study ‘The Best Time to Acquire New Skills’, the age group with the strongest learning effect is 4-12. So, don’t worry if your child isn’t ready to learn by the age of 8 — or even 12!

Factors that affect learning to ride a bike

On top of the mental and physical development of your child, there are other factors that can affect the learning process.

The age at which your child will be ready to start riding is dependent on the following factors:

• The influence of other children — If your child has friends that are learning to ride, they’ll probably feel more encouraged to do the same. Children don’t like being left behind. On the other hand, if none of their friends has started the learning process, they may be less inclined to start themselves.
• Fear — Pedal bikes are very different from balance bikes – especially for kids. This transition can sometimes be daunting. The fear of falling off could be too much for your child.
• Negative experience — If your child fell off their bike the first time they tried to ride it, it can massively impact future attempts. The surprise and shock attached to that memory may overwhelm them and put them off wanting to try again.
• Their bike is the wrong size — Don’t buy a bike for your child to ‘grow into’. At the same time, don’t expect your child to learn on a bike that’s too small for their body. The wrong-sized bike will leave your child feeling uncomfortable. They may also feel that they don’t have enough control over the bike.
• They’re unsure of how to break — The idea of having to pull the breaks in emergencies can be discouraging for children. They’re already worried about pedalling and steering – now they have to worry about breaking, too.

How can you help your child overcome these factors?

If your child is ready to move on from balance bikes, the best thing you can do is support them. This starts with buying them the correct bike for their size (more on this later).

Make sure your child is comfortable

Make sure their feet can sit flatly on the ground as well as comfortably on the pedals. You also need to ensure that their fingers can easily reach the brakes. Lastly, you need to make sure that your child understands how to operate the breaks. This includes teaching them what break controls what wheel, etc.

Supporting your child as they learn to balance

To help them overcome their fear of falling, you should aim to provide them with as much support as possible — both physical and emotional. You should physically run alongside your child’s bike as they learn. If possible, you could put your arms on the handlebars to provide them with extra support.

This will help them forget their fear of falling and allows them to focus on the pedals.

Additionally, you should also provide words of encouragement as they learn. Praise them when they do well and don’t discourage them when they fail. It’s also important to set reasonable daily targets and know when to call it a day. 

Another great way to encourage your children to fall in love with riding a bike is to buy them a bicycle they’re guaranteed to love. You could even buy them a fun Spiderman bike, based on their favourite superhero!

Teaching your child to ride a bike

When you – and your child – decide it’s time to learn to ride, follow the steps below. They’ll keep things safe when the training wheels come off:

Safety first

Before you even get to the bike, make sure your child has the best safety gear. Specifically, get your child a bike helmet that fits their head circumference perfectly.

Take the pedals off

Letting your child ride their first real bike like a balance bike can help them get used to it. Allowing them to glide over flat surfaces and even gradual descents can help them get their balance on the bike. Especially when you encourage them to brake and use their feet to stop.

Avoid obstacles

With the pedals back on, you should pick a flat area with minimum obstacles. Here, you can run alongside your child and get them used to the pedalling motion. With no obstacles in the way, younger riders will feel less stressed.

Encourage your child

Most children (especially younger kids) thrive on praise. The more you cheer them on and reward them, the faster they’ll likely master the bike.

Be patient when teaching kids how to ride a bike

Most kids can successfully ride after a couple of weeks’ worth of practice. However, this again depends on your child. It can take some kids half an hour and several months for others.

The speed at which they learn depends on several factors. This includes their experience with balance bikes and how long they practised with kids’ trikes with training wheels. It also depends on their confidence levels, the terrain they learn on, and a whole host of other factors.

Whatever the reason, it’s important to be as patient as possible with them. Don’t force them to keep going if they’re ready to quit. Additionally, you should set daily limits. Most kids respond better to achieving a daily limit than trying to reach unrealistic milestones.

Finding the right bike for your child

As aforementioned, your child’s first two-wheeler needs to be the right size. There’s a whole range of children’s bike sizes available, each with its own frame and wheel size, so it’s important to know how to measure a kids’ bike to get the right one for your child..

You need to take your child’s current height and get a bike that reflects this.

Here’s a basic overview of children’s bike sizes compared to their height:

• 88-97cm — 9-10″ bike
• 98-104cm — 10-12″ bike
• 105-111cm — 12-14″ bike
• 112-116cm — 14-16″ bike
• 117-126cm — 16-20″ bike
• 127-135cm — 20-24″ bike
• 136-144cm — 24-26″ bike

Check out Electric Ride On Cars’ current selection of kids’ bikes for a two-wheeler to match your child’s height.

Learn to ride with Electric Ride on Cars

Your child will let you know when it’s time to start pedalling. There is no definitive answer to ‘When should my child learn to ride a bike?’. Every kid is different, and some children need more time with training wheels than others. While the best age is between 3 and 8 years old, many children learn to ride beyond the age of 8.

When they are ready to learn, get them a new bike, walk alongside them, and encourage them as much as possible. Your child’s confidence in riding a bike depends on it!

We stock a range a bikes at Electric Ride on Cars, including balance bikes and trikes, along with girls’ bikes and bikes for boys, so your kids can learn to ride the bike that’s perfect for them in their own time. 

FAQs

When do I know when my child is ready for a balance bike?

Your toddler should be confident walking before they start practising on a balance bike. As long as they seem comfortable putting their feet flat when they need to stop, they’re old enough to use a balance bike.

Is a tricycle better than a coaster brakes bike?

Balance bikes are better for learning how to ride a real bike than a tricycle. Of course, they teach children how to balance themselves properly, but they also set them up for steering and braking on a real bike.