5 OT Tips to Teach Kids to Ride a Pedal Bike

Jul 30

In this post, Creative Beginnings will help grown ups learn how to teach kids to ride a **pedal bike**.
Once a child can sit upright on, balance, steer, and glide on a balance bike or standard bicycle, then they can move on to pedals. For tips on beginning to balance on a bike go HERE.

Here are the five things to focus on as you teach the new skill of pedaling:

Tip 1: Verbal Prompting

Before your rider gets on the bike, talk about the words you will use to coach them. Find consistent words to match the actions. “Push down” and “Raise up” are common phrases used for teaching pedaling because it gives the rider a visual prompt within their imagination.

Tip 2: Smooth Stopping

Sudden stops can impact balance, so working on smooth motor planning with the brakes is important too! Consider brake practice on the lawn for a softer landing spot in case of falls.

Tip 3: Strong Pushing

Always have the child push off to pedal with their strongest/dominant foot. Not sure which foot that is? Ask them to kick a ball and see which foot they kick with.

Tip 4: Stable Steering

One of the main pieces of balance is getting those pedals moving in collaboration with the upper body to stabilize the steering.

Tip 5: Adapt if Needed

Some of the adaptive equipment or modifications that can help kids main balance while riding a bike include:

Specialized seating
Handlebar adaptations
Foot support options like rear box, pedal toe cages, wider pedals, platform pedals, or pedal straps
Bike height
Back rest
Three-wheeled bike options
Trunk support
Stabilizer wheels
Thigh supports
Safety training handle

If your child has trouble with balance, coordination, motor planning, hand grip for steering, visual processing, or sensory processing, retained reflexes may be the cause.