First off, I realize that a kid learning to ride her bike shortly after turning 5 years old is unlikely to set any records for a prodigal performance.
At Maggie's birthday party (3/8), we got Luke's old bike, which we thought would be lighter and easier to ride. Since that time, we'd talked with Maggie a few times about trying out the bike but she wasn't interested.
About a week ago, Maggie and I watched a few youtube videos about learning to ride a bike. She still wasn't interested in trying it out.
We talked about biking on Saturday and Sunday of this past week, and didn't get around to it, but Maggie agreed on Sunday that she'd give it a try on Monday. When it was time to try it out, I brought one of our blue microfiber towels to support her. We got all ready and while still in the basement, I showed Maggie how securely I'd be able to hold her with the towel if she started to fall.
We made our way over to the park, hitting a short hailstorm on the way, and went under the covered area to get out of the rain. My expectation was that this was going to be a rough session of Maggie pedaling a few times, me catching her weight with the towel, lifting her back up, and doing the same thing over and over with increased frustration.
Instead, Maggie climbed on the bike, said she didn't want the towel, pushed herself with her feet a couple of times, and then took off! The first time she successfully pedaled herself via real biking, she went probably 30 yards, successfully made several turns, and came to a controlled stop. Since then, it has been off to the races. She loves biking and is comfortable with it.
The next day we went out for another successful adventure. She liked to either bike around on the basketball court and have me chase after her, or she wanted me to run around and she would chase. She had a couple of small falls, but nothing major.
Yay Maggie!
At Maggie's birthday party (3/8), we got Luke's old bike, which we thought would be lighter and easier to ride. Since that time, we'd talked with Maggie a few times about trying out the bike but she wasn't interested.
About a week ago, Maggie and I watched a few youtube videos about learning to ride a bike. She still wasn't interested in trying it out.
We talked about biking on Saturday and Sunday of this past week, and didn't get around to it, but Maggie agreed on Sunday that she'd give it a try on Monday. When it was time to try it out, I brought one of our blue microfiber towels to support her. We got all ready and while still in the basement, I showed Maggie how securely I'd be able to hold her with the towel if she started to fall.
We made our way over to the park, hitting a short hailstorm on the way, and went under the covered area to get out of the rain. My expectation was that this was going to be a rough session of Maggie pedaling a few times, me catching her weight with the towel, lifting her back up, and doing the same thing over and over with increased frustration.
Instead, Maggie climbed on the bike, said she didn't want the towel, pushed herself with her feet a couple of times, and then took off! The first time she successfully pedaled herself via real biking, she went probably 30 yards, successfully made several turns, and came to a controlled stop. Since then, it has been off to the races. She loves biking and is comfortable with it.
The next day we went out for another successful adventure. She liked to either bike around on the basketball court and have me chase after her, or she wanted me to run around and she would chase. She had a couple of small falls, but nothing major.
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