Learning to Ride a Bike
There are more lessons to learning to ride a bike than I ever realized. We got Sy his first bike for Christmas 2014. He absolutely loves riding it! But while we were teaching him, I couldn't help but notice how many lessons one is being taught when learning to ride...
BALANCE: First we have (a semblance of) balance. Training wheels tend to help the balance a bit. Yet learning to balance is a difficult thing, even when there are two tiny wheels helping guide you. Every kid is wobbly and takes a few spills when learning to obtain balance. Sy has, thankfully, taken his fallouts with grace and dignity.
Side Note: Some people still don't have balance- even if they can balance on a bike- but that's a discussion for another day.
KEEP YOUR HEAD UP!: Secondly, it is extremely important to see where you are headed. However, it seems to be even more important to supervise your feet's pedaling work. As parents, our dialogue when teaching our children to ride a bike goes something like this:
"Watch out for that!--- trashcan."
"There's a person! Head up!"
"Look up! There's rocks!"
"There's a hill! STOP!"
EXERCISE: Talk about a workout! For Johnny and I, we don't have bikes. So we are constantly walking alongside Sy or running after him to keep up.
It's definitely good exercise for him too. By the end of his riding experience that day, he is huffing & puffing, soaked headed, and a chugging water like he couldn't breathe another moment without it. By the way, when I say "soaked headed" I mean it feels and looks like the boy's whole head had been drenched or dunked in water.
MULTI-TASKING/COORDINATION: This had to be the most impressive part of watching Sy experience learning to ride a bike. He has so many things to focus on. You don't realize how many variables go into riding a bike until you've watched a child learning how.
Balance. How to Sit. Pedaling. Realizing he is moving forward. Watching where he is going. Turning his handles to move left or right. Which way is left? Which way is right? Remember the difference. Not turning the handles to go straight or not wobble. Continuing to pedal. Breaking. How do I slow down?!?
Every little thing has to accomplished simultaneously. Kind of incredible when it's broken down and really thought about.
In summary, learning to ride a bike is no easy feat.
With Love & Learning,
~*~Shaina Micki~*~