Learning to Ride a 2 Wheel bike

Living in a tiny flat with no storage it was never one of our priorities to buy bicycles for our children. Donald got a bike from my aunt one christmas when he was 3 which we had always kept, but used very little, he outgrew it and we bought him an orange one from tesco for £20 which was faulty but we couldnt return it because we didnt keep the reciept so we got rid of that one and he never got to ride it. when he turned 7 I felt ashamed that we hadn't taught him to ride a 2 wheel bike, I thought if we don't teach him soon he'll grow up and never be able to ride a bike. we took the training wheels off the little bike he got when he was 3, deciding we would teach joy to go a 2 wheel bike as well. we borrowed my cousins bike which she had outgrown to teach Donald on and went to the battery park. My expectations were that Joy would be excited and eager to ride the bike alone and that Donald would scream and cry and refuse to try. these expectations were far from what actually happened.

We arrived at the battery park and they were both excited and ready to learn. They pushed their bikes along to an empty bench where we could sit between turns.

Donald got to go first, he got on his seat, hands on handle bars, feet on pedals. William held onto the back of the seat and pushed him along until he got his pedal power going then let go, Donald was great at balancing and fast at pedalling, William ran beside him.

After cycling to the other side of the park and back Donald was exhausted!

He had a rest on the bench while Joy waited for her turn.

Joy was surprisingly more cautious than Donald was, William held onto the back of her seat while she pedalled and when he let go she was doing fine..

...but then she would look around to make sure daddy was still holding on and lose her balance! William soon discovered she had a technique of her own..

She didn't want him to push her at all, she wanted to pedal herself! after an exhausting cycle to the other side of the park and back she announced it was Donalds turn again

'on yer bike Donald'

Donald was happy to have another go, Joy ran beside them!

after just a few times practicing up and down the park they were both addicted to bike riding!

I was so proud of both of them, and completely surprised at how easily Donald took to it! Neither of them wanted to go home! Now I can see they are both ready and able to ride bikes I will need to buy them new bikes, the one Joy was on is a bit too small and besides that a boys bike. the one Donald is on is a girls bike and william thinks the handle bars are too far away so the plan is to buy new bikes after Teos birthday. Teo might even get a trike for his birthday! we still have a few kinks to work out in the meantime, we need to teach them how to steer and Donald tends to just drop off when he stops, we need to teach him how to stop properly, but with balance and pedalling mastered everything else should fall into place easily!