We got Eli a great 16" bike for his birthday a few months ago, but after a major crash (with training wheels on), he was totally traumatized and didn't want to ride the bike again. We kept trying with that bike, but eventually decided to get a cheap 12" bike on craigslist to help Eli get comfortable with steering and not have as large of a distance to fall. I don't feel like it's a total waste since Charlie can use the 12" bike soon. We have our friends' old balance bike too, but neither child has gotten the hang of it yet.
Last week we took the boys over to the nearby elementary school to have a bigger space to practice with their bikes. It went well for a little while before Eli twisted the handlebars and fell once again. It's a sad reminder that he may still need physical therapy for the gross motor functions... but for now we will just keep practicing.
We brought Charlie's trike along and he rode for a little bit, but was more excited about climbing on the school playground.
After Eli biffed it on the pavement, he opted for climbing on the playground too. I was secretly glad the boys kept their helmets on because everything was higher than they are used to.
Eventually they got tired of the helmets and let loose :)
3 comments:
Adele learned on a 12 inch bike too. She used it for such a short time, but I also figure it was worth it since the other kids can use it. And, it was a $5 craigslist bike too.
Ella will be 7 in a month and still can't ride a bike. She gets frustrated and gives up and we haven't pushed it. She also freaks out, turns the handle bars or lets go of them completely which doesn't help. So, I'm sure Eli will beat her to it :-)!
Yeah, Larry just barely got the hang of using pedals... he refused to put his feet on the tricycle pedals because it was just faster to push with his feet. Hopefully our boys can inspire each other to not be afraid of falling...
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