Happy Birthday to me! Georgia (our 4-year old) decided to give me one of the coolest gifts ever this past week just in time for my birthday: She is now a pedal biker! That’s right, she made the transition from balance bike to pedal bike in just a week or so, and we couldn’t be more thrilled for her.  Most importantly, she is super proud of HERSELF,  As she pedals along the sidewalk, she’ll  chant: “I can do hard things, I can do hard things…I CAN DO HARD THINGS!” It’s pretty much the best. 

If you have been around for a while, you may have remembered Bergen’s transition from balance bike to pedal bike.  Many of the same principles and factors came into play to make this as smooth and successful a transition for Georgia as it was for Bergen.  However, we were of course reminded again that all kids are different! They learn differently, react differently, and are motivated in different ways.

That being so, I thought I would highlight what seemed to be the strongest factors in her quick transition.  There were some similarities, but also a few differences.  Along the way, we learned a few more tips and tricks, and hope that by sharing them here, it helps other kids making the big leap from balance to pedal bike!

Balance Bike to Pedal Bike Transition

Readiness

Just like with Bergen, we just knew Georgia was ready to tackle a pedal bike. She was whizzing around on her balance bike, able to rest her feet her bike’s platform, getting taller and therefore a little small for the balance bike, and just generally feeling very confident. Both kids used the KaZAM balance bike, which we highly recommend. 

The Right Size Bike

Besides being ready, having the right size bike (in Georgia’s case, 14-inch) was the ultimate factor in her balance bike to pedal bike transition success.  And it’s a fun story! We always just thought that Georgia would learn to ride on the bike that Bergen learned to pedal on, the 16-in Woom 3.  Well, when she hopped aboard, the bike felt entirely too big and intimidating to her.  She would try, tip toe along the sidewalk, and then quickly give up.  We tried not to make it a big deal and not push things, but the whole thing was very frustrating for Georgia.

In a wonderfully amazing, beautiful serendipitous turn of events, our neighbors happen to walk by with their 4.5 year old son just an hour after one of Georgia’s frustrating pedal bike practice sessions.  Their son Drew was riding his Woom 2.  Slaed started chatting with them, and learned that he was actually ready to move up to the Woom 3.  He had a recent growth spurt, and his long legs were looking quite clunky on the 14-inch bike.

Bingo! After having Drew take a few successful practice rides down the block on the larger version (Georgia’s Woom 3), we decided right then and there to swap bikes for a bit! Luckily the bikes also happen to be the same color.  Drew would get the chance to ride the larger bike, and Georgia would gain confidence on the smaller bike.  In a few months we plan to switch the bikes back to the original owners, and Drew’s parents will likely take advantage of Woom’s upCycle progam.

We had to be a little patient with Georgia’s transition though.  That very evening, the Seattle Snowpocalypse decided to hit, making not such ideal conditions for learning to ride a bike.

Frequent Practice

As soon as we thawed out from the snow, Georgia got right down to the business.  Thanks to the Woom 2’s smaller size, she instantly felt comfortable.  At first she just rode it around like a balance bike.  We’d encourage her to try the pedals, but didn’t make a big deal about it.

After a few practice sessions, she would ask us to hold on to the bike while she pedaled.  That seemed to help her get the hang of pedal coordination.  After some of those pedaling sessions, she started to set her feet on the pedals independently, but only on slight downhill stretches.

After a few days of mostly using the pedal bike as a balance bike with a couple of pedal spurts thrown in, things just seemed to click.  She would hop on the bike, push off the ground with her feet, and immediately get to pedaling.  Success!

The takeaway: Daily practice, sometimes multiple times a day.  I should also note that Georgia has a lot of stamina and endurance.  She is used to walking several miles a day, therefore we could go out on a 3 or 4 mile adventure (to and from) the park or ride the mile or so to school and back.  This allowed her to get a TON of practice in a short period of time.

Friends/Peers

Georgia was motivated somewhat by her older brother.  However,  she seemed to be even more inspired by one of her classmates at forest school who we often walk/ride part of the way home with.  Seeing her buddy zip around on his pedal bike while she was in the balance/pedal transition allowed Georgia to realize that she could do it too! She was able to observe him closely, see his confidence, and also see how much faster and more efficient pedaling was compared to just pushing your legs.

Quick Re-cap:

• Our son, Bergen (now 7.5 years) learned to ride a pedal bike on a Woom 3 16-inch.
• Georgia (4 years) learned to ride a pedal bike on a Woom 2 14-inch.
• They both used a KaZAM balance bike.

And one final note:

Not all the skills come at once! Even though Woom’s hand brakes are designed for small hands, Georgia is still perfecting her braking abilities, and often resorts to stopping Fred Flintstone style (with her feet)! It all takes practice.

We love hearing your bicycling stories! Keep them coming.  How did YOU learn to ride a bike? Or how did your kids learn to ride a bike?

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