Learning to ride a bike is a milestone in many children’s lives. We’ve all seen adorable three-wheeler tricycles and training wheels – but have you ever heard of a “Balance bike”?
A balance bike is a sort of stepping-stone from tricycles to “Big boy” bikes. Balance bikes are miniature versions of two-wheelers made for tots, which aim to teach useful skills relating to coordination, steering, and of course, balance. Although they look much like a standard bike, there is one crucial difference that you’ll notice right away: Balance bikes do not have pedals. The idea is to get kids used to maneuvering a bicycle early, which is possible without the challenges of operating pedals, gaining too much speed, and so forth. Since riders will use their feet to help control the bike, it seems to me like you’d have more control in terms of braking and such.
I actually didn’t know what a balance bike was until I saw one for sale on the Prince Lionheart website. The Prince Lionheart Balance Bike has a birch wood frame, 12 inch rubber tires and an adjustable padded seat that can be moved according to height. If you check out that link, you’ll be able to watch a video of the bike in action and get a feel for how it works.
Balance bikes look like something that would be both fun and useful, as your child gets to play and have fun while also building up their abilities. Once they get older and graduate to a pedal bike, it will probably seem a little more familiar to them as they would have already seen similar concepts in operation while operating their balance bike.
What do you think, parents? Is a balance bike a helpful tool? Do your kids have one – or did you have one as a child yourself?
I have heard nothing but AMAZING stories about balance bikes. They help younger children balance so when ready can hopefully take right off when bike riding. I never had one and neither have the kids.
They have these at my son’s daycare and the kids love them. Love your post!
My husband is a biker and he wanted to get these for our kids. However, they are so pricey I opted for the old fashioned way of teaching them how to ride. If they had been cheaper, trust me, we would have them…LOL
I could of used one of these when I was learning to ride a bike might have not gotten so many skinned knees. Love your post.
This is really a cute idea. It would be a great start for my nephew.
Great post Beeb!
I’ve heard about these and everyone seems to think they are really great and kids love them.
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