HELP! 7 yr old afraid to ride bike.

[txstringbender]

Like the title says, my 7 yr old son is terrified of learning to ride a bike. I have encouraged him, his older brother has encouraged him, my wife has encouraged him, we have made deals with him, etc. Anytime I try to work with him he seems to go into a panic attack and freaks out. I don't know what to do. Anybody encounter this with their kids? If so what did you do to help them overcome the fear? He keeps telling me he's afraid of getting hurt. He wears a helmet, knee pads and elbow pads. I've had him fall down on them to see that they won't hurt, etc. I walk along behind him to steady him, but I soon find I'm doing all the work and he's not even trying to keep the bike upright. I'm at a loss, and trying to not get frustrated with him.

[Mr. Ayers]

Probably just a phase man. Have you tried pushing him in the grass? Maybe if he falls in the grass and doesn't get hurt that will help him get over the fear.

[125Dad]

My oldest was the same way. We just let it go and one day hr started riding all on his own.

[Mac]

My oldest was the same exact way. I'm not sure really what it was but he would freak out when either me or my wife would try and help him learn. Almost your situation to a t! I don't remember how it came about but either way one day my dad took him out and for some reason that's all he needed he picked it up in an hour or so. Sometimes kids open up more to being coached by somone else other than parents. I don't know if he was lest stressed with my dad or what but it worked for us. Maybe it's something to consider. Either way hope it works out for yall.

[Cajun Blake]

My oldest was the same way. We just let it go and one day hr started riding all on his own.

X 100

Kinda like potty training , your son will ride a bike when he's ready

Chances are he will be hanging out with other friends his age and then cave in to peer pressure to ride a bike

[Playa]

He's not afraid of riding his bike he is afraid of falling off his bike. When I taught my son to ride, we started by learning to fall in the grass. I'd take him into the yard and help him on and than let go and let the bike fall. After a few times of learning to fall and get his arms and legs clear, and/or catching the bike before it laid over, we moved onto riding. I then removed the pedals so he wouldn't have to think about too many moving parts. I let the short slope of the drive provide the momentum forward, all he had to think about was keeping the bike balanced and upright. Notice, I didn't push him. Pushing the bike will torque it and make it hard for a kiddo to control. Once he had the balance part down, we put the pedals on and off he went. Literally took less than 45 mins to teach him to ride.

[Laner7]

Haha at 7 I remember being yelled at by my dad, because he was teaching me how to drive our stick shift Ford ranger and kept saying don't be a sissy and do how I told you. It's time to man up! Now I can drive a stick better than most people I know haha

[txstringbender]

I've thought about getting him a balance bike and start from there.

[akey]

I would seriously consider getting him a balance bike. That way he has more control of the situation and should feel more comfortable. They are generally for younger kids but a few manufacturers have larger ones. Strider is the most popular brand and I think they have a 16" model.

[Drycreek3189]

My oldest was the same way. We just let it go and one day hr started riding all on his own.

This. If he doesn't want to ride, don't push it. It will only make it worse. My two cents.

[txstringbender]

I've never pushed him. I always ask him if he wants to try and that it has to be his choice but I do encourage him to try, but I've never made him do it.

[DRT]

Why is it so important to you he ride a bike?

[ladrones]

My daughter was the same way. I ended up starting her out on the carpet in the house. Did not take long to get over the fear once she stated peddling around the house.

[RDT]

When he's ready he'll tell you

[MBV77]

I took all my boys training wheels off when they were 3. Pushed 'em once and they took off and never fell. Just put him on it and push him once. He'll probably surprise himself and love it.