Parenting

There's more to teaching a child to ride a bicycle than running alongside them holding them upright and pushing them until they do it under their own power and coordination.

Start with a bike with removable training wheels. They should be set at a high angle so that the child doesn't get into the habit of leaning to one side. Stabilising wheels will allow them to get used to the pedalling side of things, and how the steering works. When the time comes to removing the training wheels, go to a large, reasonably flat area, such as your local park or common. Ensure your child is kitted out with protective helmet, knee, elbow and wrist pads. Long trousers and gloves can

provide additional protection. The saddle should be low enough so they can be seated with both feet resting comfortably on the ground. Choose a grassy field with a gentle downhill slope of about 30 yards which flattens out.

Go a little way up the hill, and hold the bike while the child gets on. With both feet on the ground you should be able to let go of the bike with nothing happening. Tell your child to lift their feet about one inch off the ground and coast down the hill without pedalling. Try not to hold the bike. As the bike will coast slowly, the cyclist can put his or her feet down if they get scared.

Repeat this until your child feels comfortable coasting. They may want you to run alongside the bike the first few times.

Next let your child put their feet on the pedals and coast down. After a few tries, get them to pedal as they are rolling.

Repeat the coasting/pedalling sequence until they feel comfortable. When they have mastered this level, raise the saddle to try some more coast/pedal runs.

To learn to ride in a straight line, use a flat piece of ground, and start from standstill, with one pedal pointed at the handlebars. This gives them a solid pedal stroke for a smooth start. To help them ride straight, they should look straight ahead.

When it comes to stopping, the child should apply both brakes at once if the bike has front and rear brakes. Using just the front brake may launch the rider over the handlebars.

The key to learning to turn is to do it slowly. Slow down before entering a corner. Use very little steering, keep the inside pedal up and look into the turn. As confidence grows the speed will increase.

Don't expect the leaning process to be crash free. Be ready to comfort and possibly administer the plasters along the way, but riding a bike will soon become second nature.