Helping Your Child Learn to Ride a Bike Safely

Start with control, not distance. A short ride where your child can set off, slow down and stop is a useful starting point. This guide is for parents and carers helping a school-age beginner, including an older child learning for the first time. There is no deadline for learning and no need to compare siblings.

These activities are for a suitable traffic-free space. They do not establish that your child is ready to ride on the road. Get help from a qualified cycling instructor if you are unsure how to support them.

Check the fit and the bike

Have your child sit on the bike and check that they can reach the handlebars and pedals comfortably, get on and off, and put their feet on the ground. Do not choose a bike that is too large because they might grow into it. Bikeability also advises checking that brake levers are within reach and easy for a child to pull.

Before riding, check that tyres are inflated as recommended, wheels and handlebars are secure, and the brakes work. With the bike being walked, test each brake. If something is loose, rubbing or not stopping the bike properly, have it fixed before practice. Ask a cycle mechanic or instructor if you cannot assess it confidently.

The braking exercise below assumes a pedal bike with two working hand brakes. A balance bike has no pedals. Adapted cycles and other braking systems may need different instruction.

Fit the helmet and choose the space

The Highway Code recommends a correctly sized, securely fastened cycle helmet. Check the fit each time: it should sit snugly, roughly two centimetres above the eyebrows, with straps fitted according to the maker's instructions. Bikeability's guide places the Y-shaped straps just below the earlobes. A helmet does not replace supervision or a suitable practice area.

Tuck away loose laces and clothing that could catch. Choose a flat, dry, open space away from traffic, steep slopes, water and busy pedestrian routes, where cycling is permitted. A pavement beside a road is not a substitute for a suitable practice space. Stay close enough to supervise and keep other children out of the stopping area.

Practise stopping before going further

Begin by walking the bike together and practising squeezing both brake levers smoothly. Once your child is ready to ride, choose a clear stopping point with plenty of empty space beyond it.

Let them ride a short distance at a manageable speed. Ask them to ease off pedalling and apply both brakes smoothly, not grab at them. On a standard two-wheeled pedal bike, put a foot down once the bike has stopped. Repeat without making it a race. If stopping is unreliable, stay with this skill rather than adding speed.

Add wide turns, then a short route

Mark a wide curve with flat chalk marks or other suitable markers. Ask your child to look towards the way they want to go, slow before the turn and keep both hands on the handlebars. Leave enough room to straighten up and stop. Practise in each direction.

When starting, stopping and turning are controlled, combine them into a short loop in the same traffic-free space. Change one part at a time. Stop if your child becomes tired or anxious, rather than pushing for one more lap.

Before moving towards road riding, look for suitable cycle training and assess the route with an instructor if needed. Bikeability Level 1 covers off-road control; it is not proof of road readiness. Where cycling is permitted alongside pedestrians, slow down, give people room and be ready to stop. Walk the bike through a section you cannot manage safely.

Finish with one specific observation, such as You slowed down before that turn. The next session can begin with the same skill.

Sources and related reading

• Bikeability: choosing a cycle that fits
• Bikeability: Level 1 and traffic-free control
• Bikeability Ride Guide: preparation, stopping and cornering
• Highway Code: rules for cyclists
• Learning Through Play: Low-Cost Ideas for School-Age Children