Our tips and tricks for practising
It is always a great pleasure to see a child cycling for the first time, having learnt a skill they will have for life!
It is now essential that they practise regularly in the next few days and weeks, so their new skill sticks: it can soon be lost without practice. Here are our tips for making practice easier at home.
Little and often
To keep that confidence high, regular practice is key.
- Aim for 10–15 minutes every day for the first week.
- Then at least once a week to stay confident.
- Remember: frequency beats duration.
Where should you practise?
For those first few practices, start somewhere easy: a big open space with plenty of room to move, and no traffic or obstacles. Great options include:
- An empty car park
- A tennis or basketball court
- A wide park path
The space should be flat with a smooth surface: think tarmac or concrete.
Avoid grass, uneven pavements and hills early on, as these can knock confidence.
Bike set-up basics
Saddle height can make or break a first ride. Start with the saddle low enough for your child’s feet to sit flat on the ground with their legs straight. Too low makes pedalling difficult; too high makes starting and stopping tricky. As their confidence grows, raise the saddle slightly so they’re on the balls of their feet or tiptoes.
Tyres: pump them firm, around 40 psi. If you can squeeze them with your fingers, they need more air.
Starting: the 1-2-3 start
Remind them to say it out loud: 1-2-3 → knees up → pedals → look up → faster!
Children often try to pedal from a standing start, but this won’t work until they’re more confident. Counting “1-2-3” out loud reminds them to push with their feet first to gain momentum before finding the pedals. As they count the three pushes:
- Encourage them to go as fast as they can. If they struggle to get enough speed, count to five instead.
- On “3”, say “knees up” or “pedals” to help them find the pedals.
- As soon as they find the pedals, say “look up” and “faster”.
Keep cues short and simple: “count out loud”, “faster”, “knees up”, “pedals”, “look up”.
It is really important that you don’t hold them or the bike: this makes them lean towards you. If they need a little help, walk just behind and to the side, and on the third push give a gentle fingertip push to the middle of their back for a boost.
Stopping: using the brakes
- Use both brakes together when stopping. The front brake stops rapidly and the back brake stops with control.
- When cycling along, they should always cover the brakes with two “bunny fingers”, ready to use them.
- Encourage them to pull the brakes lightly to “feather” them: this helps them slow down smoothly rather than stopping suddenly. With practice they’ll learn to balance both brakes for a controlled, confident stop.
Starting: the pedal-ready start
A bit less intuitive, but one to encourage as they get more confident:
- Lean left with the left foot on the ground.
- Use the right foot to push the pedal back and down, then bring it up to about 2 o’clock.
- Place the right foot on the pedal, look forward and give a strong push to set off: they should then be able to pedal straight away.
Using the right foot is best, as leaning left is the safest habit when starting off on the road.
Looking behind
Stand behind them and ask: “How many fingers am I holding up?” Ask from a position where they don’t have to turn their head too far round to see you.
Cycling one-handed
When they’re confident enough, practise cycling with one hand off the handlebars: it helps with signalling and bike handling. They should sit up straight with a loose grip on the handlebars. The key is not to move the hand too far or too fast: just up and down briefly to start with. Over time, practise small movements to the side.
Further skills after the course
Looking behind and cycling one-handed are the two main skills they’ll need to progress to cycling on the roads. Standing up while pedalling is another to practise: it helps with steep hills and with handling the bike.
Cycling Proficiency is now called Bikeability. It teaches children the skills to cycle on the roads, such as how to manage junctions, and is often offered by schools or local councils.