7 Yr Old Not Interested in Bikes

My SS was the same way. He was very afraid of falling and never wanted to even try to ride the bike. He outgrew two bikes without learning to ride. My husband tried everything to help him. But he insisted that he did not care or want to ride a bike. Myhusband and I thought it important for him to at least learn, even if he never rode after learning. The way we finally solved it was to take the pedals off the bike and let him coast around for a while to get his balance. He liked this idea because he could put his feet down to stop at any point. It worked like a charm and it didnt take very long at all. Once he was omfortable on the bike and was able to balance, my husband put the pedals back on the bike. Now my SS loves riding his bike. I wish we had found this tehnique earlier.
Good Luck
J., mom to three boys

I think it really depends on how you make him try. When I was little, (about his age) I had trouble once my training wheels were off. I had absolutley no problems when I had them, infact I love to ride. As soon as those wheels were off though I wouldnt go near it. My dad and his buddies would all show me different tricks you can do once you learn how to ride like standing on the pedals, riding with one hand/no hands, wheelies and jumping curbs (we had a 2 inch step that led off of our patio that was good for stuff like that) It took a long time I think almost 8 months before i finally got frusterated at seeing my dad and his friends of all people having more fun on my little pastel purple bike with matching streamers than I was. I think it finally sunk in that this was how kids my age had fun. Maybe drop little hints in conversation about the fun and added freedom (maybe riding to school if you don't live far away in a nice neigborhood) or riding to a friends house down the street or to the market on the corner for cheap baseball cards to stick in the spokes. It might wind up inspiring him to not fall behind his peers with skills like this and how much more fun he'd be able to have with his friends and your family (family rides on weekends in the park). I hope it helps. Good luck = )

I can understand this question better than most. My son was the very same way with his bike. He told us he just did not care and I knew part of it was being afraid of falling. I thought to myself that maybe part of it was the other kids in the nieghborhood who could already ride seeing him try or seeing him fall. He was 9 years old and I told him in the morning that in the evening we were taking the bike to a parking lot and it would be just me and him. I explained that no one else would be there and we work together on learning how to ride that bike. Without me saying so, he knew that he did not have an option. After my husband came home and could watch our other son I put the bike and in the car and found a church parking lot. I was very surprised at how hard he tried and before we knew it he was riding. He never said it and I never asked but I knew his fear was not the bike but what the kids in the neighborhood would say if he fell. We noticed from that point on that new things were always hard for him and required the privacy of trying on his own before doing it in front of other people. Even driving a car, most kids do so as soon as possible he was 17 before we took him to a lot and drove. He is now 17 and has grown out of a lot of this, every kid is different, he just needed time to become comfortable in his own skin. Good luck!

Hi, F.. Is he doing other active things? If he is getting exercise in some other way, I would not continue coaxing him to ride his bike. If he wants to do it at some point, address it then. My son is 8 and rides his scooter more than his bike. As long as he is not just sitting watching TV or playing video games, and getting exercise outside, than I don't think it is a big deal. He may just not be a bike rider. God Bless.

Where is it written that boy HAS to ride a bike by a certain age...or even that he has to ride one at all??? You can't force him to have his "fun" in the way that you want him to. Does he run and play with his friends...play kickball or hide and seek?? Is he overweight, is that why you are concerned about him getting enough exercise?? If that is the case then maybe you could offer other forms of activities.
I think this is a situation that you are not going to win...as you already know you cant force him to get on that bike and ride...dont make this a battle of wills...let him see his sister riding, let him see you or your husband having fun riding a bike...and then he will eventually want to ride one himself!!! If he is already comfortable on the bike maybe you could offer a family ride around the block!!!
Relax..it will happen...
R. Ann

It has to be his decision so perhaps if his friends came over with their bikes then he would want to. Or take him to a BMX show and then he would see how cool it is and what you could do on bikes. Otherwise, there's no rule that says kids have to learn to ride a bike.

Good luck,
D.

Your son sounds exactly like mine did at that age. What finally persuaded him to give it a try was seeing his friends on bikes. He was really scared of falling, so we took our time letting him get the hang of it. A grassy slope works great for practice, until they get the hang of keeping their balance. It took a couple of years of asking him if he would like to try before he finally decided to go for it - he was nine years old!

I never learned to ride a bike. My family has many theries on why I am not able to like balance issues from ear problems. Not knowing how to ride a bike was never an issue for me as a kid. None of the kids ever teased me and it never kept me from playing with other kids. I would race the bikes. As an adult I wish I could because it is a great form of exersize and when your son is motivated enough to learn, he will. Childrens issues change so often. He may not be interested in riding a bike now but might be when he's 8.

My son was the same way. He finally got embarassed enough around age 10, because everyone else could ride a bike. He had an older friend, and I bribed them, 10 minutes later he rode up the street. Your son will ride when and if he wants to.

Don't worry too much, I didn't ride a bike until 5th grade! I had a nasty fall in Kindegarten/1st grade and wouldn't touch my bike for years. Maybe he had a fall that didn't seem too big to anyone but him? He'll come around. My brother is 4yr younger and I watched him ride for years before I got the courage to get up on my bike again. Personally I'd say it's normal! Maybe just not his interest yet :)

My 11 year old learned how when she was 9 and my 10 year old still doesn't and isn't really interested for the same reasons your son is. She is scared she will get hurt when she falls off, which she will when she first tries. It broke my heart because I was an advid bike rider. I was 4 when my older brother taught me and rode my bike to school forever, when it wasn't raining. Don't let it bother you, if he wants to learn he will, if not, I'm sure he'll find something else, like scooters, skateboards, skates, or whatever. There are no cookie cutter kids and nothing in the rule books that says a boy has to ride a bike. Ask him every now and then and one day he may surprise you. Good luck and God Bless.

Try taking the bikes and kids to a park with a track or place they can ride safely and walk while they ride. Or take your bike and ride with them around the park. It could be a fun family event with a picnic lunch and special water bottles. Use your imagination with what else interests him. Ride to the playground from your home and play ball for a while then ride home. He may catch on.

As parents, we really need to choose our battles carefully. Our goal is to raise our children to be successful, happy adults. Is learning to ride a bike really going to help him as an adult? Is this battle really worth it?

Of course, it sounds like this is something important to YOU, or you wouldn't push it. The question is, WHY is it so important to you? Are you recalling the joyful memories you had as a child riding a bike, and hoping he will have similar memories when he's older? Are you worried that he won't "fit in" because his friends know how to ride? Do you just want him to get some exercise? Or are you simply concerned that he doesn't want to try something new?

I think you probably know the solutions to the first few questions already. If you just want him to try something new, then ask yourself this: do YOU want to try something new if you have absolutely no interest in it? If you hate team sports, do you immediately sign up for the company softball team?

Find other ways to get him to try new things--something he is interested in. Does he love the water? Sign him up for swimming classes. If he knows how to swim already, then how about a scuba or surfing lesson? (Check with local high school and/or college kids if this is not offered in your area--they may know how and be willing to teach him.) Does he enjoy reading? How about a book club for kids his age? Making money? Help him come up with a business plan that he can accomplish: raking leaves for neighbors, selling baked goods, or pet-sitting are all good places to start at his age. You or Dad will have to help him, of course, but if it's something he enjoys and learns from, it will be worth it.

Outdoors activities? Lots of Cub/Boy Scout groups around, as well as similar youth groups. Cooking, crafts, raising animals, gardening? How about 4-H? Loves music? Let him choose an instrument, make an agreement that he must stick with it for a certain amount of time (3 months? 6 months?), and then if he really dislikes it, he can quit at that point.

It helps if you can invite at least one of his (preferably enthusiastic) friends along, or better yet, get him invited to go with a friend (making it seem more like "not Mom's idea," if you know what I mean).

There are some things in life we must learn to do, even if we don't particularly like doing it (paying bills, for example). But does riding a bike really need to be one of them?

HTH!
--A.

I have twin sons who learned how to ride their bikes when they were around 5. My husband was working alot of hours at the time, and I ran a daycare from home....so neither of us had found time to work with them on "learning to ride". We told them they could practice in our backyard, on the grass, so it would be softer if they fell. Long story short, they completely taught themselves how to ride on the grass. It was only a couple of weeks before they were ready to venture to the sidewalks, and much easier than the effort we put forth teaching their older sister ! Good luck for your family !