Anonymous wrote:Are parents at all involved in the class? Do we stay? Participate?

You go to your own class where they talk to you about how to teach basic life skills to your child.

For anyone who wants to teach their kids to bike, the REI guide is really great.
https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/teach-child-to-ride-a-bike.html

As someone said above, motivation is key. My six year old learned to balance one day and to pedal the next. But it didn't happen until he felt like he was getting left out.

We did the Landon program this summer (which contracts for an outside company similar to REI todo the teaching) and it was awesome. My 6 year old son learned in 1 Day. He was so confident and capable at the end of a single week. My husband and I tried to teach him but now realize we were doing it all wrong. He was scared when we tried and we were focused on the wrong skills. There actually is a much easier method and we had no idea. He really enjoyed learning with other kids his age and in a group. There was no one on one instruction and he was able to bike in a day. He loved it. I highly recommend a bike riding class.

Are parents at all involved in the class? Do we stay? Participate?

I just signed up for an REI class for my 9 year old daughter. I can't teach for the life of me so decided this will be the best way. Each one is different so do what works best for you.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will probably use a class to teach my 5 year old DD. She is a sensitive perfectionist like those described above and every time I try to teach her ANYTHING it ends in tears and drama. I was hoping my DH would teach her, but he keeps coming up with excuses for not even buying a bike and my MIL said it took him an extremely long and frustrating time to learn how to ride so I think that’s why he’s trying to avoid it. Every kid is different.

This was our kid as well. I am a patient person, but DC was so worried about doing it wrong or getting hurt that it was not leading to any progress over several weekends. The REI class was honestly the best thing we did.
The perfectionist tendencies evolved later on into anxiety - just something to keep an eye on.

This is my family too. And it’s not just a UMC DC thing—we live squarely in the Midwest.

Neither DH nor I have ridden a bike in a looooong time, but we’re planning on getting them soon so we can ride as a family. DChas been so successful that we joke about taking the classes ourselves!

Haven't read the entire thread. But my son with poor gross motor skills attended the NPS classes and started riding at the end of 2 hours. Highly recommend. I have to mention he rode the scooter for a year before that and that taught him the balance. The class just helped him let go of the fear and try. You have book well in advance so check asap.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m being a total bitch but really? You need to out source how to teach your child to ride a bike? Holy cow! Who taught you?

I find this hilarious as well. Like the parents can’t split duties to take one kid to a flat parking lot to practice once or twice a week (including weekends!).

I agree. FFS is there nothing that parents won't outsource anymore?

FFS you are incredibly narrow minded. Some parents can't ride bikes. And others may have injuries that can prevent them from bending over.

+1 I taught my kids but my DH wasn’t able to help them very well due to lower back issues. If he were a single dad or I was similarly incapacitated, they would have gone to one of the learn-to-ride daycamps at the rec center. I think the camp would work well because it’s a solid week of working on it consistently. It’s nice they offer that option for the kids who don’t have a parent who is able to teach them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe OP doesn't know how to ride a bike. Not everyone knows how to ride a bike! Maybe op thinks it's easier for my kid to be taught by others since she won't listen to me.

Outsourcing=she's providing employment for another person.

Literally EVERY SINGLE aspect of parenting is easier if someone else does it. Mark my word, we aren't far off from people hiring people to come put their kids to bed for them.

That's called a Sleep Consultant.

Anonymous wrote:I will probably use a class to teach my 5 year old DD. She is a sensitive perfectionist like those described above and every time I try to teach her ANYTHING it ends in tears and drama. I was hoping my DH would teach her, but he keeps coming up with excuses for not even buying a bike and my MIL said it took him an extremely long and frustrating time to learn how to ride so I think that’s why he’s trying to avoid it. Every kid is different.

This was our kid as well. I am a patient person, but DC was so worried about doing it wrong or getting hurt that it was not leading to any progress over several weekends. The REI class was honestly the best thing we did.
The perfectionist tendencies evolved later on into anxiety - just something to keep an eye on.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m being a total bitch but really? You need to out source how to teach your child to ride a bike? Holy cow! Who taught you?

I find this hilarious as well. Like the parents can’t split duties to take one kid to a flat parking lot to practice once or twice a week (including weekends!).

I agree. FFS is there nothing that parents won't outsource anymore?

FFS you are incredibly narrow minded. Some parents can't ride bikes. And others may have injuries that can prevent them from bending over.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m being a total bitch but really? You need to out source how to teach your child to ride a bike? Holy cow! Who taught you?

Well, I guess I'm being a bitch too then. Teach your own kid to ride a bike! Sheesh. Its really not that difficult and that experience makes it all the more rewarding for you AND your kid.

+1. This is totally a UMC DC thing.

Yep. I'm a teacher. This is exactly what's wrong with half of my students. Someone said their kid gets frustrated. Who wouldn't? The lesson isn't just how to ride a bike. It's how to persevere. It's how to confront your fear of failure. And for the parents, it's an exercise in patience and learning to let go and watch your child fail and get hurt so......they can learn to get back up on their own.

Exactly. What kind of kids are you all raising. « My kid is a perfectionist », « he got frustrated », « it wasn’t fun so we gave up ». Pathetic

I'm the PP with a daughter who gets dramatically upset when I teach her things. She does fine at school, because the teachers are not her parents. She's not great at writing, and is very self conscious about it, but the teachers all praise her for being diligent and trying her best. I thought all teachers knew that the parent-child dynamic and the teacher-student dynamic are two different things.