Your child will probably find it easier to try riding in a straight line at first but once they are ready, they can attempt to carry out turns so they can cycle for longer. For this, you can remind your child of one of the 4 key tips that we mentioned earlier: That they should look (or point their nose!) in the direction that they want to go. This will help them turn with more control. With practice, your child will develop their balance through learning how to slightly shift their body weight when cornering.

You should also ensure that your child practises both cornering whilst pedalling and gliding around corners, which is normally better for cornering at higher speeds. Remember to get your child to change direction fairly often as this will help them develop their balance and coordination rather than getting “locked in” to turning in only one direction!

Now may be a good time to introduce a small challenge for your child: Can they ride around for a minute at a time without stopping? Once they can do this, challenge them further by seeing if they can ride around for two minutes without stopping! You can progress this activity further by asking them to change their speed when riding around – of course, without going too fast at this stage!

Once your child is riding with more control, prompt them to start looking all around to take in their surroundings more as they ride: This will help them to relax their shoulders more and to sit up straight.

Turning With Control

Unii’s Learning to Cycle Journey shares how to teach your child to turn the bike with control.