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Learning to Cycle: From Training Wheels to Balance Bike
Cristiana Mercê1,2, Marco Branco1,2, David Catela2,3
1Centro Interdisciplinar de Estudo da Performance Humana, CIPER, Faculdade do Motricidade Humana, Universidade de Lisboa, 1499-002 Cruz-Quebrada, Portugal.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
|February 15, 2022
Summary
Children learn to cycle earlier using a balance bike (BB) compared to traditional training wheels (BTW) or just a regular bicycle. Using a balance bike first significantly reduces the learning age for independent cycling.
Area of Science:
- Child Development
- Motor Skill Acquisition
- Pediatric Mobility
Background:
- Learning to cycle is a key developmental milestone for children.
- Traditional methods include bicycles with training wheels (BTW).
- Balance bikes (BB) are a newer approach gaining attention for potentially improved efficiency.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the effect of balance bike (BB) use on the independent cycling learning process.
- To compare the efficacy of BBs versus traditional methods.
Main Methods:
- An online structured survey was conducted in Portugal.
- Data collection occurred between November 2019 and June 2020.
- 2005 responses were gathered from adults and children (parental responses).
Main Results:
- Children using balance bikes (BB) learned to cycle at an earlier age (M = 4.16 years) compared to those using training wheels (BTW) (M = 5.97 years) or only a traditional bicycle (M = 7.27 years).
- The difference in learning age was statistically significant across all comparisons (p < 0.001).
- Early introduction of the BB as the first bike significantly lowered the learning age.
Conclusions:
- Balance bikes (BB) facilitate earlier independent cycling acquisition.
- The BB approach is more effective than traditional training wheels (BTW) or learning on a standard bicycle alone.
- For optimal results, the balance bike (BB) should be introduced at the beginning of the learning process.
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