There is a specific expression a child makes in the half-second after the hand on the saddle lets go. We have all seen it. It is roughly nine parts terror to one part exhilaration, and the ratio flips completely about four seconds later.
Consider skipping the wheels
Stabilisers teach pedalling, which is easy, and prevent balancing, which is the hard part. Taking the pedals off entirely and letting a child scoot along with their feet builds balance first — most children then take to pedalling within a single afternoon.
How to be useful
- Hold the shoulders, not the saddle or the handlebars. It lets them steer while still feeling supported.
- Say what you are doing. "I am still holding on." "I am about to let go." Never let go secretly — it works once and costs you their trust.
- Look where you want to go. Children steer towards whatever they are staring at, which is usually the one lamppost in an empty park.
- Finish on a good one. Always.
Courage is not the absence of the wobble. It is getting back on the seat afterwards.
— What we say at the end of episode three
Watch the episodeThe Wobbly First Ride6:06Tom Whitlock
Co-founder & animation
Builds the worlds Olli and Waffle run around in. Formerly of a very serious architecture practice.
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