Let’s Go Ride a Bike!

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“We are still working on Declan’s bilateral coordination skills.  I have put him on a tricycle, but he didn’t stay long as he couldn’t figure out how to push the pedals.  If I am on him as soon as he sits and push his legs down, he has some success in moving the tricycle forward.  If he stops, he forgets what to do and leaves.  Same with riding a scooter.  He has a hard time starting, but if I move his leg with my hand he is able to get started.  We will keep working on these skills.”

Gosh, I loved Declan’s Occupational Therapist when he was in preschool.  She was the best.  Yes, she worked with him on all the school based activities to help him get ready for Kindergarten – using scissors, holding a pencil, matching colors, various fine motor skills.  But she also taught him a lot of things for him to use outside of the classroom, bike riding and scootering included.

When he left preschool, he still was unable to do these activities.  But with hours spent on the street, and me mimicking what she taught me to get him started, Declan started scootering in the fall.  And then, pushing his legs forward, I got him started on his bike.

Yesterday the weather was warmer, so we took to the street and began to relearn how to ride a bike.  After pushing his legs again, he got the idea and was able to ride the bike forward all by himself.  He is still working on turns – and the next time we try we may have to start from scratch again – but we have another first!

“You Tube Declan” is evoked every time I lift the camera.  He begins making his own video.  So here he is, You Tube Declan riding his bike for the first time!

 

And when he realized I had turned the camera off before he could sign out of his You Tube video, he asked that I let him film his closing remarks:

19 thoughts on “Let’s Go Ride a Bike!

  1. He cracked me up checking to make sure you were recording correctly 😂 He’s talking so well and I bet he’d ride better if he wasn’t trying to be a YouTube star😂😂. He’s got the leg motions! Ben would rather tip a bike upside down and crank the chain to watch the wheel spin.
    Fun videos!!💌💌

    1. Haha! I also cracked up when he did that 🙂 Too funy . He does! I think he really likes it too 🙂

  2. I love that he checked if you were really recording and then went on to put on a little monologue for his potential audience. You may have a future star on your hands.

    1. Haha! Yes – he made me laugh when he did that. He would love to have his own YouTube channel – I think he would watch himself everyday 🙂

  3. He did MUCH better on his first bike ride than I did! There were no falling off the bike incidents shown in the video. Somehow I always ended up scrapping my hands and knees while riding my first bike (had training wheels – didn’t help). The bike was way too big for my small size. It is still too big in my fourties! Grandpa was trying to help me grow up, I guess.

    Extremely glad we did not have YouTube back when I was a kid. Our house had trouble actually having an operating telephone line! Back in the days of MaBell ruling phone services in the area.

    1. He did pretty good! He had a couple of tumbles, even with the training wheels before I pulled out my phone. He cracks me up with that too – he falls and looks at his hands to say, “I’m not bleedin! I’m good!” But he really got the hang of the motions and I think he liked it! I have thought the same thing about YouTube. I used to watch Three’s Company or Scooby Doo – he just watches YouTube! Crazy change!

  4. I loved watching this so much, he is as bright as a button. I think making these videos are a great idea. Loved how he signed off smacking the screen. He is adorable! More of these please 😊

  5. In my experience, the easiest way to learn how to ride a bike is to take off the training wheels and the pedals. Let Declan sit on the bike and walk it around and soon he’ll be scooting (and coasting) it around. When the pedals go back on, balance will no longer be an issue.

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