Do you want to teach your kid to ride a scooter? If so, you’re in the right place. In this article, we’ll show you how to teach a kid to ride a scooter with a step by step guide.
As a parent, you might not know how to teach a toddler to ride a scooter, but don’t worry. Here are easy steps with pictures that will show you how to do it correctly. Additionally, to make you confident we also answer the related queries like at what age to start learning scooters and all.
You should know that learning how to ride a scooter takes time and practice. Don’t think your kid isn’t made for it after a few attempts, just follow our guide, and one day, your kid will be cruising around on a scooter. Let’s get started now.
How To Teach A Kid To Ride A Scooter Step by Step
Being a parent, even if you’re not aware of the techniques and the basics of riding a scooter, it’s not a big deal if you want your child to ride a scooter. Just go through these simple steps, and you will be able to teach your kid to ride a scooter like a pro.
Step 1: Choose the Right Scooter
The first thing that you need to do is to select an appropriate scooter for your kid. It’s really important to choose a scooter that is perfect in size, good at quality, safe to ride, and easy to use and learn for beginners.
There are different types of scooters available in the market, so it’s really important that you select the one that is perfect for your kid’s age, height and skill. For beginner kids and toddlers, mostly the 3 wheels scooters are recommended as they are stable and easy to ride. Furthermore, you can look for top recommendations such as if your kid is 2 year old, lookout for the best scooter for 2 year old that is easy to learn and safe.
Step 2: Adjust the Handlebars
The second step after purchasing a scooter is to adjust the handlebars of the scooter as per your kid’s height. This is really important as it will ensure a comfortable and enjoyable ride for your kid. Having handlebars that are too high or too low will make it difficult for your child to control the scooter, and the latter will be uncomfortable.
You can adjust the handlebars of your scooter on your own since it has a small screw that can be loosed and adjusted.
Step 3: Wear Your Kid A Safety gears
Before you start teaching how to ride a scooter kid, it is important that you make them wear the proper safety gear. This includes a helmet, elbow, and knee pads. Wearing the proper safety gear will protect them in case they fall off the scooter and give them confidence.
Step 4: Start Indoor
Once you have everything set up, it is time to start teaching your kid to ride a scooter. The best way to do this is to start indoors in a wide-open space. Give them plenty of room to practice without any obstacles in their way. Additionally, this way, you can help them build confidence.
Step 5: Determine Your Kid Riding Stance (Goofy Or Regular)
There are two ways to ride a scooter, goofy or regular. Goofy is when you ride with your right foot forward, and regular is when you ride with your left foot forward. Most beginners make mistakes in this situation as they do not know their riding stance and keep practicing in different ways every time. This makes it impossible for them to learn how to ride a scooter.
Hence, help them determine which stance is best for them. If they are unsure, have them try both and see which feels more comfortable. Once they find their comfortable riding stance, make sure they ride with the same stance every time. Additionally, this will speed up your kids learning process.
Step 6: Teach Them The Basics: Stand, Kick, Balance, Turn & Stop
The first thing you should teach your kid is to stand on a scooter without falling. For this, have them put their dominant foot on the deck (the part you stand on) and their other foot on the back of the scooter. Once they have both feet in place, have them lean forward slightly and use their back foot to push off the ground. As they start to move, have them keep their dominant foot on the deck and use their other foot to help them balance. Once your kid learns to stand, give them time to master it before moving further.
Next, you want to teach them how to kick to move further. Have them start in the same stance as before, with their dominant foot on the deck and their other foot on the back of the scooter. But this time, instead of just pushing off, they are going to use their dominant foot to kick the ground and move themselves forward. As they start to move, have them keep their feet in the same position and use their arms to help them learn to balance on a scooter.
After they have gotten the hang of kicking, you can then teach them to turn. This is done by leaning in the direction you want to turn. For example, if you want to turn left, you’ve to lean to the left and vice versa with a right turn. The scooter will follow your lead. Just make sure that you don’t lean too much, or you will end up tipping over.
Once your kid learns all these basics, it’s also necessary for them to learn how to stop a scooter. Although to stop a scooter, there are different techniques, but a simple is to put back feet down on the ground or make use of rear wheel brake, which is available in almost all kids kick scooters.
After teaching all these basics, give your child time to master them. Furthermore, you can then teach them more advanced moves, such as going up and down slopes and turning in tighter circles. In addition, if your child is confident, it’s not necessary to teach them further, as they will learn by themselves.
Step 7: Start slowly
Once they have their stance down and learned the basics, it’s time to start scooting slowly. Have them start by pushing off slowly with their suited feet. If you think now your kids are ready to go, you’re wrong. Until now, you’ve just guided them through the basics, they have not practiced it yet. Hence, make sure they start slowly and master the basics.
Step 8: Teach the use of brakes For Safety
There are two types of brakes on a kids scooter, rear foot brake, and foot rubbing. Teach your child how to use both types of brakes and when each should be used. The footbrake is located at the scooter’s back wheel and is operated by pressing down on them with your foot. The foot rubbing method of braking is done by rubbing your foot along the ground while scooting.
The footbrake is the primary brake and should be used most of the time. When the foot brakes fail, or fast stopping is necessary, the foot rubbing brake should be used. If your kids learn to brake on a scooter, they will be much less likely to have an accident.
Step 9: Go outdoor in a safe place once learned the basics
Now that your kid knows how to ride a scooter, it is time to take them outdoors and practice in a safe place. Look for a place with a smooth, flat surface and no obstacles.
The best place to start is in a park or on a quiet street with little traffic. Once your kid is confident scooting around, you can move them to the street or other busier areas.
Tip: When choosing an outdoor scooting spot, avoid the area with hills. If there are hills, make sure your kid knows how to use the brakes before letting them go down the hill.
Step 10: Make it fun
Riding a scooter should be fun for your kid. Encourage them to practice often so they can master their skills.
You can also play a game out of it by setting up an obstacle for them to scoot around. This will help them build confidence and have fun at the same time.
You can even show them videos of people doing tricks on their scooters. This will excite them and may even inspire them to try some tricks themselves (under your supervision, of course).
Additionally, you can ride a scooter with your kid to set a good example, have fun, and bond with them. Let your kid play with other kids riding a scooter if you can’t ride a scooter.
Step 11: Encourage Them – Falling Is a Key Part Of Progress
Falling is inevitable when learning to ride a scooter. What’s important is that your kid gets back up and keeps trying. Therefore, whenever your kid falls off the scooter, you should encourage them to keep going and remind them that everyone falls at some point and that falling is a key part of progress.
Step 12: Notice the progress and give positive feedback
Notice the progress your kid is making, no matter how small, and give them positive feedback. This will help them feel motivated and confident and encourage them to keep going.
If your kid is 3 years old you should check our recent article on the best scooter for 3 year old for a quality scooter at an affordable cost.
FAQs
What age is appropriate for a scooter?
Any age! Even 1 or 2 year olds can learn to ride a scooter, and adults can also begin riding a scooter. You only need the right type of scooter, as there are ones made for toddlers, kids, and adults. When it comes to kids, some kids start riding or learning scooters at 2 and 3 years old, while others do not start till they are 6 or 7.
Do toddlers need helmets for scooters?
Yes, always! Whether your toddler is just beginning their scooter journey or has mastered the basics, they should always wear a helmet. It will protect them in case of a fall or any other incident.
Are scooters bad for toddlers?
No, scooters are not bad for toddlers. In fact, they can be quite beneficial! Scooters help a toddler develop balance and coordination. They also provide a great way for kids to get some exercise. Just be sure not to leave them alone.
Is a scooter easier than a bike?
Yes, scooters are easier than a bike. Scooters are lightweight, easy to handle, and have three stable wheels options, making them easier than a bike.
Which is safer bicycle or scooter?
Both bicycles and scooters can be safe for kids if they are used properly. Scooters may, however, be safer because they have fewer moving parts and are less likely to tip over. Also, kids can ride scooters on sidewalks, indoors, and in other areas where there is not much traffic or space.
How do you teach a child to ride a two wheel scooter?
The process of teaching a child to ride a scooter is the same, whether it’s a two wheel scooter or a three wheel scooter. First, own the right size and quality of the scooter, then learn the basics such as standing with a comfortable stance, turning, pushing, and balancing. Additionally, if you want your child to learn to scooter faster, get them a three-wheeled scooter instead of two-wheeled.
Conclusion
We hope you found a complete guide on how to teach a kid to ride a scooter helpful. Just make sure to start slowly with the basics like standing, balancing, and pushing wearing proper safety gear to make it a fun and easy process.
Once your child has followed step by step guide given above and mastered them, they’ll be zipping around the neighborhood in no time! Stay alert, tuned, and wait for those great moments when your kids ride a scooter like a pro!
I am Mary Earhart, the founder of scooterideas.com. Scooter (Kick scooter, electric scooter, and more) is my passion, and I have years of teaching experience in this field. Our vision and mission are to provide you with accurate information on everything related to the scooter.
I am so glad I found this guide. Thank you for this wonderful guide it helps me a lot.