It might be difficult for many people in India to believe that my 3 year old learned to ride a bicycle in less than 3 hours! And believe me, the difference was not talent. It was the foundation.

Yes, before moving to the bicycle with pedals, he had spent months riding a balance bike with just two wheels. For many people in India, the concept of a balance bike is perhaps still unusual. After all, what is the point of a bicycle without pedals? So counterintuitive, strange, incomplete, almost a gimmick! Or one of those modern parenting trends…nice to have but is it necessary? Well, those missing pedals are precisely what allow a child to learn the most important part of cycling first: “balance”.

Like many children in India, my first bicycle had two support wheels. Once I had learnt how to pedal and could ride some distance and make turns, it was time for the first support wheel to be removed. This left me riding at an awkward tilt for days, constantly fearing that I would fall towards the unsupported side. Finally, the second wheel came off, and then the most important and difficult lesson in cycling, balancing, actually began.

Looking back, the whole elaborate process feels rather complicated and unnecessary! The support wheels gave us the confidence to pedal and kept us upright for a while, but they did not teach us the one thing cycling entirely depends on! And once the support was gone, we had to learn balancing almost from scratch anyway. And who can forget the first big fall that scraped the knees and bruised the elbows, leaving us with the fear of falling and skin grazes that stayed with us for years?

Perhaps it is time. It is time to unlearn that method, and let children find their balance from the beginning.

My first encounter with a balance bike was in Germany, and like many parents in India, I was unfamiliar with the concept and found it rather strange and pointless. Then, one day, I stopped a parent at a traffic light after seeing her young daughter, who was only about three and a half, ride her bicycle with such confidence. I asked her how her daughter had learnt to ride so well. She pointed to her younger child, who was around two and riding a balance bike, and said, “This is exactly what she was doing a year ago.”

That conversation convinced me to give it a try, and I bought my then two-year-old son his first balance bike.

I can only recommend it now, and I cannot fully describe how differently it allows toddlers to experience their feet. They begin by walking with the bike, then running, then gliding. And one day, almost without realising it, they lift both feet into the air. That moment is magical for the child, but also for you as a parent. You see how elated and liberated your child feels, discovering what their bodies are capable of.

By the time we moved our son to a bicycle with pedals, pedalling was the only new skill he had to learn. He picked it up in less than an hour with some practice at home. We then took him to a vehicle-free area near our building, and there he was! Without any great fall, in less than three hours, cycling like a pro, as though it had come completely naturally to him.

So perhaps it is time to rethink side wheels, especially in India, where they are still so common. Let their feet find the ground, and you will see them fly!;)