4. Child Development and Psychology

EVERY child is different, but over the years, we have found some tips and tricks that work most of the time when working with children that are struggling.

Our star system is one of the many ways we acknowledge progress in the workshop. Physically getting to put a star on a progress chart gives a sense of accomplishment and drives the student to get to the next level.

Another teaching tool you can use is to have stuffed animals for each of the steps. Select a student to demonstrate what the animal does and then how to do it on the bike. Then that student gets to keep the stuffed animal on their bike for the day.

Vocal praise, clapping, and cheering from the instructor tends to motivate many children. Even more, we will often have children in the class form an encouragement team to cheer and help count during the Glide 15 for the student that is attempting their ride. It's all about positive energy.

We have seen very few serious falls in our program, but they happen. Often the child will simply drop the bike and remain on their feet. With the vocal praise, it's important to VERY QUICKLY tell them "good save" and not extend the negative moment of failure. I have a saying that "failure is growth, success is practice". We expect these kids to have falls as they grow and learn this new skill.

Many times children are afraid to glide. Some of the techniques that have got them through this are:

• have the coach stand way in front of them facing them to share encouragement
• have the coach run backwards directly in front of them, making eye contact and giving instructions like "keep looking forward"
• pointing out other students (or instructors) that are gliding and telling them that "speed is their friend" - you have to go fast to glide and it's easier when you are going faster
• see how long they can sit upright at a stop vs. rolling slowly and vs. quickly
• we see students put their feet down and stand up when they get afraid of the speed, one coach coined the phrase, your "butt is glued to the seat" to get them to stay seated
• take breaks - just a 2 or 3 minute break can be very helpful to reset the mind and body (for the coach too!)