Stopping, turning, and watching out for hazards are skills that come with practice. Some little ones need days or weeks of a steadying hand on the seat before they're ready to take off on their own. Ken Soussa, an athletic instructor at the Jewish Community Center on the Palisades in Tenafly, has taught about 20 kids, as young as 4 and as old as 8, to ride a bike. But some need 10, some exactly five. Basically, children are ready to learn by the age of 5 or 6, but there are differences in their willingness to learn.
Many kids are fearful of falling.
As balance is perfected, falling will become less frequent. Once they're balanced, I take them outside and we go to steering. Nick and Joanne Aselta suspect their little J. P. was so proficient so quickly because he spent much of last summer mastering his scooter. So he learned the handlebars and the sense of balance. But since he learned that I think it's helped tremendously.