To this day, I remember being in the park with my dad holding onto my bike seat as I wobbled along the bike path, trying to get my balance. I desperately wanted to ride alone but at the same time was terrified he would let go. Trust is key when it comes to teaching your child to ride a bike—and safety, of course.

“Being educated about biking and safety are most important,” says Margaret Scully, Program Consultant for the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center in North Carolina. Her national training program called Safe Routes educates people on bike safety, including tips on biking to school and picking a safe route.

To help you stay safe and succeed, here is what you need to know about teaching your child to ride a bike.

What you need – the gear and location

The right bike - tricycles and training wheels. If you have a young child (under five years of age), start them on a tricycle first. When they feel they’ve outgrown the tricycle and are ready to start riding a bike, switch over to a bike with training wheels. Remove the training wheels all together once they’ve had some practice and feel ready to try riding without them. If your child is older (over the age of six), you may want to skip the tricycle step and move directly to the training wheels.

When choosing a bike, c hildren should ride one that fits them properly. They should be able to touch the ground with their feet and their hands should reach the handlebars comfortably.

The necessary protection. Bikers should wear a fitted helmet (most bike shops can fit your child with the proper size) and a long sleeve shirt and pants to minimize injuries if they fall.

What you do – the five steps. Once you’re prepared and ready to go, here are five simple steps to make your child’s first biking experience a memorable one.

• Start pedaling: Once your child is sitting on the bicycle seat, ask him or her to hold onto the handlebars and slowly start pedaling. Hold on to their seat with one hand and the handlebars with the other.
• Balance: Remind them to sit up straight and go slow. They should look straight ahead and focus on what’s in front of them. Watch out for rocks or twigs on the ground.
• Steering: When they feel comfortable, loosen your grip on the handlebars and encourage them to try steering in one direction and then the other way. Advise them to do it slowly and be careful not to jerk the bike.
• Braking: Once they’ve been riding steadily for a few minutes, they should start to practice their braking. Most kid bikes are equipped with coaster brakes - brakes on the back wheel that are engaged by pedaling backwards
• Put it all together: Once they’ve learned all the key steps, encourage them to put them all together. As they feel more comfortable, they will pick up speed and you will be able to let go of the handlebars and put both hands on the seat, and then one, and then none!