What age to start my son

My wife and I cant agree when to start our son on a unicycle. I love to ride and she thinks our son is to young to do it. He is 4 years old and I feel he can do it on a 10 inch sun. What age have you started your kids at, dosen’t even have a tricycle yet. HELP WOULD BE GOOD.

Start now! If he can walk, then I think he’s ready to try a unicycle! You might want to get one a little bigger though, because he will grow fast, and if he decides he doesn’t want to start now, it will be perfect in a couple years!

Threadjack: I wanted a unimog as my first vehicle when I turned 16. Do you have one?

Threadjack: I wanted a unimog as my first vehicle when I turned 16. Do you have one?
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NO I DO NOT have one but, would love a 1972 416 or better yet a 1972 PINZGAUER 712 dk and Volvo c306. i wish i woud have bought one when i was 16 had the cash.

I don’t know if 4 is too young. Children concentrate at different things at different times, so you just have to look at the way they move and balance and use your judgement.

I’ve bought a 16" uni for my daughters 5th birthday next week. Last year I thought she was too young and I wasn’t sure her balance motor skills and balance was up for it yet.

We tried with a uni we borrowed at the club first to see if she was interested at all. She has made a tiny bit of progress in the short time we tried, and I’m sure she can learn if she wants to.

She has been riding a bike since spring. I don’t know how much of an advantage that is, but we felt that the natural progression was tricycle, bicycle, unicycle.
One thing they have learned is how to pedal. Both my kids have had a little trouble figuring out how to pedal their first tricycles. They where very frustrated when they accidentally rode backwards or only managed to rock back and forth. They where only two years old at the time. Your son would probably figure it out much faster.

There are a number of threads in RSU about this, so a search will get you much more info than I can give.

There was a small 4yo girl at nationals that finished the 1/4 mile, 1/2 mile and mile races.

It depends on the child’s readiness. My son got his uni at 5 and was really riding just after his 7th birthday, now he can even hop. He’s 7 and a half now. On the other hand, I know 7 year old that doesn’t have the maturity to learn a 2-wheeler!

As long as it’s fun for the kid and the kid wants to do it, I’d say give it a go!

Good luck!

I’d say go for it. In my opinion it’s easier than a bike. Then he don’t have to bugger around with stearing. Get a 12" it’ll last til he’s bout eight.

I have 3 boys–11, 9 and 2. The two older boys are convinved that the 2 year old will start learning when he turns 3. The two older ones started at 8 and 6.

I thought I’d start my son when he was 6 - just after I had learned. He, however, had different ideas and has been resistant to learning so far. He is now 8.

Time for the bike to get “stolen.” :wink:

Like I said, every kid is different… Cathwood’s kid is a budding juggler. :slight_smile:

One word answer.

Birth.

i started when i was 4 and a half on a 16 inch, practiced once a week in a hall and learned competently to ride by 5 but im sure if he went for it more he could get it quickly, i would have turned out so much better if it wernt for the gap of like 10 years till i properly took it up

ed has had a ride on a uni with his dad, but he doesn’t yet ride by himself - his legs are way to short. Thinking about it he had rides on the uni with me before he was born, does that count in the earlist rider stakes?

I’ve seen many 4-year old unicyclists, that’s not a problem. It’s more about motivation. Kids will learn when they want to. Not every child will be interested in learning to unicycle, so it’s a personal thing. You can make it more attractive for them but the motivation that gets us up the learning curve is a very important element, especially for very young riders. If you want your child to learn really fast, wait until he’s 15 or so, and he’ll suck it right up (if he’s interested)! :slight_smile:

But no, it’s by no means too early to make a unicycle available and see if he’ll work at it.

it’d be better if you started soon. that way if he falls he won’t have a long distance to fall. and also, little children learn based on muscle memory more than brain memory, so he will learn fast.

unicycling.org says that “Nini Hall (daughter of Mel Hall) is believed to have been the youngest unicyclest, riding across a stage aged 18 months.”
4 years old is a fine age to start riding (:

I started my son in September of 1979 when I was 27. He was born June 6, 1980.

BUT sometimes small children just haven’t got the staying power or concentration necessary to learn.

I know some High School kids that can’t even concentrate on the whole concept.

My daughter is 7. She is currently learning to ride a 16". She hasn’t quite got it yet but she making good progress and most importantly she is enjoying herself.

I told my daughter as soon as she learned how to ride without training wheels I would buy her a uni. I am sure that many kids could do this much earlier, but this age has seemed to work well for her.

So would that be like putting a newborn in the swimming pool? Could it be that all newborns have a preservation instinct that will kick in when you place them on a unicycle?

Well, when I was born, the doctors lifted myself up, because by instinct, babies are supposed to kick their feet or something. Anyways, they did that too me, and in the air, I started to take large circular steps.

My mom was thinking of it a few days ago, and she said that it looked like I was peddling a unicycle.