How to Steer a Mini or Maxi Scooter

Is your child having trouble learning how to steer their Mini or Maxi Micro Scooter? 

Do you want to know what lean and steer really means? 

Would you like tips and guidance on how to help your child get the hang of the Micro scooter? 

Then you are in the right place! This post is all about learning to steer a Mini or Maxi Micro scooter. 

It's arrived, the sparkling new scooter has been unwrapped and there's big smiles all round. But there's a problem... ...the scooter won't steer!

DON'T PANIC

It's not broken. The Mini Micro and Maxi Micro scooter are 3 wheeled scooters and therefore you steer by leaning in the direction you want to go. This may seem odd to you as an adult but children find this method of steering the easiest. 

With lean and steer you don't try and turn the handlebars (as you would a bike), you stand on the scooter with both hands and lean in the direction you want. This turns the wheels to face where you want to go. Think of skateboarding, surfing or snowboarding, it's like this. It can feel a bit wobbly to start with as children don't want to lean to one side and feel unbalanced, but children soon understand. And it's actually a lot more stable as Mini and Maxi Micro scooters have 3 wheels. 

When your child masters the lean and steer of the scooter everything then starts to glide and move with your body weight, so you don't end up with the hands doing one thing and the body doing something different! Here are our tips for helping your child to learn lean and steer:

• Allow your child to stand stationery on the scooter and show them what happens to the wheels when they turn the handlebars (they move in the direction the handlebars turn!)
• Let your child practice doing this for a while to get them to understand the idea behind it.
• Some children completely new to scooting may feel worried about balancing on the scooter. Point out the three wheels of the scooter and explain how they work to keep your child balanced.
• Try pulling your child along while they hold on to the handlebars of the scooter to get them used to moving on it. You could simply pull the handlebars or use a Scoot n Pull to help.
• Encourage your child to lift, touch and feel the scooter all over to get them used to it. Show them where the brake is and how to use it.
• Don't worry if your child does not take to scooting straight away. We promise they WILL get used to it and master it. We have never had a scooter returned because a child could not get used to the lean and steer style of scooting. And we double promise you won't be the first to do so!

Our video showing how to steer a Mini or Maxi Micro may also help.  

KEEPING SAFE ON A MICRO SCOOTER 

Once your child has mastered how to steer a Mini Micro or Maxi Micro scooter is is equally, if not, more important for them to understand how to use their scooter safely. 

The first step is to ensure your child wears a helmet.

Reading this post will show you how to measure your child's head to ensure you get the correct helmet as well as advice on how to get them to actually wear one! 

 We also advise children to have a light and bell when scooting so they can be seen and heard by pedestrians and road users. 

Our Scoot Safe resource has free downloads, tips and advice on the key safety rules all children who scoot should know. 

Scoot Safe shows how you can teach your child to use the scooter brake correctly as well as making sure they hold their hands on the handlebars in the correct place for maximum control. 

Those are our tips on teaching a child how to steer their Micro scooter. Do they help? Let us know if you have any tips and tricks to help children learn how to steer a Mini or Maxi Micro scooter - you can add them in the comments below. Happy scooting!