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@Londonneur
I find the following is working well for me with beginners:
I hold the bars and walk backwards as they learn to start and stop. Key points are catching the pedal and continuous pedaling. Learning to brake smoothly and holding the brakes once stopped
Once they can stop without falling over, I move to the back and DO NOT touch the bars. A firm grip on their clothes between the shoulders and an occational nudge on the elbow is usually enough support. Key points are continuous pedalling and learning to steer into the lean to turn.
Remind then that pedalling is the force that keeps the bike upright and to sit up tall and straight. Lean WITH the bike!
A large flat area is key as they need enough space to be able to wobble about without feeling that they will hit anything. Shortly the wobbles start getting smaller and smaller... job done.
This is working for me but I would love to hear others' methods