How to Teach a Child to Tie Shoes

By eHow Parenting Editor

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Many children will get frustrated when trying to learn how to tie their shoelaces. While there's no miraculous solution other than patience and lots of practice, there are ways that you can help your child acquire this useful skill.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

Children's Clothes
Shoelaces
Stickers
shoes
laces
patience
practice

Step1

Wait until your child is ready. Most children develop the dexterity needed to tie shoelaces between the ages of 4 and 6. Girls are often ready to learn slightly earlier than boys.

Step2

Make sure your child knows right from left before you try to teach him how to tie his shoes.

Step3

Choose one method of lace tying, and teach it consistently. Make sure that everyone who may be trying to help your child learn this skill is offering the same method. Otherwise, he may get confused.

Step4

Make up a game or poem to help your child remember the necessary steps.

Step5

Make sure that you and your child are side by side rather than opposite each other when you demonstrate. That way he'll be able to copy your movements rather than mirror them.

Step6

Give your child lots of praise when he gets it right.

Tips & Warnings

To help your child differentiate left from right, try putting a sticker on one hand or tying a piece of yarn around one wrist.
One easy method of shoe tying is to have your child make two loops, then tie them together in a simple knot. This is easier than bow tying and just as effective.
If your child is left-handed and you aren't, try to find an adult "lefty" to help teach him this skill.
Be sure to teach your children how to do this, even though alternatives are available. Velcro shoes and elastic "no lace" laces may be fun for your kids, but they'll have to learn how to tie their shoes eventually, and basic knot and bow tying is a good skill to know.

Comments

Jenci4 said

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on 6/23/2008 depending on the child, two bunny ears and a simple knot may or may not work. Remember that every child learns differently! :)

Anonymous said

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on 11/22/2005 Use a wooden model shaped like a shoe, with multicolored strings.
1. Hold up both strings. Then cross your hands over exchanging the strings in the other hand while passing them over.
2. Let the strings drop. Pick the coordinating strings back up with coordinating hands. Strings should look like a X. Pick the strings back up and let the right hand drop the string. Pick the string back up with the right hand, while picking the string up this time, pull it through the hole the two string now are making toward your chest.
3. Pull the two strings together tight in a downward position Make a bunny ear with each string(bending the string). With each bunny ear made, lay one over the other, letting the right hand drop the folded string again, then, pull it back toward your chest this last time. While pulling through the hole again, pull the bunny ears in the opposite direction very tight.

Anonymous said

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on 11/22/2005 I am left handed and my kids are right-handed. If I sit across from them, the way I tie a bow will match what they are to do. The trick is to sit across from each other, not side by side, if one of you is left handed and the other is right handed.

Anonymous said

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on 1/15/2008 I discovered this way of tying shoelaces by watching "Raising Helen." The story goes like this: "Make two bunny ears. The bunny runs around the tree. The bunny jumps in a hole. Close it up tight!"

This technique really works! The child doesn't need to know left from right, and all they have to remember is the story of the little bunny.

Anonymous said

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on 11/22/2005 Using an old shoe, make a lace of half one color and half another. I tied a couple of short laces (one patterned and one white) together. Do the other old shoe the same way. One is for you to use to demonstrate tying and the other is for your child to use and follow along.

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