How to tie your shoes: a children's guide

How to tie your shoes: a children's guide
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We see more and more children who, at the age of 6, do not yet know how to tie their shoes. This is because schools ask to use those with velcro to simplify the day between the desks. But the act of lacing is very important for the development of psychomotor skills: from holding the pencil correctly to cutlery up to writing. Does your child want to learn how to tie their shoes? Whether he is looking for speed, simplicity, safety or style to tie his shoes, here are many different ways to become more independent with his feet!




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Read also: Montessori: 20 ideas to teach children to tie their shoes

How to tie your shoes with the Montessori method

One of the cornerstones of the educational method developed by Maria Montessori is that children, from an early age, must learn to be independent also as regards the care of themselves and their clothing. To teach children these small daily practices, here are the materials that the Montessori method presupposes. In this case, we are talking about lacing frames, small tools that help the child learn what it means to fasten a button on his own, or to provide for himself when it is time to get dressed.



For the Montessori method, it is not important to tie the shoes itself, but to learn how to tie a knot with the lacing frame. It is a wooden frame surmounted by two parts of fabric that must be tied together with bows or laces. It can be made at home: starting from a wooden frame to which the fabric is applied with holes to pass the laces. Otherwise you can buy it in Montessori material stores.

You can build a kind of lacing frame using a cardboard box. Just drill holes and thread the strings. To help the child choose two different colored ribbons.

 

How to tie your shoes with the rabbit method

This is probably the most popular method of tying laces and it's fun because you can create your own bunny character to help keep him in your little one's mind!


The bunny ears method works like this:

  • Take a lace in each hand. Then, cross the lace of the left hand over that of the right hand. Where the laces meet in the center, wrap the right lace over the left lace to form a kind of loose knot. Pull both shoelaces to complete the knot.
  • Make a loop with the right lace and hold it together with your thumb and forefinger. Repeat with the left lace. They should now look like little rabbit ears!
  • Cross the noose with your left hand behind that of the right hand. This should leave a hole between the rings and the knot made at the beginning.
  • Pull the left ring through the hole.
  • Gently pull the two loops together to tighten the laces.

How to tie your shoes with the around the tree method

This method is another popular way to teach children how to tie shoelaces. You could also call it the "standard shoelace knot". Anyway, it goes like this:

  • start by holding a lace in each hand and tie a knot.
  • Make a loop with the lace on the right side of the knot and hold it together with your thumb and forefinger.
  • Take the left lace and pass it to the right, pulling it behind the loop until it completely surrounds the loop. This should leave a hole between the noose and the noose that was pulled around it.
  • Insert the left lace into the hole so that it also becomes a ring.
  • Pull both loops until the knot is securely tied.

Tips for teaching the little ones to tie their shoes

Don't be discouraged if your child doesn't start tying the laces right away; Like all skills, learning how to tie shoes takes time. If you find the teaching a little complicated, don't worry.

Try our best tips and they will learn you in no time!

  1. Use a practical board
    In the beginning it is much easier for the little ones to practice on something flat, rather than on a real shoe.
  2. Practice on a table
    Practicing how to tie shoelaces while your child is wearing shoes can be quite complicated, so you may find it easier to put the training board on their lap or in front of them on a table. Once they have learned how to tie the laces on the practice board, they will be ready to move on to a real shoe.
  3. Use two different colored laces
    Rather than saying "the left lace" and "the right lace", it may be easier to use two different colored laces to demonstrate how to tie the laces to your child. This will make it more interesting for them to watch too, so they will be more excited to learn this new skill.
  4. Use stiffer laces
    Stiff shoelaces are much easier to put on, as they help passersby stay in place when showing little ones how to tie their shoes.
  5. Make sure the laces are long enough
    Trying to tie your shoelaces too short can be quite frustrating! When kids are learning how to tie laces, they need a lot of space to make their own bow loops. If the laces are too short, it makes the method difficult.
  6. Draw stitches on the laces so your little ones know where to keep them
    Take a colored marker and draw a dot on each lace so your little one knows where to keep it when he has made his rings. This means that they will make the loop the correct size, making lace lacing a little easier to master.

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