How to Tie Shoes for Kids?

By Deidre

How to Tie Shoes for Kids? www.walkjogrun.net

Teaching a child to tie their shoes is always an interesting feat. They either pick it up immediately, or they pick it up when they want to. And I think this goes for everything when it comes to children because no 2 children are alike.

There are several ways to teach kids to tie shoes, and we will discuss them below.

At what age do kids start to tie their shoes?

Kids may start to tie their shoes at different ages. It is just the same as children starting to crawl, walk, talk, or feed themselves. They are all different.

Some of my friends have children, and some of them work with children. The age range that kids start to tie their own shoes is between 4 and 6 years of age. But, it is always important to remember that some children will start sooner or later than others, and that is ok.

Practice makes perfect, and at this age, your little one is fine-tuning their fine motor skills to do many things that we have perfected over many years.

My nephew is 5 years old and does not know how to tie his shoes yet because most of his shoes are slip-ons. While my Goddaughter learned to tie her shoes at 4 years old, and my niece learned to tie her shoes at 3 years old.

And according to their parents, there was still some room for improvement. But, they mastered the task, right!

What is the easiest way to tie shoes for kids?

There are a few ways to teach kids to tie their shoes. And the easiest ways are as follows:

The regular/one-loop method

Make an X with the laces across the top of the shoe
Take the end of the top lace and bring it through the bottom of the X
Pull the ends of both laces in the opposite direction
Make a loop with one of the laces
Take the other shoelace and wrap it around the base of the loop
Place a piece of the lace through the O at the base of the loop
Pull both loops until they are the same lengths and snug

This is the method I was taught as a child to tie my shoes. I can vaguely recall my grandfather referring to the loops at bunny ears.

The two-loop method (bunny ear method)

Make an X with the laces across the top of the shoe
Take the end of the top lace and bring it through the bottom of the X
Pull the ends of both laces in the opposite direction
Make a loop (bunny ears) with both of the laces that are about the same length
Make an X with the loops (bunny ears)
Take the loop (bunny ear) on top through the bottom on the X
Pull both loops (bunny ears) until the knot is snug

The new modern method

Make an X with the laces across the top of the shoe
Take the end of the top lace and bring it through the bottom of the X
Pull the ends of both laces in the opposite direction
Repeat the 3 steps above and leave an O the size of your finger
Take the ends of each lace
Take them through the O until you have a loop the length of your thumb
Pull both loops until the knot is snug

What is the easiest way to teach a child to tie shoes?

The easiest way to teach a child to tie their shoes is to either have them sit on the floor with the shoe in between their legs or have the child sit at a table with the shoe in front of them. This allows the child to be in a comfortable position and allows them to see the shoe up close visibly.

It is suggested that using shoelaces that are a different color than the shoe or even shoe strings that have 2 contrasting colors is helpful. The contrasting colors will assist the child in seeing the different steps of the shoe-tying process.

Things to remember while teaching a child to tie their shoes are:

Do not try to do it for them
Give them time to practice
Be patient
Allow them to make mistakes
Let them finish the process to the end
Try larger shoe strings

Keep in mind that this child’s little brain is learning, growing, and processing new things every day. It is always important and helps to be patient with yourself and the child. Walking and talking them through the steps or practicing alongside them may all be helpful in the child learning to tie their shoes.

Try working from the end of the shoe-tying process back with the child. This will show them that they can do the steps and give them a sense of accomplishment. Work through their mistakes together and let them talk you through the process.

Looping it together

With any task, we have to practice, practice, and practice to do something without a second thought. So, have fun and use every moment as a learning opportunity for your child or the children in your life.

And in due time, your child will be untying and tying all of the shoes in the house.