Learning to tie shoe laces
Settling & Self Settling
How to talk to your little one if they are afraid of monsters
Monsters can be a very real fear for many little kids. Looking under the bed with trepidation and keeping a nightlight on are more common than you might think. Just try to think back to your own childhood and you can...
Out and About
When should you get your child into sport?
Seeing your child score their first goal or play along with new friends can be a very special moment as a parent. Helping them set up healthy attitudes to exercise and fitness and a love of sports can’t start soon enough. So, when is the best time for you to get them involved in team or structured sports? Age-appropriate activities Typically, your little one won’t have teams to play on until about six-years-old. Until then...
Teaching your child to tie their shoes is a right of passage, but it can also take an exhausting amount of time. Something that seems beyond simple to you is a huge skill to learn for them. Try and remember all the practising you did when you were their age! Once it’s time to put on those big kid shoes, here are a few tips to move along the process.
Show patience
Even though this is as simple as breathing to you now, try to remain as patient as possible. If you’re frustrated, just imagine how frustrated they are. Being exacerbated with them will only cause more stress to their learning. Remember that this is a pretty exciting milestone for them, so keep that in mind on the 100th try.
Break it down slowly
Tying shoelaces requires quite a bit of fine motor skills, so at first, it will not be quick. They will have to understand the proper vocabulary, remember the steps, and have nimble fingers. To make the process easier, slow it down to very simple steps.
Explain it to them in these steps:
- Pick up your lace with your hand of choice
- Use your other hand to pick up the other lace in the middle
- Fold it in half
- Move the lace around the one folded in half
- Use your thumb to push the lace underneath the folded lace
- Pull the folded bit with one hand and the other lace with the other hand
Even typing that out alone, you have to pick up your own shoe and remember exactly how you do it. Tying shoelaces has become so seamless to us, that remembering all the steps isn’t that easy! Either way, you can decide however you wish to explain it to them, but use easy terms and take it slow. Instead of simply saying, “make a loop”, break it down.
Have multiple methods ready
If the bunny rabbit just won’t cut it for them, have a few other ideas at your disposal. Every kid’s way of understanding is different. Check out some creative teaching lessons and try them all out.
Use a pair you don’t mind drawing on
If it’s still not sticking, find a pair you wouldn’t mind using some colour on. Your little one might be far more visual and need some better indicators. Choose two markers with separate colours and draw on each lace (white!) to differentiate them. Tell them, “now take the pink lace under the green one”. Making it more visual could be the perfect way to make it stick.
Continue to be the Example
Children learn through example, so get ready to tie countless laces on your trusty pair of kicks. Take it slow, step by step, and sit side by side. Help them mimic your actions with plenty of encouragement.
Ultimately, every mama will have a different knot or method of teaching the big shoelace exercise. It is a serious rite of passage for them, so when the time comes it will be a big moment of celebration. For now, remain calm and have fun practising with them.
Other Articles
At-home Activities
Shape monsters
This is a very simple activity that your toddler will love and is perfect to help them learn how to identify different shapes and colours early on. Cut squares, triangles and circles out of colourful felt pieces...
Signs & Symptoms
How can I help my constipated toddler?
When you become a parent, there are certain topics of conversations that, pre-kid, you would never imagine having. But from the moment your baby is born, their health and wellbeing become your number one priority. Naturally, you become invested in every aspect of their life. And when we say every, we mean every. Even their poo becomes a normal topic of conversation: from how many dirty nappies they have a day to the exact colour...
Sleep Transitions
How much sleep do babies and toddlers need?
Understanding your baby or toddler’s needs when it comes to sleep isn’t exactly straightforward. Not only does the total amount of time they sleep for change frequently in those early months, the way it is broken up does too! A lot of sites will talk about your baby’s total amount of sleep hours, but that information can be almost useless when you don’t know how to apply this to the day or night. There is...
Sign up
Don't miss a thing!
Stay in the loop on all things parenthood as we share tips, hacks, products, inspo & everything in between. We promise not to clutter your inbox.