My son is wrapping up his kindergarten year and my daughter is starting kindergarten next fall. With these major milestones, I figured it’s about time I teach my kids how to tie their shoes. I’d heard about the bunny ear technique, so I honestly thought teaching kids how to tie shoes was going to be a breeze.
I ordered my kiddos their first pairs of shoes that have laces. I opted to get us all twinning adidas superstars because, well, they are my favorite sneakers, and they are so adorable on little feet. (They were also on major sale recently!).
When the shoes arrived, my kids were super excited. They loved that they got to twin with mommy and they were excited to learn to tie. However, after a few attempts to learn the bunny ears technique, they got frustrated and quit. Thus, I figured I needed to do some research to find another way to teach kids how to tie shoes. Based on my research, here are four tips I found useful.
{R’s Shoes, Stacey’s Shoes, G’s Shoes}
Have More Than One Technique
Most parents have heard of the Bunny Ears Method but have you heard of the Cheerio Method or the One Loop Method? We tried the bunny ears method several different times, but it just didn’t work that well for our kids. I actually think the Bunny Ears Method requires a lot more dexterity and steps than the Cheerio Method.
Since trying the Cheerio Method, we’ve had a lot more success. It is great to have more than one method at your fingertips so that if one doesn’t work, the other will. It’s the worst feeling to see my kids are frustrated, so I’m so glad I found another technique that works better.
Choose Soft Easy to Hold Laces
If the shoe laces are too rigid or not long enough, it can be really hard for little fingers to grab onto those laces. Make sure the laces are long enough and also flexible and soft enough for small hands. You also want to make sure they aren’t too long. If they are too long, your kids might trip on them and they will get untied too often.
Use Contrasting Color Laces
If the shoes are white, put in some colored laces until they learn to tie. You just want to make sure the shoes and laces are contrasting colors so it’s easy to see the laces. You could also consider coloring one half of the lace or getting two-toned laces so they can see the two sides apart when they are doing their loops.
Teach Them How to Untie Knots
Although it’s great once they learn how to tie, you also need your kids to learn how to untie. If they untie improperly, they are going to end up with a big ‘ole knot. It can be so tricky to untie knots, so it’s an important step you don’t want to forget.
I hope these tips are useful for teaching kids how to tie shoes.
Looking for more parenting advice? Check out my other parenting stories here.