But as kids grow older, they will eventually have to transition to shoes with laces, and that’s a whole other world to them.
For a while, you will find yourself continuously tying your kids’ shoelaces, because they don’t know how to do it, and it’s faster this way.
But there is going to come a time in which kids need to be able to tie their own shoes, by themselves, without the help of anybody else. And it’s your job to teach them how to do this.
Plus, it will save you from having to tie the shoes for them, so you know, it’s also in your interest!
When it comes to teaching your kids to tie their shoes, there are many different methods and ways to go about it, and you should be able to adapt the teaching to your kid so that it is as easy as possible.
After all, tying shoes can seem quite complicated at first, and some kids might struggle a little more to master it!
But…how do you teach your kid to tie their shoes? We understand that not every parent knows how to go about this important step, so we’re here to help.
We’ll tell you, step by step, how to teach your kid, and we’ll give you some tips and tricks along the way too. And to top it off, we’ll answer some popular questions.
Does that sound good? Then let’s get right into it!
Teaching Your Kids The Bunny Method
There are many different methods for tying shoes, and you should pick the one that you think is going to be the easiest for your kid to learn.
Alternatively, you could show your kid different methods, and have your kid choose which one they want to master so that they have a choice!
But as a general rule, the most popular method taught to kids is the bunny method, so this is the one that we will go through, step by step.
Firstly, it might be helpful if you color both shoelaces differently so that it is easier for your kid to know which one they are supposed to be moving with each step. At least at the beginning.
For the sake of our explanation, we will say that the right shoelace is black and that the left shoelace is red.
Let’s get into it:
The first step is to tie a simple knot with the shoelaces. For this, take one shoelace in each hand. Cross the black lace over the red one, more or less at a midway point in their length. Then take the end of the black lace and wrap it over the red lace, before pulling it underneath the red lace towards you. Pull tightly, and this is your first base knot.
Next, hold the ends of both shoelaces and pull tight once again, making sure that the knot is at the bottom, touching the shoe.
With the black lace, create a loop so that it becomes a “bunny ear” with a long tail. Do the same with the red lace. You should now have two bunny ears with long tails.
Take the black bunny ear and cross it over the red bunny ear, midway up its length.
Then, pull the top of the red bunny ear over the black bunny ear, before you poke it through the hole, away from you.
Grab hold of the ends of both bunny ears, and pull tightly. This creates a knot out of the two bunny ears, securing them in place.
Here is an image that might help illustrate the process:
It is important to note that this is so that you know the process. When explaining it to your kid, you might want to use simpler terms, and do it with them, slowly, until they begin to understand!
Tips And Tricks For Tying Shoes
When teaching your kid to tie their shoes, you will need a lot of patience, and a lot of skill to adapt the way you are teaching the method so that your kid better understands it. It will also take a lot of practice!
But to help you along, here are some shoe-tying tricks and tips:
Paint some dots on the shoelaces, so that your kid knows where to hold them when tying them up. This is especially good for practicing the basic knot.
Use thicker shoelaces, so that it is easier for your kids to hold them and tie them into a knot. Thinner shoelaces can come at a higher shoe-tying level.
If your child is left-handed, and you are right-handed, teach them while you stand opposite them, so that they can mirror you. If you have the same dominant hand, teach your kid from the same point of view.
Use shoelaces of two different colors to make it easier to explain which shoelaces to move and when.
Create a shoelace box for your kid to practice tying knots.
Frequently Asked Questions
When Should Kids Learn To Tie Their Own Shoes?
The sooner your kid learns to tie their own shoes, the sooner they will be able to be independent in that regard, so it’s never too early!
However, as a general rule, kids are expected to tie their own shoes by the age of five, as this is the age at which they will have reached sufficient hand coordination.
Are Songs A Good Method For Teaching Kids To Tie Shoes?
Songs and poems can be an excellent way of teaching your kid to tie their shoes, as it can be an effective way of having them memorize the steps of the shoe-tying method you have chosen.
How Do You Tie Kids’ Shoes So That They Stay Tied?
If your kids’ shoes keep coming untied, you can try doing a double knot with the bunny ears, so that it is doubly secured.
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