Learning to Tie Shoe Laces

A pair of cool black and purple boots are just longing to be worn…but they can’t…until the owner can tie her shoelaces!

As a teacher, I understand the need for children to be independent; dress themselves, do their zips, take out their own earrings for swimming and change their own shoes. Hence these lovely shoes cannot yet be worn.

Wood Lacing High-Top to the rescue!

The diagram on the bottom of the shoe helps parents and teachers figure out how to tie a shoelace. It turns out that something you do every day is actually quite a process.

We used the over, under and then introduced a big tree and a bunny who runs around the big tree, into the bunny hole and off pops he. I think it is a knitting rhyme but works well here too.

Yeah, after much practice, one lace is done. Much more practice needed but it is a great start!

How do you encourage independence in the classroom or at home?

6 Replies to “Learning to Tie Shoe Laces”

  1. Avery doesn’t seem very interested in learning how to tie laces. I think a game would make it much more interesting for him. Would love to win a Wood Lacing High-Top!

  2. I am impressed to see that this particular set of instructions teaches the more secure way to tie a bow. Most of us wrap the bow in the other direction, which makes a crooked bow that easily comes apart. You can tell if you are doing yours the more secure way by looking down at the tops of your tied shoes and determining whether the bow lies across the shoe ( will stay tight), or with the bows pointing one toward your ankle, and the other toward your toe, (the more common way, but loosens quickly). My mother taught me to tie bows like this for the backs of dresses, because they look pretty, but I did my shoes the insecure way most of my life until someone kindly pointed it out to me!

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