Our son has started showing an interest in tying things (not necessarily shoelaces), so I decided to buy him a pair of lace-up shoes. So, it would be in my best interest to teach him how to tie his own laces, since this child can hardly ever be convinced to wear shoes, unless it can be slipped on in 2 seconds or less.
So I bought him the Plan Toys Tie-up shoe to get started on. The packaging recommends from 3 years and up, but it does take some dexterity to master.
Then I started trawling the internet for stories to accompany the making of a bow and this seems workable to me:
1. Bunny Ears
Probably the most common method for teaching kids to tie their own shoes is the “Bunny Ears” method.
- Tell the child that he needs to make his shoe laces into “bunny ears.”
- First,
he needs to secure a knot for the bunny’s head. Take the laces and
cross them over to make an “X”. Then, pull one ear through the bottom
of the “X” and pull tight. - Say, “Now we need to give bunny some ears.” Loop the laces into “bunny ears”.
- Tell
the child that now we need to “make the bunny ears tight so they don’t
fall off”. Then make another “X” using the “bunny ears”, slide one
“ear” under the “X” and pull tightly. 
Though I wonder…
The Squirrel and the Tree
This is a fun method that utilizes a
kid friendly story and movements that help kids understand and remember
the basic steps to shoe tying.
- Tell the child to create “tree roots” by making a starter knot.
- Make a tree with a long thin loop; hold the loop in the child’s right hand.
- With
his left hand, take hold of the lace and tell him that a squirrel runs
around the tree and jumps into the hole under the tree and comes out
the other side (he’ll need to switch hands at this point which can be
difficult for some kids).
Many parents prefer this trick because it teaches the kid to tie shoes with the single loop method.
This seems more workable to me.
More methods on About.com
Ehow.com has some great tips that would seem obvious when pointed out, but I already made the mistake of sitting opposite my son when trying to show him.
And then finally the mother of all shoelace sites. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw it! Besides teaching simple knots, there are variations on knots for adults and also knots that will help you correct “shoe issues”. Just look at these on Ian Fieggen’s Shoelace Site
I’m off to lace my shoes.
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