Teaching kids to tie their shoes......

[Minnie_me]

Yes, I'm a teacher. And I have been totally unsuccessful in teaching both of my children to tie their shoes! It's so frustrating to me!

I have the special laces, the poem, the book, the song, you name it.......and still my TEN-YEAR OLD struggles with it, and my 7-year old refuses to even try again after one failed attempt.

I have taught these children to do millions of things, not to mention my 20+ year career of teaching Kindergarten!

Am we doomed to a life of velcro and slip-ons?!?!? I'm DETERMINED that my children will tie by the first day of school this year, but I need help from you all!

 

[laughinplace199]

Is left- or right-handedness an issue? DH & I are left-handed and our kids are right-handed. I guess DH & I tie backwards and the kids just couldn't do it our way. My best friend is right-handed and she taught both of my kids to tie.

 

[bigbabyblues]

My DS7 can't tie his shoes, and I dont know how to teach him. He's right handed, and so are DH & I, so that's not it. DS5 is a lefty, and I don't have a clue where to start with him.

 

[PollyannaMom]

We glued a paper sneaker shape on the lid of a shoebox, punched holes in it, and laced it with real laces. I also colored half the lace with marker, so I could say "loop the red one", or "around the white one", etc. We could demonstrate from the same side as DS, and he could practice without having to coordinate his foot at the same as his hands.

Depending on how your kids want to position the box, you may need to weight it so it doesn't move around. (And of course there's no law against "weighting" it with a little gift inside, that can only be opened after the bow is tied!)

 

[KristiMc]

I'm glad to know that my 7 year old is not the only one.

 

[Ohio Disney Girl]

Honestly, with many kids these days, it is a matter of motivation.

It used to be that you had no choice as all shoes tied and if you couldn't do it yourself, you had to keep asking for help- uggg.

Now, with so many "Cool" shoes options that don't require tying, kids are like, "Whatever!"

Are they exclusively in tie shoes now? If not, you may have to make that the only option and then practice, practice, practice! They'll get it!

 

[BLAMBKY]

I was just discussing this with another mom yesterday (slip on shoes) and she is scared to death that she will send her son off to college w/o him knowing how to tie his shoes. Boys we were discussing are 9 1/2 years old and probably do (although NOT WELL) know how to tie their shoes. My advice that I am currently using to solve this situation is buying tie ups from this point on. Sorry son!

 

[Jenna45]

I was glad to see this, my son is 12 and still can't tie, he was a lefty who was forced to use his right and he has had problems since.. He wears crocs almost 80% of the time
But, he has some croc ties and now they have sneakers

But he plays soccer and basketball and do u know how funny it is to watch him tell the refs he can't tie all quiet and watch them kneel down and do it all why I die of embaressment....

I just double knot everything and hope for the best,and he is a pro with fixing them so they just slide on...

 

[GJM]

My DS 8 also can not tie shoes. We have the book, I have tried with the shoes. I don't know what the problem is, but alot of his friends also can't tie shoes.

He does want shoes with laces and I tell him when he can tie them I will get them. Then I was thinking maybe I should get them and he will have to learn.

It is so frustrating!

 

[kimgof]

I'm so glad to hear it's not just my kids who can't tie. My DS(13) can tie but he still isn't very fast at it. MyDS(7) and DD(5) won't even attempt it. Ive tried to show my son but he gets so easitly frustrated. I will take some of the tips given by other posters. I do think that because there are so many non-tie alternatives now that kids just don't learn like they used to.

 

[Poohbug]

I hear ya. My DS(8) cannot tie his shoes. He is left handed and DH and I are right handed. I do not have a clue where to start-he just doesn't get it. Most shoes now have velcro so it hasn't been a real problem but eventually he's got to learn right???

 

[stsomewhere]

I tried to teach my dd before she started Kindergarten
She could not get it.
One day, we were going on vacation and weere in the car for 10 hours. She was bored and practiced tying her shoes. Sshe finally got it. She was so excited. She is going into 2hd and can still have a hard time.

 

[noodleknitter]

When we had to teach kids that came into treatment not knowing, we had a great behavioral psyc. who taught us to teach them starting at the end. then work you way backwards. It ALWAYS worked. I used the same method teaching my kids, too.

 

[Wankerville]

I can't believe there are other people out there with this problem! I was so embarrassed and thought I was the only one!

My DS just turned 9, and we're STILL working on it. They learned how to tie in kindergarten, and he struggled then, but got it somewhat. They were always a little loose, not tight enough, and came untied easily, but at least he could tie them back.

But then...he saw a pair of shoes that he wanted that didn't have laces. Whe got those for him, and he FORGOT how to tie! Ever since then, it's been some kind of battle.

He has tie shoes now, but he fixes them so that he doesn't untie them to take them off, therefore, he doesn't have to tie them when he puts them on.

 

[daisyduck123]

Hi! I'm a teacher too, with a DS10 of my own.

He has never, ever had to tie shoes. I just buy velcro or slip-ons. We're going to go shopping this week for his new sneakers for 5th grade. I will not buy shoes with laces. Why stress over it? I can't stand to see kids walking around school with their laces undone. Even many of the 5th graders don't bend down to tie their shoes. Velcro/slip-ons are just easier.

 

[Stephres]

I think this is a lot like potty training, you can try to teach them all you want but until they want to learn it's hopeless. I tried for a year to each my oldest unsuccessfully; he learned completely on his own two years later.

Maybe set a goal for them to try at it 10-15 minutes each day before school starts? And then an incentive when they can successfully do it? Good luck!

 

[Neesy228]

I would just like to so "Oh thank goodness!" I was just talking to my friend about this the other day - my DS7 has never even attempted to tie his shoes - and I was feeling like a lousy Mom! I'm so glad I'm not the only one!

 

[momof1princess]

my DD is almost 11 and can barely tie her shoes. she can tie them ok, but not tightly and they're undone within 15 minutes. even her double knots rarely stay tied. i feel guilty, but i've spent countless time teaching her. she just can't do it well.

 

[JVL1018]

My son will be 7 in September and just yesterday we started working on tying shoes. I bought him a pair of lace up sneakers(per his request) andhe wanst to learn, it's just so hard to teach him.
I don't remember my daughter being this hard to teach-I think she learned at 5-she's 8 and ties her own shoes all the time. I never do it.

My son is left handed and it's confusing teaching him things when he's the opposite of me. Frustrating for both of us!
One of my closest friends is a left-handed occupational therapist, maybe I should just hand him over to her for lessons. LOL!

 

[unionville]

My son will be 7 in September and just yesterday we started working on tying shoes. I bought him a pair of lace up sneakers(per his request) andhe wanst to learn, it's just so hard to teach him.
I don't remember my daughter being this hard to teach-I think she learned at 5-she's 8 and ties her own shoes all the time. I never do it.

My son is left handed and it's confusing teaching him things when he's the opposite of me. Frustrating for both of us!
One of my closest friends is a left-handed occupational therapist, maybe I should just hand him over to her for lessons. LOL!

I have a son that is 8 and left handed. I'm right handed and my husband is left handed. We have both tried to teach him and he still struggles. He really wants to do it, but we aren't being very successful. I think we just need to practice EVERY DAY!