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teaching shoe tying...

groovygrlgroovygrl member
in School-Aged Children
this is probably really dumb but my 5 yr olds are interested in learning to tie shoes but I don't have the slightest idea how to go about teaching them. I know there is that bunny ear method where you make the 2 loops and wrap them around each other but in my head for whatever reason, that is not the right way to tie shoes/a bow and I feel like I should be teaching them the right way from the start...but that method is so much easier so it probably doesnt really matter? do the bows stay put as well with that method? It seems like they'd slip out easier but again, I could be totally off on this. I have googled & found links and youtube videos on other ways to do it but just wnat something easy and sound...thanks!
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Re: teaching shoe tying...

  • FaeryStarGazerFaeryStarGazer member
    We taught the bunny ears and the "regular" way. They did not go over it in school (which was fine by me, they have 94589384 other things to learn) but it was suggested that we not use the bunny method. I had them hold my hands while I tied, we did step by step where you put your fingers, how to push through the loop. It's a PITA but they got it. 
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  • neverblushedneverblushed member
    I broke the process down into steps, then had my child do as much of the process as he/she had learned, then took over.  I know... clear as mud, right?  Here's what I mean:

    First, pull the laces tight and make an X with them.  Initially, I would have the child do this part, then take over the rest.

    Next, put one of the "arms" of the X through the "legs" and pull the whole thing down tight.  I would let the child practice this much, taking over when they had finished this step.  When they could do this much, I moved on...

    Next, take one of the "arms" and make a bunny ear.  Pinch it down at the bottom.  Then I would have the child hold the "bunny ear" while I wrapped the other lace around it and finished up.

    Finally, I showed how to wrap the other lace around and poke it through the circle that it makes by looping around the bunny ear.

    The thing that my kids had the most trouble with is learning to keep the right tension on the laces -- enough to make a tight knot, but not so much that the end of the lace pulls all the way through!

    A five year old with pretty good fine motor can learn this in a few sessions!  My son has lousy fine motor, and he learned around age 6 in just a few weeks.
    High School English teacher and mom of 2 kids:

    DD, born 9/06/00 -- 12th grade
    DS, born 8/25/04 -- 7th grade
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  • groovygrlgroovygrl member
    I guess I don't really understand what you mean by the crosses being opposite?
    I could see the 2 loop way being easier for kids but both ways seem much more cumbersome when trying to teach a little kid to pinch, hold, pull through the 'hole', etc...LOL!!!
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  • Spin313Spin313 member
    Most people either do "bunny ears" or "loop swoop & pull"

    I do bunnies, so that's what I taught DS. At first, we just practiced pulling the laces tight, crossing them, and pulling one lace through. Then I would take over and demonstrate the rest. After a while, he would form the two bunny loops and then I would finish.

    The last step (crossing the laces, tucking one through, and pulling tight) took the longest to learn. He'd miss the "hole" or pull too hard and "lose a bunny."
    image
    image

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