It seems we have come to that point in time when I can avoid it no longer.
The only pair of pink sneakers in a size big enough to fit Izzy have shoe laces. Yes, laces… not velcro, not stretchy elastic things, but real, need to be tied, laces.
Now I have to teach Izzy to tie her shoe laces.
Ah if only it was the blue sneakers that only came with laces. Zoe is much more patient and will stick at a task like this. Izzy, on the other hand, will have half a go and then crack the poops because she’ll ‘never get this right’.
It is going to be a hard lesson to learn for all of us.
So today, while the girls were home from school with kennel cough, I stole the laces from my husband’s boots, stabbed some holes in a shoe box, and we let the fun begin!
It is hard to tie laces. It is hard to figure out how to explain it. It is hard to get your hands and fingers in the right spots. It is hard to learn to tie laces.
Does anyone have any tips or tricks? Is there a magical easy way to teach the girls how to tie shoe laces? Can someone come to my house and do it for me???
Oh and for the record.. the hands in the photo above, actually attempting to tie the laces… those hands belong to Zoe!
I’m throwing this post into the We Play hat at Childhood101 today! Head on over and see what everyone else has been playing!
Its something we’re still struggling with here! So no tips from us :)
Oh dear! Another of those parenting things I still have coming. I was just remembering how my mother tried to teach my brother to blow his nose! There’s so much to teach/learn, isn’t there!
I LOVE the shoebox idea though – that seems really clever to me!
No tips from me – I never ties my shoelaces like I was taught by my parents – always made two loops and tied them in a knot – works fine. My twins are thesame one is very persistent and the other cracks it when se can’t do it forst go (teaching them knitting is driving me insane – but they want to keep learning).
Goodluck girls ! It is hard, no advice we are still practicing lots.
It must be in the air today, as Princess was trying to tie her own laces this morning. She didn’t get very far, so when you’ve figured it out, let me know. Please! :)
Like amandab, I’ll be awaiting your tips! Boo asked the other day how to tie laces, mind you she doesn’t have shoes with laces but cracked it within seconds *sigh*
Best of Luck
I found this on ehow:
Recite the rhyme:
“Bunny ears, bunny ears, playing by a tree.
Criss-crossed the tree, trying to catch me.
Bunny ears, Bunny ears, jumped into the hole, popped out the other side beautiful and bold.”
and when kids get grumpy in my house the other breaks out in ‘Yo Gabba Gabba Style’ Keep trying, Keep trying, don’t give up, don’t give up (only really has effect if you know the tune!)
Thanks for posting this! This is now urgently required here too.
At the start of the year I bought laces because I figured F’s starting school, it’s time to learn. But we never actually did so I caved and bought a pair with velcro. Now he’s pulled the straps so tight that they are never tight enough for him.
I’m certainly not buying another pair of velcros, so learn he must!
I have no tips, we aren’t up to shoelace tying here yet. I can remember having laces threaded in our cane chairs as a child and tying them over and over. I had a hard time learning because my mum is left-handed and couldn’t really show me what to do in a right-handed way.
Ohhh, I don’t envy you! Lol! We are yet to come to that stage, although it won’t be long :S I’ll have to keep these ideas and suggestions in mind for later ;) I like the little rhymes/stories for tying laces.
We were lucky, the OT showed Annie how to tie her laces during one of her sessions :D
Hopefully the OT will do the same for Heidi :D