Tying shoes is a proverbial piece of cake for many adults. Despite appearances, however, it is not a simple skill, especially for young children who have problems with eye-hand coordination and spatial thinking. Although it is not essential for life, it is very useful in everyday situations both at school and at home. Learn how to teach your child to tie his shoes easily and quickly.

Tying shoelaces is taught to children as early as kindergarten. This is a great way to promote the development of small motor skills. By interweaving the string, toddlers learn precision of movement, develop concentration skills and learn about cause and effect relationships. This, in turn, has an impact on independence when getting dressed, as well as learning to write and read at school. Therefore, it is worth teaching your child to tie his shoelaces as early as possible. At the same time, it should be remembered that there is no age at which a toddler should be able to do this, so do not put pressure on him, but give him time. Your child will easily tie his shoes when he is both physically and mentally ready to do so.

Where do I start learning to tie my shoes?

Learning to tie shoelaces should begin with the proper selection of shoes for your child. A child will not learn to tie shoes if he or she is not exposed to them. You can find a wide selection of high-quality shoes for children at Tupu Tupu.

The next step is to play with tying shoes. To do this, prepare two sheets of thick paper and:

• Trace the toddler's feet on them,
• Cut out the drawn shape,
• Ask your child to paint the cut-outs in their favorite colors,
• Cut holes in the middle with a hole punch, the same number on each side.

Hand the "shoe" prepared in this way to the child together with a string and ask him to thread it through the holes. You take the other template in your hand, sit next to the toddler and do the same. Doing it together not only builds a bond between the child and parent, but also makes it easier for the child to learn.

If your toddler has never woven laces through holes before, repeat this step until he learns. You can arrange a competition for time, but remember to let the little one win! It's also a good idea to make a mistake and let your child check where the mistake is. This way you will show him that adults also make mistakes, and that making mistakes is part of learning new skills.

3 shoe tying methods you should know

Everyone has their own way of tying shoes, which they have developed over the years. Some people don't tie their laces at all, but it's worth remembering that this is not wise. Wearing loose shoes is a quick way to get abrasions and irritation. What's more, the gait changes then - people who walk in untied shoes do not lift their legs up and roll their feet, but scuff them against the ground. In addition, shoes then deteriorate more quickly, even if they are of high quality.

To keep your little one from walking around in shoes with untied laces, teach her to tie them. Here are the 3 most popular ways.

• On "Mickey and Pika mice"

It's a method based on a rhyme, so it's much loved by children and quickly becomes memorable. It is necessary to repeat the words and at the same time perform specific movements:

There were mice: Mickey and Piki. They had long tails - take both strings in your hands,

swapped places - cross the strings at the X,

one mouse entered the mink - put the end of one string in the ear that was created,

The other closed it - tighten the knot,

one stuck out an ear - make a loop out of one of the laces,

the other one circled it and put out its own - wrap the other string with a loop and put it through the hole,

the cat came, grabbed the mice by the ears and pulled them out of the mink - grab both loops and tighten the knot tightly.

• On the "bunny."

This is a less complicated method of tying shoes, which is especially liked by younger children because of its friendly name and cute, long "ears". To tie the shoelaces in this way, you need to cross the two strings. put one of them through the resulting hole and tighten the knot. Then you need to make "ears" out of both laces, cross them and put them through the hole again and tighten.

The only difficulty in this case is to put the entire "ear" through the second hole. It happens that children slip out of their hands, so it is worth helping them in case of wu.

• Without holding the reins

Tightening the laces, holding the bunting and tying at the same time is too difficult for many toddlers. Fortunately, there is another way to tie shoes.

Take the ends of the shoelaces and put their cap through the same hole from which they come out, so that loops are formed. Then grab them, cross them and tie them. Repeat the action so that two knots are formed.

In this case, a thick knot or laces that are too short can be a problem[1].

What to keep in mind when learning to tie laces?

Remember that teaching your child to tie his shoes is a process that takes time and patience. Do not rush your child or yell at her for making mistakes. Such action can make her discouraged and not want to put on half shoes with laces again.

Instead, slowly explain to your toddler what to do one step at a time and repeat it several times a day, such as every time you leave the house. Praise your little one every time she manages to make loops and tie a knot. You can also, for example, reward her with stickers.

Many parents also make another mistake - they show you how to tie shoes while sitting in front of the child, instead of next to him. The toddler will learn how to make loops and knots faster if he watches you from his perspective, rather than in a mirror image. You can also sit behind your toddler so he can see your hands directly in front of him. All it takes is a small change in habits to achieve success.

It's also a good idea to buy sneakers with two-color laces. This makes it easier to see which part should now go through the hole, and which should be tightened[2].

Teach your child to tie her shoelaces and you'll see a flash of pride in her eyes. It's a great way to improve her confidence and encourage her to learn new skills!