How to Teach Shoe Tying
There are several methods to teach shoe tying. Different children find some techniques easier than others. There is no right or wrong method. There are a variety of tools that can be purchased to help teach shoe tying including apps, bicolored teaching laces, instructional posters, books, CDs, and teaching sneaker boards. Before you spend money on these tools, explore the methods below, which were recommended by different OT’s.
Check out this video link for a unique way to teach shoe tying!
The video "Learn to Tie Your Shoes” from Lots to Learn on YouTube shows another method. You can watch it here. One OT who used this approach recommended that the child practice on a shoebox with black and white laces*, then progress to their shoe on the table, then their shoe on their foot. By the time they get to the foot, you can put a piece of masking tape or something similar on one lace to differentiate between the laces.
*You can buy bicolored laces or use a marker to change the color of one half of a shoe lace.
Another OT had good success using the traditional shoe tying method with backwards chaining: Sit behind the child and tie the shoe while saying the rhyme (below). Let the child do the last part, then backwards chain until the child can do every step (i.e., do the second to last step until the child has mastered it then introduce the third to last step, etc. until you reach the first step).
Cross it over
Tuck it through.
Pull it tight
Down to the shoe.
Loop with the left,
'Round with the right.
Push it in,
Pull it tight!
Another story to use to teach shoe tying is:
1. Make an "X"
2. Go through the cave
3. Pull the laces and the cave closes!
4. Make a bunny ear
5. Take the lace and run around the bunny ear.
6. Go through the second cave "the smaller cave, fold yourself in half and climb through."
7. Pinch yourself and pinch the bunny ear
8. You become a floppy bunny!
Ian’s Knot claims to be the fastest way to tie shoes. Check it out here.
There are several methods to teach shoe tying. Different children find some techniques easier than others. There is no right or wrong method. There are a variety of tools that can be purchased to help teach shoe tying including apps, bicolored teaching laces, instructional posters, books, CDs, and teaching sneaker boards. Before you spend money on these tools, explore the methods below, which were recommended by different OT’s.
Check out this video link for a unique way to teach shoe tying!
The video "Learn to Tie Your Shoes” from Lots to Learn on YouTube shows another method. You can watch it here. One OT who used this approach recommended that the child practice on a shoebox with black and white laces*, then progress to their shoe on the table, then their shoe on their foot. By the time they get to the foot, you can put a piece of masking tape or something similar on one lace to differentiate between the laces.
*You can buy bicolored laces or use a marker to change the color of one half of a shoe lace.
Another OT had good success using the traditional shoe tying method with backwards chaining: Sit behind the child and tie the shoe while saying the rhyme (below). Let the child do the last part, then backwards chain until the child can do every step (i.e., do the second to last step until the child has mastered it then introduce the third to last step, etc. until you reach the first step).
Cross it over
Tuck it through.
Pull it tight
Down to the shoe.
Loop with the left,
'Round with the right.
Push it in,
Pull it tight!
Another story to use to teach shoe tying is:
1. Make an "X"
2. Go through the cave
3. Pull the laces and the cave closes!
4. Make a bunny ear
5. Take the lace and run around the bunny ear.
6. Go through the second cave "the smaller cave, fold yourself in half and climb through."
7. Pinch yourself and pinch the bunny ear
8. You become a floppy bunny!
Ian’s Knot claims to be the fastest way to tie shoes. Check it out here.