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    • word consciousness
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    • science experiments for kids
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      • new for us foods
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      • april fool’s day
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      • father’s day
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how to teach kids to tie their shoes

home / Activities / foundations / how to teach kids to tie their shoes
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This Quick Trick is admittedly a work in progress. While Owen hasn’t quite mastered tying hisย shoes yet, he’s getting there. Slowly.

He expressed interest last summer to learn how to tie his shoes, but each time we sat down to try it, he balked. Now, as he’s only a few months away from making the big leap into kindergarten, he’s ready to learn how to tie those kicks, solo.how to teach kids to tie their shoes

For many preschoolers and early elementary students, learning how to tie their shoes takes a simultaneous jiving of both fine motor skill readiness and cognitive readiness. Learning how to tie shoes takes a huge heap of concentration, and kiddos must be at a developmental stage where they are able to try, fail, try again, fail again, and re-try until it finally clicks.ย  That’s the hard part.

Oh, and they have to want to learn how to do it. If they don’t want to do it, forgettabout it.

That’s where were were last summer with Owen.ย  But now, he wants to learn, and seriously, just like potty training, I feel like I’ve got to jump on this train while it’s here. Or it might not arrive again until he’s in like second–or fifth–grade.

So when I was invited to participate in a Cardboard Box Creative Challenge this week, I knew exactly what we needed to do.ย  Iย  grabbed a small cardboard box, some ribbon, and a huge chunk of patience, and I set out to create a little something that I thought would help the O-Man learn to tie his shoes: A Shoelace Box.

Or, as Owen named it, Ribbon Rows.

Here’s the skinny. . .

How to Teach Kids to Tie Their Shoes:

how to teach kids to tie their shoes Owen cuts ribbon for his Shoelace Box

I grabbed a small cardboard box, a shoe box, and I gathered tons of ribbon and string from our ribbon bag.

I made several holes on the box: three sets of two holes, one inch apart on the top and two sets of holes on each side.

 

how to teach kids to tie their shoes Owen threads the ribbon through the holes.

I wanted a variety of textures in the ribbons and string I chose so that some would be thick, some thin, some long, some short, some rough, and some smooth.

how to teach kids to tie their shoes

 

My thinking was that some would be easier than others, and whatever worked we’d go with.

I was also thinking that once he got the tying thing down pat, he could use the other lengths and textures to hone his new skeeeels.

We used the language that I had heard but was not taught–that each loop was a ‘bunny ear’, but that wasn’t sticking, so I moved to something that I knew would: swords.ย  I used the image of a sword fight, since I thought it would be more enticing than bunny ears. I was right.

Make one sword, then make the other. Then cross them. Bam! This guy ducks under, through, and PULL!

how to teach kids to tie their shoes

Owen tries the loop–or sword–as we called it.

how to teach kids to tie their shoes

how to teach kids to tie their shoes He stayed with it, but it got ugly at times. . .

 

But it was frustrating, slippery, and challenging for him–even though his brain and hands seemed ready.

So we took some breaks, focused on his successes, which was the first part. He could totally complete the first step in shoe-tying; it was just the blasted bunny ear/ sword part that got him all jumbled up.

We took breaks, and tried and re-tried.ย  Rewarded and took deep breaths.

And then we had a break-through. . .

——————————————————————-

BIG CHANGES! BIG CHANGES: two-toned ribbon did the trick!

After a few days with Owen practicing on his Shoelace Box, I noticed he was still having a hard time with the second part of tying–the looping under and pulling through.

So I un-taped his box and took out the red ribbon on the bottom and the white ribbon in the middle; I tied them together so that one side was red and the other side was white, and the two-toned ribbon made a world of difference!

how to teach kids to tie their shoes

Owen rocks out his *new* box. . .

how to teach kids to tie their shoes

. . . and seems to have an easier time keeping track of loops and pulls.

how to teach kids to tie their shoes

So, so, so, SO happy!

We figured out something that will work–and he wants to try to tie a few times each day. Some days we forget, and some days he’s not feeling it, but most days, he’s ready to practice tying his shoes.

Woot!ย  Now I have TWO kids who can tie their shoes in ONE house! I can hardly contain my excitement!

how to teach kids to tie their shoes

Want another few fun ways for using shoeboxes? Check out 2 Cool Ways to Use Shoeboxes or Learning & Fun with Recyclables!

 

Check out a few other posts that may help you develop strong and healthy habits for your family:

  • wait time
  • my day, your day
  • frozen peas
  • kids who rock the kitchen
  • kids who rock the laundry
  • rest time
  • gem jars
  • arm circles
  • noticing kids
  • homework routine

 

fyi: Some of the links in the post above are โ€œaffiliate links.โ€ This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Forever and always I recommend only products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissionโ€™s 16 CFR, Part 255: โ€œGuides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.โ€ ย For more information, please see teachmama media, llc. disclosure policy.ย 

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About amy mascott

teacher, mother, dreamer. lover of literacy, fun learning, good food, and three crazy-cool kids. finder of four-leaf clovers | dc metro ยท http://about.me/amymascott
tweet with me: @teachmama

Previous Post:learning during read-alouds: word consciousness
Next Post:happy mother’s day to you, and you, and you!

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Oh HEEEEEYYY, @luvvie โ€” did you see that @littletroublemaker made our hallway bulletin board? ๐Ÿ˜‰โ™ฅ๏ธ

(Itโ€™s what Rusty the ๐ŸฆŠ is currently reading.) 

Find it at your favorite bookstore or order here: https://amzn.to/3Pu3tWs

(This is my affiliate link, so when you use it, I will earn a small percentage of the sale, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for using my link and supporting my small business!)

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So if youโ€™re in Maryland, and you happen upon a lonely, little 4-leafer with very little grass, weeds, or leaves around it, I donโ€™t know WHO tried to set you up for success.

#yougotthis #keepyoureyesopen #itsthelittlethings #kilpattyluck
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Which professionas are able to make that important determination? 

โ–ถ๏ธ Watch to find out. 

Hit me with the questions you still have about dyslexiaโ€”and know we have a few more posts to go!

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What do you know about dyslexia? 

What questions do you have about dyslexia? 

For the next few weeks leading up to my own start to the school year I am sharing a new series called โ€œDe-Mystifying Dyslexiaโ€ and I would love for you to join me! 

Follow in my stories or on the highlight above!

#dyslexia #teading  #readingteacher #raiseareader #demystifyingdyslexia
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(Part 2) 

The series will be shared on IG stories, on tiktok, on the teachmama facebook page, and in the Take 5 newsletter. 

Look for the logo on social, and if you want to receive the whole thing via email, then sign up for Take5 on the link below. 

Iโ€™m really excited about this. Itโ€™s taken a long, long time to create, and the only thing I ask is that you, once viewing it all, could take 2 minutes to give me some feedback. There will be a google form on the last of the slides, at the end of the series. I thank you, I appreciate you, and I look forward to learning along with you.

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Hi and thank you for your interest in watching my โ€˜de-mystifying dyslexiaโ€™ series. 

My name is Amy Mascott, and Iโ€™m a reading specialist and former high school English teacher. Iโ€™m also the creator of teachmama.com  where since 2008, Iโ€™ve helped families make meaningful connections with their kids and build bridges between home and school. 

As an educator, Iโ€™m always trying to share important informationโ€”bc I really think that when we know better, we do better. This series is part of my final project for a course Iโ€™m taking through Advancement Courses called โ€˜understanding dyslexiaโ€™. 

And as a reading teacher, I need to know all I can about this condition. What I realized is that I had a lot to learnโ€”maybe you, as a parent or teacher yourself, can also stand to learn a little bit. 

Maybe, like me, youโ€™ve grown up thinking that dyslexia was a condition where people read letters backwardsโ€”b for d or p for g? Maybe you thought, like I did, that if a person was dyslexic, they saw all of the letters jumbled together on the page? Iโ€™m here to tell you that both of those things are untrue. 

So if you would like to learn a little about dyslexiaโ€”if you would like for me to โ€˜de-mystify dyslexiaโ€™ for you, then follow along! 

(Continued on next VIDEO)

#readingteacher #teachersofIG #demystifyingdyslexia

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Oh HEEEEEYYY, @luvvie โ€” did you see that @littletroublemaker made our hallway bulletin board? ๐Ÿ˜‰โ™ฅ๏ธ

(Itโ€™s what Rusty the ๐ŸฆŠ is currently reading.) 

Find it at your favorite bookstore or order here: https://amzn.to/3Pu3tWs

(This is my affiliate link, so when you use it, I will earn a small percentage of the sale, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for using my link and supporting my small business!)

#readingteacher #raiseareader #kidlit #bestbooks #linkinbio
View
Open
How can people with dyslexia learn to read? ๐Ÿค”

Here are the 3๏ธโƒฃ elements that reading instruction should contain in order to be most effective for students with dyslexiaโ€”

#demystifyingdyslexia #raiseareader #readingteacher #teachreading #dyslexiaawareness
View
Open
Lately when I find four leaf clovers, Iโ€™ve been leaving them. ๐Ÿ€๐Ÿคท๐Ÿผโ€โ™€๏ธ

So if youโ€™re in Maryland, and you happen upon a lonely, little 4-leafer with very little grass, weeds, or leaves around it, I donโ€™t know WHO tried to set you up for success.

#yougotthis #keepyoureyesopen #itsthelittlethings #kilpattyluck
View
Open
Okayโ€”how do we know if someone has dyslexia? 

Which professionas are able to make that important determination? 

โ–ถ๏ธ Watch to find out. 

Hit me with the questions you still have about dyslexiaโ€”and know we have a few more posts to go!

#demystifyingdyslexia #raiseareader #teachreading #readingteachersofig
View
Open
What are some of the common signs of dyslexia?

Watch to learn and find out!

#demystifyingdyslexia #readingteacher #raiseareader #teachreading #dyslexia
View
Open
True โœ… or false โŒ?

#demystifyingdyslexia #dyslexiaeducation #readingteacher #raiseareader #teachreading
View
Open
What do you know about dyslexia? 

What questions do you have about dyslexia? 

For the next few weeks leading up to my own start to the school year I am sharing a new series called โ€œDe-Mystifying Dyslexiaโ€ and I would love for you to join me! 

Follow in my stories or on the highlight above!

#dyslexia #teading  #readingteacher #raiseareader #demystifyingdyslexia
View
Open
(Part 2) 

The series will be shared on IG stories, on tiktok, on the teachmama facebook page, and in the Take 5 newsletter. 

Look for the logo on social, and if you want to receive the whole thing via email, then sign up for Take5 on the link below. 

Iโ€™m really excited about this. Itโ€™s taken a long, long time to create, and the only thing I ask is that you, once viewing it all, could take 2 minutes to give me some feedback. There will be a google form on the last of the slides, at the end of the series. I thank you, I appreciate you, and I look forward to learning along with you.

Join the Take 5 list if you want this series to land in your inbox: 
https://take5.teachmama.com/

#raiseareader #demystifyingdyslexia #readingteacher teachersofIG dyslexia teachreading
View
Open
Hi and thank you for your interest in watching my โ€˜de-mystifying dyslexiaโ€™ series. 

My name is Amy Mascott, and Iโ€™m a reading specialist and former high school English teacher. Iโ€™m also the creator of teachmama.com  where since 2008, Iโ€™ve helped families make meaningful connections with their kids and build bridges between home and school. 

As an educator, Iโ€™m always trying to share important informationโ€”bc I really think that when we know better, we do better. This series is part of my final project for a course Iโ€™m taking through Advancement Courses called โ€˜understanding dyslexiaโ€™. 

And as a reading teacher, I need to know all I can about this condition. What I realized is that I had a lot to learnโ€”maybe you, as a parent or teacher yourself, can also stand to learn a little bit. 

Maybe, like me, youโ€™ve grown up thinking that dyslexia was a condition where people read letters backwardsโ€”b for d or p for g? Maybe you thought, like I did, that if a person was dyslexic, they saw all of the letters jumbled together on the page? Iโ€™m here to tell you that both of those things are untrue. 

So if you would like to learn a little about dyslexiaโ€”if you would like for me to โ€˜de-mystify dyslexiaโ€™ for you, then follow along! 

(Continued on next VIDEO)

#readingteacher #teachersofIG #demystifyingdyslexia

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