teaching tying shoelaces ... when and how?

[ejt1764]

title says it all really ... ds is 4 (just), and I have just bought him his first pair of lace-up shoes - he's had velcro up to now.

Should I attempt to teach him to tie his own laces yet?
ejt

dd has just turned 5 and is just learning now
none of her peers can tie laces yet - and her school shoes are buckles at the moment
think it's one of those sit down and practice with them sort of thing - thats what dh did with dd and she can do it now

cripes, DS is 5, in year one, cant tie his own shoelaces, and have GOT to teach him asap. will be lurking to see if anyone has any good tips for this

think best way is with a pair of their shoes that they are wearing - it's 'real' that way
dd had a big giant flat shoe from elc that had laces attached, but it was tying a pair of her own sneakers that did the trick, when she was wearing them
tedious
it's actually one of my earliet memories - learning how to tie my shoe, I must have been about 4 ( no velcro in the 70s!)

According to DD's OT a good way to teach them is with two different coloured laces so they can learn which one goes in front of the other and see how it loops up easily. Then apparently it's easier to teach them to do a double bow. I haven't tried this out yet so I can't comment. She said it is easier to teach them like this than on their own shoes.

DD1 had velcro till she was 8 and only just learnt, a whole weekend was spent on and off doing it, again and again till she could do it herself...or she couldnt wear the shoes on monday for school

DS 6.10, has just cracked it, had velcro shoes up to now but can finally do his trainers himself. Bought a book with lots of different shoes in, different ways to lace up a shoe then tie the bow at the top. was practice, practice, practice, dh kept showing him and finally it clicked - think he actually found it easier on his own shoe as someone else said.

My dd was 4 when she learned by holding the laces in each hand - make each lace into a loop - then tie them in a knot. It works beautifully and there is no need for the winding the lace round bit. It was so easy that she was very little to be tying her own laces, but I wanted her to so that she could do it at school.

Hope this helps.

Thanks all for your help - may try figroll's method - as he is only just 4!

ejt

.. still trying to get DS to do it, he'll be 6 in January..I think he's about to crack it.......

Agree with hana. Best time to teach them is when you get them a pair of lace-ups. My dds were both 8 when they moved away from velcro and that's when they learned.