Arrghhh - Shoelaces - what are the golden rules?!

[WriggleJiggle]

dd 2.5yrs has some lace up shoes. She is desperate to be able to tie them herself. I know she is far too young to be doing it, but while she is enthusiastic, I think I should probably encourage her to have a go herself.

So, how do you teach tying shoelaces? Are there special rhymes I'm supposed to say to make it easier?

'Up there, through there, round that bit' doesn't really seem to have explained it to her so far

I tie my shoelaces completely differently to most of the world I think. I make 2 loops, wrap one around the other and through (kind of like a reef knot I think). Apparently my grandad used to tie his laces like this but never showed me how to do it. I honestly can't get to grips with the single loop, wrappy round the long bit way

THankyou Iklboo.
Anyone else?
I fear I may have to hide the shoes ...

IMHO she is too young to have the fine motor skills to tie them herself

I would agree with IotasCat

There are somethings they need to be older to master (some children will be able to do laces at 2.5......but imo not very many)

Lots of 2.5yos cannot pull up their own trousers or even get their shoes on (whether on the right foot or not)

My 5yo is struggling with tying laces and his motor skills are generally pretty good.

Get her one of those wooden shoes to 'practice' on maybe? I do know the problem though - our house resounds to cries of "Don't want it Mummy help. DD do it" (DD is almost 2)

That would be why she has velcro trainers

if this were ds1 i would let him fiddle trying to do them, say let me know if you need mummy's help. eventually he will get bored and ask for help. then explain what you are doing as you tie them. She wont be able to do it for a while but it doesn't hurt to let them try.

I tie mine the two loops way too! I'm left handed and all my family are right handed, except my uncle, who is paralysed and can't use his hands, so a friend of the family showed me this way at about 7, and I'm 18 now and still do it that way.