Teach Your Kids to Tie Shoelaces Easily With Our Guide

Kids grow up so fast, and in each period of their life, there is a new goal they want to achieve. First solid food, first words, first steps, and first time trying shoes on their own. As it sounds exciting, the job of teaching your kid to tie shoelaces might not be the favorite one among parents. 

It can be a little complex, with adult-sized fingers demonstrating what your kiddo’s tiny hands should do. While some kids have problems remembering the steps, others have problems with coordination. Either way, parents should be patient because each kid has their own pace. 

That is why we are here. We will share some expert tips on how to teach your kids to tie shoelaces by themselves and provide you with some videos that will alleviate the whole process of learning.

At What Age Should Kids Learn to Tie Their Shoes?

Shoes with laces closure are recommended for a kid of age 5 and up. Usually, before finishing kindergarten, or around 6, kids could start learning how to tie their shoelaces. 

This is because tying shoes requires fine motor skills of dexterity, in-hand manipulation, and bilateral coordination. However, it depends on the kid and factors like development delay, fine motor skills, and level of readiness. 

It is not advisable to force your kid to learn to tie shoelaces before age 5, not because it can do harmful things, but because it can be frustrating for both of you. Unless your child is developmentally ready, the brain and fingers will not be able to communicate and coordinate to successfully complete the task.

Pro Tip: If you plan on teaching your kids at 5, we recommend getting thicker shoelaces since they are easier to manipulate. 

Kids can also practice tying their shoes on a shoebox, whether basketball shoes or soccer shoes. You can create a broader working surface by cutting out small holes where the laces will interlace like a shoelace. As they say, practice makes perfect, so be patient. Kids will be able to manage the shoe better when the time comes if they master the knot on the box.

Different Ways to Tie Shoelaces for Kids

As there are different types of shoes, there are a few different ways of tying shoelaces. For example, most of us tie shoes the way we learned in our childhood. Thus, how you teach your kid to tie shoelaces is probably how they’ll tie them in the future. 

We do not want to limit our kids, so it is good to show them how to tie their shoes in a few different ways. Even so, there are hundreds of ways to tie shoelaces depending on your kid’s feet, footwear, and walking style. 

We singled out the five most popular, easiest, and fastest methods to tie shoelaces:

• The Bunny-Ears Method
• The Standard Knot Method
• The Circle Method
• The Ian Knot Method
• The Ian’s Secure Shoelace Knot Method

Some kids like to learn with their shoes on their feet, while others prefer to learn with their shoes in front of them. So you’ll have to find out which is better for your kid and start from there.

The most popular among these 5 is the Bunny Ear method, which we will present to you on how to do in the easiest way possible so you can show it to your kid. Besides this, we will also check the next two, so you can choose the one you think is most appropriate for your little one. 

How to Teach your Kids to Tie Shoelaces – Bunny Ears Method

Here are the five basic steps to easily tie shoe laces in bunny ears style. 

Step 1

Sit behind your kid and guide them by holding their hands. Holding each lace in their hand. Make a cross by threading one shoelace over the other. Tuck the top lace’s aglet through the hole. To make a basic knot, pull them together tightly.

Step 2

The second step is to make a bunny ear. Make a little loop in the shape of a rabbit ear with the right lace and secure it in your kid’s hand. Make sure the loop is secured between the thumb and the first two fingers of your little one.

Step 3

With the third step, we are making the second bunny ear. Make another little loop with the left lace and hold it tightly in your kid’s palm. This loop is also clasped between your youngster’s thumb and the first two fingers.

Step 4 

Now it is time to tie the knot with the bunny ears. Cross the left loop over the right one and make an X. Then slowly take the the left loop and place it through the hole. Assist your little one the whole time.

Step 5 

By holding your kid’s hands, gently pull both bunny ear loops and tighten the knot. Here is a little video to help you explain easier to your kid how to tie their shoes with the bunny ears method.

How to Teach your Kids to Tie Shoelaces – Standard Knot Method

Here are the five basic steps to easily tie shoe laces in a standard knot style. 

Step 1

Place the kid’s shoes on a flat surface. Position the shoe so that the heel side facing your kid while the toe side is away from the child. The shoelaces should hang down on either side of the shoe.

Step 2

Place shoelaces in each hand of your kid and cross the left shoelace over the right one. Wrap the right lace over the left lace at the point where the laces meet at the center to create a loose knot. Help your kid to pull the laces tight to make the knot.

Step 3

Make a small loop with the right shoelace. Make sure your kid holds the loop between its thumb and first two fingers. 

Step 4

Wrap the left shoelace around the loop of the right shoelace. Wrap the left lace, so it faces your kid, not away from the child. Hold the left shoelace over your fingers and the loop. The left lace will be wrapped around the looped lace, creating a gap. 

Step 5

Use the kid’s free hand to pull the left lace through that hole you created together. It will naturally go through the hole, creating two loops of both shoelaces. 

Step 6

With the help of your hands, your kid should hold both loops and easily pull them tightly to tie their shoes.

If you are unsure how to do it, you can check the video of how to tie a standard knot on the shoes and help your kid!

How to Teach your Kids to Tie Shoelaces – The Circle Method

Here are the five basic steps to easily tie shoe laces in the circle style. 

Step 1

Place the shoe on the flat surface rather than the kid’s foot. Make sure that the heel side of the shoe is closer to the kid and let laces down on each side of the shoe.

Step 2

Make a basic knot as usually by placing the left shoelace over the right shoelace. Make a cross right at the center. After that, thread the right shoelace over the left and pull it tightly. Your shoelaces will knot tightly in the center.

Step 3

Use the same method to tie another knot, but do not tighten it. Keep the second knot loose, and you will see a formed circle at the center of the shoe. Put your kid’s hand on the circle and hold it flat against the shoe.

Step 4

Gently thread one shoelace into the circle. Make sure the tip of the lace crosses over to the side after dragging it through the circle. While doing this, the shoelaces can still be loose, but they shouldn’t slide out of the circle.

Step 5 

Repeat the method with the second lace. With your help, your kids will form two loops on both sides of the knot. Ensure that loops are small with long tails.

Step 6

The last step is to tighten shoelaces by gently pulling both loops.

If we were a bit unclear, here is a video on how to tie kids’ shoes with the circle method. 

Tips for Teaching Your Kid to Tie their Shoes

Besides the steps mentioned above, here are a few tips that could help you teach your kid to tie shoelaces.

• Pay attention to whether your kid is right or left-handed. When you know this, you can easily help them with their technique. 
• Show several techniques to your kid until he/she finds the one best suitable for itself.
• Choose wider, soft, and easy-to-hold laces.
• You can mark the laces with the pen where the kid should hold it.
• Choose laces that are light or two different colors to allow a kid to easily distinguish them.

Besides these tips, you can even play your kids songs to alleviate their learning and make it way more fun! 

One of the most effective ways for kids to learn is by listening to catchy songs and poems. We have gathered some catchy songs that will help kids learn how to easily tie their footwear. Let’s check them.

• Tying Shoe Laces Song
• Tie Your Shoes Song
• How To Tie Shoe Laces Song
• CBeebies Songs 

We hope we have helped many parents with how to teach their kids to tie shoelaces! If we missed out on something, please let us know in the comment section below, and we will provide you the answer as soon as possible!