How to tie shoelaces before school

By November 2, 2018 May 14th, 2023 Occupational Therapy
Tie shoe laces, Occupational therapy, Occupational Therapist, BondiJunction, Mascot

How to tie shoelaces! A new year of school is just around the corner and parents are starting to worry. They worry about how to teach their child to tie shoelaces.

Children should learn to do this before they start school. If doesn’t matter if they can’t do it when they start school but they should be learning to do it. Yes, children can use velcro shoes but don’t delay teaching your child this skills. Large numbers of children start school these days and they can’t do this.

When should children tie their own shoelaces?

Children should learn to tie their shoelaces by the time time they are 6 years old. If you delay teaching children this skill it does impact their independence at school. Some children still can’t tie their shoelaces by the age of 9 or 10. This is when they often have to change into sports shoes at different times during the week.

Why don’t they learn it?

One of the reasons is that there are lots of footwear options that eliminate the need to use shoelaces. Parents are busy, and families have busy live these days. It is easy to put off teaching your child this skill. The other reason is that the child has challenges with their fine motor skills. These challenges mean it is harder to learn to tie shoe laces.

How do I teach my child to do this?

Children have different learning styles and a technique that works for one child be too hard for another. Think about how you tie your shoelaces and try to explain it out aloud. It’s hard!

There are some great videos on YouTube for teaching children to tie shoelaces.

What if my child still can’t tie their shoelaces

Occupational Therapists help child learn these tricky skills. Some children need more help to learn to tie their shoelaces. OneOnOne Children’s Therapy is an early intervention clinic in Bondi Junction and Mascot. If you would like some help teaching your child to tie their shoelaces then call us on (02) 80657837 or email us.