tying shoes

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
tying shoes
9
Fri, 03-31-2006 - 3:55pm

Does anyone else's kids have trouble tying their shoes? My son just can't get the hang of it and we are running out of velcro shoes that look okay (we recently found a really cool pair.....they look like the shoes skaterboarders wear so son digs them).

Try this website......www(dot)fieggen(dot)com

look on the top left side for Ian's shoelace site

I think we are going to try the Ian note.....looks easy

Just sharing in case anyone needs this...
Christie

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
In reply to: jinxgirl2001
Fri, 03-31-2006 - 4:19pm

It is an issue but we have pretty much overcome in many ways.

Mike knows how to tie, but isn't good at it and gets frustrated. There are also cool looking zip-up sneakers as well as slip on sneakers even in adult sizes. Mike is just going into a Man's 5 so this was an issue. He will wear tie dress shoes and boots occasionally but for everyday school stuff getting him ones he doesn't have to mess with has been a good thing.

There are lots of little tricks. Some OT sites even have shoelaces with 2 different colors so you can see what you are doing. I like to teach them my bunny going in the bunny hole method. Cait learned in 3rd grade out of sheer neccessity. Her sneakers have to be very tight and velcro was never an option. SHe was having such a time in 3rd grade and had a teacher who wouldn't help so she had to learn. Went through 1/2 the year late for school because we couldn't get her shoes just right in the morning. She still takes longer than the typical 6th grader but she can do it.

Dave still has to learn. Maybe by 2nd grade.

Renee

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iVillage Member
Registered: 04-11-2003
In reply to: jinxgirl2001
Fri, 03-31-2006 - 5:25pm

Its never gotten easier for Kyle either (now 11yrs). He knows how but its hard and frustrating. We've had a hard time finding shoes with velcro or zippers that are blue (they have to be blue!). He buys the lace up shoes, laces them up once, and then just rams his feet in. He ruins the back of a new pair of shoes in a month.

Samantha

Samantha
iVillage Member
Registered: 02-24-2004
In reply to: jinxgirl2001
Fri, 03-31-2006 - 6:49pm

Nathan hasn't learned yet either! He's got the first part down...and insists on doing this by himself!! Then me or dh has to finish! We also dbl knot them, so they don't come undone at school. When he was in preschool, he literally had a fit when his shoe came untied!! He screamed for the teacher to tie his shoe. Ever since, we dbl tie for school.

I'm hoping to practice more this summer, and also practice "making" his bed in the morning. These are the 2 things on my list right now.

Tyler learned at the typical age...in kindy. It was alot easier teaching an NT!! LOL

michelle

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
In reply to: jinxgirl2001
Fri, 03-31-2006 - 7:11pm

Michelle,

We did figure out a trick for bed making I had read in a book somewhere (special ed kind of book). Basically don't use a top sheet or extra blankets. Just a nice thick comforter. It is really easy for a kid to learn how to make thier bed successfully with just the comforter over the bottom sheet. If you think about it a top sheet is not really neccessary.

For winter we do have some throw blankets the kids keep at the foot of their beds and we can throw over thier comforter if it is extra chilly.

Renee

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Avatar for googolplex
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-31-2003
In reply to: jinxgirl2001
Fri, 03-31-2006 - 7:33pm

I assume David (8) has trouble tying his shoes, but I wouldn't really know for sure, because he's never been willing to give it a try. I know better than to try to force this kind of stuff. I'm sure one of these days, we'll find out that there aren't any velcro shoes in his size, and he'll have a big fit in the shoes store, go barefoot for a month or two, and then learn to tie his shoes.

Evelyn

Avatar for betz67
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
In reply to: jinxgirl2001
Sat, 04-01-2006 - 6:15am

Weston still can't tie his shoes, we'll ck out the site. he usually wears sandals all summer and then we found some cool bungie strap ones for school this year, but he's on the brink of mens shoes now (mens 7 can you say this puppy has huge paws?!?) at the age of 9. I don't know what we'll do later. Tho my 14 yr old hates to tie his shoes and ties them once a week or month and just slips them on.

Betsy




Edited 4/1/2006 7:17 am ET by betz67
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-09-2005
In reply to: jinxgirl2001
Sat, 04-01-2006 - 8:14am

We are still working on this too, in fact that's been my project for the spring. Ryan is 7. He needs new sneaks, and the ones he wants to get all tie, so we're trying to use that to get him motivated. I'm trying to remember to get him to practice every day. We use the bunny method. He's still struggling with the "bunny goes through the hole" part. I may check out that website.

Kate

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-25-2003
In reply to: jinxgirl2001
Sun, 04-02-2006 - 8:57am

Siobhan learned to tie her laces when she was three and Peter was five. I had to stop her from tying her from big brother's laces, which she would eagerly do. Talk about a disincentive for him to learn!

Peter finally learned at 6yo because of peer pressure. The kids in his afterschool program wouldn't believe he was 6, because he couldn't tie his shoes. He learned in under two weeks. I felt bad for the dude, but it was the incentive he needed to try.

Now, KEEPING shoes tied: that's another story. He often comes home from school with his laces untied and half out of the holes, and his shoes and laces flappign all over.

We found curly laces in Target. You thread them through and pull them to tie the shoe, leaving the sides undone. They work great with regular sneakers, but not Converse. Most other kids think they are cool.

-Paula

-Paula

visit my blog at www.onesickmother.com
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-03-2004
In reply to: jinxgirl2001
Sun, 04-02-2006 - 10:38am

Yes, Malcolm can tie his shoes, but often doesn't, either letting laces flop or the other technique of tying once and shoving his feet in the ends. ALL his friends do the same thing here, so there is no peer pressure incentive to do otherwise. So basically I do buy the pull-ons ... BUt he does have to lace up his basketball shoes and baseball cleets. He moans, but does it rather than having me do it LOL.

Sara
ilovemalcolm