How to Teach Shoe Tying Techniques
Steps of Shoe Tying
1.Grab left lace with left and right lace with right hand. Then have your
child cross the right lace over the left lace. Then have your child loop the
left lace underneath the right lace and then pull to tighten. This is the
first initial knot.
2.Have your child make bunny ears with each lace.
3.Have your child then cross the right lace over the left lace just like in
step one
4.Then have your child loop the left bunny ear underneath the right bunny
ear and tighten
5.Congratulate your child! They just tied their shoes!
Forward Chaining
Forward chaining is when you will have your child complete Step 1 of shoe
tying and then you complete the rest of the steps for him/her. Once he/she
has mastered the first step you then move to Step 2 and so on with each
step. This technique will help your child break down each step and visually
see how each step is completed.
Backward Chaining
This technique is very similar to forward chaining. With backwards chaining
you complete Steps 1-3 for your child and have him/her finish with Step 4.
This once again is breaking it down for him/her and making it easier for
them to learn each step. The good part about this technique is that they are
making the end product and are less likely to become discouraged.
Other techniques
Instead of using right and left as a way of identifying the laces you can
color code the tip of each lace such as red and blue. You can do this with a
marker. This will be providing your child with a visual cue as well as an
auditory cue from you when trying to teach them.
Another technique that I have been using lately is clipping a long string by
the middle to a student’s back so it is like they are the shoe and we are
tying them up. I use this technique in conjunction with the backwards
chaining technique. This makes them learn how to tie their shoes using gross
motor movements and then eventually upgrading to using their fine motor
skills.
I hope that this helps. You should limit your practice time to 5-7 minutes
night. We want to keep him interested and not burn him out. Remember to
praise your child and keep it positive. We do not want them to become
discouraged.
