How to Teach a Child to Tie His Shoes – Follow These Easy Steps

January 15, 2023 Learning How To Tie Shoes Juan Pablo Valenzuela 24 - Comments

Undone shoelaces can create several problems such as compromising your child’s stability and making your child more prone to falling. There is a simple yet effective method I have been using to teach children how to tie their shoes.

Most parents seem to have one question in common: At what age do most children start learning how to tie their shoes? It depends on each child and whether they are ready and want to learn. I have noticed how most boys start tying their shoes when they are 7 years old or older, while most girls start tying their shoes when they are between the ages of 5 and 6. Girls are believed to have better motor skills than boys, so don’t be surprised if your daughter starts learning how to tie her shoes faster than your son.

If you allow your children to walk around with untied shoelaces you are making them more prone to falling and hurting themselves. There is a particular shoe tying method that I learned from my co-worker who has been fitting children’s shoes for the last 20 years, which has proven to be the most effective one when it comes to teaching a child how to tie his or her shoes.

The Best Way to Teach a Child How to Tie His/Her Shoes 

1️⃣ Cross the shoelaces to make an X and pull them tight:

2️⃣ Repeat the same step and pull until you make a little circle:

3️⃣ Drop the shoelaces:

4️⃣ Take one of the shoelaces and put it through the circle, pull until there is a little loop at the top:

5️⃣ Repeat the same process with the other shoelace.

6️⃣ Grab the two loops that you created at the top and pull:

Done! That is the easiest way to teach a child how to tie his or her shoelaces.

Advantages of Shoelaces VS Velcro Shoes – Better Support and Stability!

My preference has always been shoelaces over velcro shoes. Shoelaces simply provide better support and stability for your child. They will also secure, protect, and support your child’s heels better.

Not all shoelaces are made the same way, and some are more durable than others. There are actually certain shoelaces that stay tied better. There is a pair of shoelaces that I recommend that are thicker and come with bumps, which prevent the shoelaces from becoming untied as often.

The Best Shoelaces for Children

Below you can find a selection of the best shoelaces for children, including the ones that come with bumps and stay tied better.

  • Shoelaces made by Delele
  • Packing contains 2 Pair(4 Laces) tennis shoe laces
  • Durable
  • Order the correct lace length by counting how may eyelets (shoe holes) your child’s shoes have
  • Shoelaces made by Delele
  • Packing contains 2 Pair(4 Laces) tennis shoe laces
  • Durable
  • Order the correct lace length by counting how may eyelets (shoe holes) your child’s shoes have

How to Order the Correct Length for Your Child’s Shoelaces?

It’s important that you don’t provide your child with shoelaces that are too short or too long. Shoelaces that are too short make it harder for your child to learn how to tie the shoes, while shoelaces that are too long might make your child step on them and fall. To figure out the perfect shoelace length, count the eyelets of the shoe —aka holes where the laces go through— and then look at the chart below:

Pair of EyeletsInchesCentimeters
427’’69
536’’91
640’’102
745’’114
854’’137
963’’160
1072’’183

How to Tie Shoes for Kids Who Wear Orthotics – Let’s Find Out!

The best way to tie shoelaces for children who wear orthotics inside their shoes is through the “reverse the laces technique”. I use this shoe-lacing technique for every child that comes to the store wearing orthotics.

Parents need to understand that for their children to get the full benefits that the orthotics have to offer, the shoes must be tied properly. There is another article I wrote where I describe the most effective way to tie shoes with orthotics.

You can also use this shoelace tying technique if you have a child at home with narrow feet. It will help fill out any remaining gap around your kids’ heels and prevent your child’s heels from moving up and down the shoes. I actually tie my running sneakers this way and I feel so much more secure and stable when I am running.

Please emphasize to your kids to please undo the shoelaces or velcro closure when they are putting their shoes on and when they are taking them off. The reason I mention this is that every time your children yank the shoes off, they are stretching the back part of the shoes (heel counter), which leads to the shoes providing less support, and you might have to end up replacing the shoes faster than you expected. It is all about making it a good habit!

I understand that some parents and children try to avoid shoelaces at all costs, especially with so many options of velcro sneakers available. Children are increasingly avoiding hard things and that in itself is not a good idea. Learning how to tie their shoelaces might sound like a simple task, but it actually requires effort and practice. Making your children familiar with the idea of putting effort into things is a good thing because much of what children need to do at school takes effort and practice.

If mom and dad are desperate to switch their children from velcro to lace up shoes, my advice will be to only do it if you are going to put the time and effort to teach your child how to properly tie the shoes.

The Best Shoe Lacing Techniques

I wanted to leave you with some of the most popular shoe-lacing techniques based on your child’s foot shape which can be narrow heel with wide toe box, wide feet, and narrow feet.

Have you tried another shoe lacing technique that has been effective in teaching your child how to tie his/her shoes? Please share your findings in the comments section below so other parents can benefit from your experiences.