Try the Cheerio Method to Teach Kids How to Tie Their Shoes Easily
My seven year old son doesn’t like learning to tie his shoes. He has no problem with agility … he just gets frustrated easily doing things he’s not good at yet (which is a lot of things when you’re seven). So I coaxed him into practicing with me, waited patiently for him to come out, and kept buying sneakers with Velcro.
Until I stumbled upon this video, which allegedly demonstrates an easier way to teach kids how to tie their shoelaces. I was a bit skeptical, he does not look that much easier than the standard method, but then a colleague confirmed that she used this strategy to teach his son. They call it the “Cheerio Method” because you pull the second loop to Cheerio size.
A colleague of mine noticed that kids find it easier because they don’t have to hold on to one thing while manipulating another – plus if your son or daughter has any dexterity issues or are just easily frustrated doing awkward things like mine.
I tested this on my son and he confirmed that it makes more sense to him than the standard way and he even said he was ready to try it from now on. Two notes: you need laces that are fairly long to give yourself room to wiggle, and the last loops may be too long for safety – which means you may have to teach your child to tie a double knot to shorten the laces. However, I will use whatever labels I can find – it’s just about time for new shoes, and there are not many Velcro sneakers in its size on the market.