As your child grows, he learns to be more independent. From toddlerhood where you basically have to assist him with so many things – feeding, the potty, brushing his teeth, clothing him – he’ll eventually reach the age where he’ll be yearning for more independence. He’ll want to feed himself, bathe himself, brush his own teeth and put on his clothes. One of the signs of this budding independence is tying his own shoes. Here’s how to help him master that skill.
Teaching your child to tie his own shoes is a skill that needs to be learned. Different parents have different experiences in teaching their kids to tie their own shoes. Some find it easy while others find it difficult. Here are some tips to make teaching your child to tie his shoes easier.
· Make sure your child develops his fine motor skills. Tying shoe laces require a certain level of dexterity, it’s not much but for a child who’s still developing his fine motor skills, it can still pose a challenge. Let your child play with clay to help him build the muscles in his fingers. Making him do various exercises to develop his fine motor skills will also help him with his writing skills. So you kill two birds with one stone.
· Before you teach you ask your child to try tying his shoe laces, demonstrate the whole thing to him first. What you can do is to use his own sneakers. Place it in front of him and put your own sneaker in front of you. Show him how you tie your shoe laces, doing it slowly and deliberately. Explain each step. Do this a few times and then ask him to copy what you do.
· Assist your child first. Guide him thoroughly as he tries to do it the first few times. You can hold his hands and control it for him so that he’ll get familiar with the movements. After guiding him a few times, you can let go and ask him to do it by himself. Observe what he does and give him instructions as he performs the task.
· Practice makes perfect. After he has completed his first successful attempt at tying his shoes, you should ask him to do it again and again. Ask him to repeat the whole process a number of times. The repetition will help him build the muscle memory so that tying his shoes and the process that goes with it becomes instinctive. Go on a break if he’s getting tired. But go back to the task when he’s rested.
· Finally, be patient. Teaching your child to tie his shoes is not an easy task. It will take time.
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