OT Activity of the Day:
Shoe Tying
Target Age Range: 5/6 and up
A request I often get from parents is to help teach their children to tie their shoes. This can be a tricky and frustrating task for kiddos, however there are a few tricks that may help reduce the stress and increase the success!
1. Make sure the shoe laces are long. When children are first starting to tie their shoes they do not have the capacity to make tight, precise movements. So the more slack they have the more successful they'll be in the beginning.
2. Try using two different color shoe laces (as pictured). This helps children see both laces and the laces don't get lost in the jumble of shoe tying.
3. Backwards chaining. This means that you complete all the steps except the last one, let your child complete the last step. This takes the pressure off completing the entire task immediately. Once the child completes the last step independently, then let them do the last two, and so on.
No matter which method you chose (bunny/tree, or two bunny ears), these steps should make the process easier! Enjoy!