Teach an essential skill while developing children’s dexterity in no time with our fun
craft! Give one pair of card shoes to each student. Students can color in the card shoes with crayons or pencil crayons. Gently press the card on both of the score lines around the toe area to give the shoe dimension. To secure the shoe to a student’s foot, connect the two
straps at the heel of the card shoe. Align both sets of slots so that they are parallel. Tuck the slots into each other then tug the slots outward to secure.

Tie up the card shoes with laces! If you wish to help students who may still be learning their right from left, dip one end of the laces into fabric paint or color each lace end with a different color of permanent marker. Perfect for practicing shoelace tying skills! Use this technique to make the laces easy to differentiate.

To lace up the shoes, fold the lace in half. String the lace ends through the pair of holes near the toe. Pull the laces until you have an equal amount on either end.

Cross the laces and insert each lace end into the opposite hole. Continue through each pair of holes by crossing and alternating.

Start with a rhyme or a story to put a visual image in your students’ minds. This will allow them to connect each step of tying their own shoelaces while progressing through each new part in the lyric. When they memorize the rhyme or story, students will find it easier to remember each step. Then, begin by saying the following lines aloud. Each verse indicates an action for tying the shoelaces.

[For the base knot]
Cross your laces, 1-2-3
Put one end underneath
Wrap it round and pull it tight
Great! You got that knot all right!
[For the loops]
Hold them up then fold them down
Cross those loops then twist one ‘round
Push through the loop then pull them tight,
Hooray! Now your laces are tied!

Alternatively, read out a simple story to your students. This will help them connect events in the story to the actions they make while tying their shoes.

Start with the tree’s roots. They grow in many different ways.
Sometimes they cross [cross laces].
Sometimes they twist around [twist the right lace around the left lace].
The tree roots are in a knot [pull knot to tighten].
Now make one loop. The loop is a tree. The other lace is a squirrel.
The squirrel runs fast around the tree and jumps through the hole! [twist the lace around the loop then pull the middle of the lace through the loop].
Now pull the two loops to make the tree bigger!
Hooray! You’ve tied your shoelaces!

Repeat the rhyme or the story several times to help children get a feel for correctly tying their shoelaces. Once they have memorized each lyric they can try tying their shoes on their own. Be supportive as you go along. Repeat the steps as many times as needed to help children understand shoe tying.

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