How to teach a child to tie their shoelaces (step by step)
By The Tandli Team · Parents, educators & builders Published
Short answer
Tying laces is a fine-motor skill best taught one small step at a time: cross the laces, make a loop, wrap, push through, and pull tight. Practise on a shoe off the foot first, use two different-coloured laces so each hand’s job is clear, and expect it to take many short sessions.
Step by step
2 min- 1
Hold one lace in each hand.
- 2
Cross the laces.
- 3
Push one lace under the cross.
- 4
Pull both laces tight.
- 5
Make one loop with each lace.
- 6
Cross the two loops.
- 7
Push one loop under the cross.
- 8
Pull both loops tight.
Fine-motor skills take time — that’s normal
Tying laces combines sequencing, bilateral coordination, and fine-motor control all at once, which is why it’s one of the last self-care skills many children master. Go slowly, and treat every small step as its own win.
Tips that actually help
- Two-colour laces. Instantly clarifies each hand’s job.
- Practise off the foot. A shoe on the table is far easier than one you’re bending over.
- One step per session. Master “cross and pull” before adding the loop.
- Backward chaining. Do all the steps for your child except the very last (the final pull), then hand back one more step each time they succeed — so every attempt ends on a success.
If laces stay frustrating, elastic or hook-and-loop options are a perfectly good bridge while the skill develops.