Here's a collection of shoe tying songs & poems, etc. They are not my original ideas. They were collected from various early-childhood mailrings. Enjoy! Lisa
Subject: Re: Shoe Tying Poem
Tying Shoes
(Sung to Splish Splash I was taking a Bath)
Criss Cross and go under the bridge
Then you got to pull it tight.
Make a loop but keep a long tail
That is how to do it right
Then you take the other string
and you wrap it 'round the loop
Pull it through the hole
Now you got the scoop
Criss Cross and go under the bridge (this is where you tie the loops together)
Now you made a Double Knot!!
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You take one lace and make a loop
take the other lace and make another bunny ear.
fold one under the other and viola! Tied shoes.
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An indian made a teepee (pull lace up and cross one under the other) and
it collapsed! (pull first "knot" down) So he started another, (make
first loop for bow) and he took this string and went around it, (wrap
other lace around loop) and went inside, (push lace under new loop) and
there he had it! Two Tents! (pull loops for bow)
This story is great for a group activity where the children can help one
another follow the story, and if you make pictures to go with the story
the kids can follow the steps by themselves! The story also helps to
limit the child's frustration with learning to tie because they are
helping the Indian to build a teepee and if they fail it is the Indian
who needs more help!
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First color the shoe laces with permanent marker so you can cue
the child on which side they should be working with at a given step.
Here's how the poem goes each line corresponds to one step of the
tying process.
Build a tee pee
Come inside
Close it tight so we can hide
Over the mountain
And around we go
Here's my arrow
And here's my bow!
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Title: A STORY FOR TYING SHOES
Note: If you sit behind the child while tying their shoes they can see from their view how it is done.
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My Shoelace Blues
I've tried and tried to tie you, shoe.
I've never done it yet.
A loop that flip-flops on the floor
Is as close as I can get.
I've practiced on spaghetti.
I've practiced on the mop.
I've practiced on my sister
Until she made me stop.
So here's the loop again, shoe.
I'll hold it with my thumb.
I'll wrap the other end around...
And yank it into bows.
It's done!
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Sad Rabbit
Original Author Unknown
Once there was a rabbit that was very sad because his ears were so long and narrow that he stepped on them all the time. One day a fairy landed on the bunny's head. She lifted up the bunny's ears and crossed them over like an x. Then she put one ear through the bottom of the x and pulled. Next, she made each long ear into a loop and made another x like before. She put an ear under that x and pulled again. From then on the bunny remembered how to tie his ears into a bow, and he lived happily every after.
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Shoe Tying Practice Ideas:
1. Materials: Small shoe box, Stickers, Contact paper, 2 colors of shoe lace.
Keeping lid separate from box, decorate both with contact paper & stickers. Punch holes in either the box or lid like a shoe.
Tie knots in laces on one end and glue them to the cardboard on the inside. Tape or glue both box parts together. Lace box (shoe) with two colors of lace. Now children should be able to see where each goes. Start with your X, form 1 bunny ear, chase him round the garden, into the burrow and out the other side, put tight.
2. Collect misc. plastic lids from butter containers, coffee cans, peanut cans, etc. Use a hole punch, or hammer and nail to make holes in lids. You can make a straight line, circle around the edge, criss-cross and more. then for each lid, thread a shoelace through one hole. use these lids for lacing activities for you children.
3. Paint an old pair of sneakers with gold spray paint and put bright coloured laces in. Let the children practice!
4. Sometimes it is hard for the children to work on their own shoe. Get a small shoe--can buy some at yard sales--and nail it down to a board. The child can sit the shoe in front of himself/herself and practice on it.
