I expected the first morning back to school after the Christmas break to reduce some of us to tears but to be honest, it went fairly well considering! The tears, when they did come, were not over having to get up early, get dressed and get out the door in time. The tears came from the nine year old when I asked her to wear her outdoor runners to school. Turns out the laces keep opening and she was getting a bit of a slagging from her peers for not being able to tie them. So after a rush of parental guilt and a quick change of footwear she got out the door with tears dried up and a smile on her face.
It did get me thinking though... the guilt obviously... I mean in my day we could all tie our laces by about five years old. How had I let my poor daughter get to nine without this basic life skill? It seems this is a common occurrence in our modern society. We had no choice as children though as most of our shoes had buckles or laces.To be honest I had thought that my daughter had mastered this skill a year or two ago but nowadays most shoes don't have laces so she never got to keep practicing. When she returned from school we did sit down to learn it and it turns out she was just lacking confidence, not ability and had it remastered within a minute or two... it left her feeling very pleased with herself and me feeling a little less guilty!
So how many times do we need to repeat a task, like tying our shoe laces, in order for it to be learned for life? And what level of dexterity is required? Is there a right and wrong way and does how you tie your laces effect the performance of the shoe? I just had to go find out and you might be surprised by what I found... I was!
What is involved...
Tying our shoes laces is a Fine Motor Skill, requiring the use of small muscle movement and we need to program this movement into the brain before it becomes an accomplished skill. The part of the brain most involved with this activity is the motor cortex. We can begin to learn fine motor skill by observation but it is through practice that we really "hard wire" the information and retail the skill.
What is the ideal age...
Tying shoe laces is not as easy as we may thing and when I researched the topic a little I found out that many recommend waiting until your child is a least six before teaching them this skill. As well as the complex dexterity required children also need to be able to remember and follow a number of steps as well as being efficient in Bilateral Motor Coordination (using both hands at the same time).
Do you know your "bunny ears" from your "granny knots"?
While I was researching this topic I found out that I have been tying my laces the wrong way for years and never knew. Check out this video to see if you have been too. If you need even more science on the subject here is another link.
Imagine, all this time I thought I had that one sussed! Now my feelings of parental guilt have turned to feelings of adult ineptitude... and all because of a pair of shoe laces!
What about lacing patterns?
Not only is there a correct way to tie the bow of your lace but research has also been carried out on the effects of different shoe lacing patterns on the biomechanics of running shoes. Now we have no more excuses for laces that come undone or aching feet and limbs!
Some tips on teaching your own child...
If you are thinking of teaching your child this life skill here are a few tips I have picked up...
- choose a time that is calm and relaxed for you and your child, and allow plenty of time for the activity
- try to make it a fun project, let your child feel like they have you all to themselves for a while
- for younger children it can help to use a rope rather than laces to begin with and having one half of the lace coloured can also help
- as I mentioned, motor skills can be learned, in part, by observation so show the child a number of times first
- it can be easier for your child to start off on a shoe that they are not wearing
- if your child seems to be getting frustrated with the task then leave it, maybe they are just not ready yet and as I have now realised... that too is OK
And the last word...
You may be glad to know that my daughter got up this morning and deliberately chose the laced shoes herself arriving up for breakfast fully laced and very proud. That's my girl!
So that about ties it up for today... if you have any shoe lace stories to share let me know in the comments below
Labels: age, bilateral motor coordination, child, dexterity, fine motor skills, motor cortex, science, shoe laces
