Learning how to tie shoes can be quite daunting for a child with fine motor issues. It may not seem like it, but there are many underlying skills needed in order to master this complex task. Typically developing children are usually able to accomplish this skill around the age of 4-5 years old. By kindergarten, it is expected that children will be able to manage their own laces when they’ve come untied. Oftentimes, children with fine motor difficulties and/or executive functioning difficulties have a very hard time learning to tie shoes. I see a lot of parents give up on teaching their kids how to tie their shoes because it seems like they just won’t get it or it takes too much time. If a child can’t tie shoes, there are many fashionable alternatives today. Elastic, no- tie laces have come a long way! But before you go down that road, please try the methods in this post. Five methods are presented here. The first two are rather traditional methods, the final three are adapted to make it much easier. Before throwing in the towel, give these methods a shot. If successful, it will surely build your child’s confidence and independence with their self-care skills.