Bilateral Coordination and Shoe Tying — The Two-Hand Problem Behind Every Knot

The short answer

Bilateral coordination is the ability to use both hands together with each hand doing a different job at the same time. Shoe tying lives or dies on it: one hand has to hold tension on a loop while the other hand wraps and threads. If bilateral coordination is unreliable, the loop collapses the moment the second hand starts moving — not because the child does not know the steps, but because their two hands cannot stay coordinated through the sequence.

I am Bobby Morong, a special education teacher. Bilateral coordination is one of the most overlooked reasons kids stall on shoe tying. Here is what it actually is, how it shows up specifically in shoe tying, and what to do about it.

What is bilateral coordination?

Bilateral coordination is the brain's ability to use both sides of the body together — specifically, when each side is doing something different at the same time. There are three patterns:

• Symmetrical bilateral movement. Both hands do the same thing at the same time (clapping, jumping rope). Easiest of the three.
• Reciprocal bilateral movement. Both hands alternate doing the same thing (crawling, climbing a ladder). Medium difficulty.
• Differentiated bilateral movement. Each hand does a different job at the same time (one holds, the other manipulates). This is the hardest — and it is exactly what shoe tying requires.

A child can be fine at the first two and still struggle with the third. Shoe tying lives in the third category.

How bilateral coordination shows up in shoe tying

Watch a child tie a shoe and you can see bilateral coordination working in real time at multiple steps:

• One hand pinches the base of a loop while the other hand wraps a lace around it
• One hand holds the cross-tension on the first knot while the other hand forms the next loop
• Both hands pull outward at the end — each doing the same job but on a different side (reciprocal-symmetrical bilateral)

The hardest moment in standard tying — wrapping the second lace around the first loop and pulling it through — is essentially a pure differentiated bilateral task. If that system is shaky, this exact step is where the lace collapses.

Signs your child may have bilateral coordination challenges

Bilateral coordination issues often show up across multiple areas at once. Common patterns:

• Holds one hand awkwardly idle while the other works
• Struggles to stabilize paper with one hand while writing with the other
• Has trouble using scissors (one hand cuts, the other guides the paper)
• Struggles to peel a sticker (one hand pinches, the other pulls)
• Cannot open containers that require one hand to twist and one to hold
• Avoids two-handed sports tasks (catching with both hands, swinging a bat)

If a few of these ring true, bilateral coordination is likely the underlying system that needs targeted attention. An occupational therapist can confirm and give specific activities.

How to build bilateral coordination

Bilateral coordination is trainable. The general principle: practice tasks that REQUIRE the two hands to do different jobs at the same time, and start simple.

Differentiated bilateral activities

• Stringing beads (one hand holds the string, the other pushes the bead)
• Cutting paper (one hand cuts, the other rotates the paper)
• Lacing cards (early scaffolded version of tying itself)
• Using a hole punch (one hand holds the paper, the other squeezes)
• Buttoning shirts (one hand pushes the button, the other guides the hole)
• Opening jars and containers (one stabilizes, the other twists)
• Tearing tape from a roll (one holds the roll, the other tears at an angle)

Symmetrical and reciprocal warm-ups

• Drumming with both hands at once
• Cross-crawling (touching opposite elbow to knee)
• Catching a ball with two hands
• Bilateral wall pushups

Even though these are not directly differentiated tasks, they wake up the bilateral system and prime the brain for the harder version.

Reduce the bilateral demand during shoe-tying practice

While you are building bilateral coordination over time, you can also reduce the demand on it during practice itself. The single biggest help is keeping the laces from collapsing the moment a child's bilateral coordination wavers. If one hand drops tension and the loop holds anyway, the child gets to continue practicing the actual sequence instead of restarting.

Training Ties® places checkpoints on the lace at the two moments where bilateral coordination is hardest — the loop-and-wrap, and the final pull-tight. With the checkpoints holding the lace steady, your child can finish steps successfully and slowly build the bilateral muscle memory that the standard method tests too aggressively too soon.

Why this matters beyond shoe tying

Bilateral coordination is a foundational system that shows up in handwriting (paper-stabilizing hand), eating (fork and knife), dressing (every fastener), and sports (every two-handed catch). Building it for shoe tying pays off across the board. Many parents report that the kid who finally tied their shoes also got faster at buttoning, neater at handwriting, or more coordinated in PE in the same window — because the same system was getting stronger.

Related guides

• Proprioception and shoe tying
• Motor planning guide — why smart kids can't tie shoes
• Task analysis of shoe tying
• Shoe tying glossary — bilateral coordination, motor planning, proprioception defined
• Shoe-tying help for fine motor delay

Frequently asked questions

What is bilateral coordination in simple terms?

The ability to use both hands together with each hand doing a different job at the same time. Examples: one hand stabilizes paper while the other writes, one hand holds a jar while the other twists the lid, one hand pinches a loop while the other wraps a lace.

How does bilateral coordination affect shoe tying?

Shoe tying is essentially a series of differentiated bilateral tasks — each hand doing something different at the same time. If bilateral coordination is unreliable, loops collapse the moment the second hand starts moving, and progress can never compound.

How do you build bilateral coordination?

Practice tasks that require two hands doing different jobs simultaneously: stringing beads, cutting paper with scissors, lacing cards, opening containers, buttoning shirts, tearing tape. Start with easier versions and increase precision over time.

Is poor bilateral coordination a sign of a learning disability?

Not on its own. Many capable kids have soft bilateral coordination that just needs more practice. But it can co-occur with dyspraxia, autism, ADHD, and other developmental profiles. If multiple two-handed tasks are difficult across the board, an OT screening is reasonable.

What's the connection between bilateral coordination and Training Ties?

Training Ties holds the lace at the two moments where bilateral coordination is hardest — the wrap-around-loop step and the final pull-tight. By stabilizing the lace at those points, the tool lets a child practice the rest of the sequence without the lace collapsing whenever their bilateral coordination wavers.

Shop Training Ties® — $25