Shoe Tying Resources — Complete Guide Index
Every shoe-tying resource on trainingties.com, organized so you can find the right help fast. Built by Bobby Morong, a special education teacher with 20+ years of classroom experience.
Start here
- Shoe Tying Help hub — methods that work, methods that don't, step-by-step protocol, troubleshooting, full FAQ
- Training Ties — the patented checkpoint tool I built in my classroom
- Two-color laces — the visual aid that removes directional confusion
- How Training Ties works — video walkthrough
Choose your starting path
If you only open three pages on this site, start with the one that matches your child or setting best:
- Autism, ADHD & fine motor support — the best starting point for regulation, sequencing, sensory load, and repeated-failure learners
- For OTs & SPED teachers — the best starting point for classrooms, clinics, IEPs, and school implementation
- Montessori-aligned shoe tying — the best starting point for independence-focused families who want a calmer, child-led approach
Seasonal & timing
The two highest-leverage windows in the year for shoe tying: summer practice and back-to-school readiness.
- Summer shoe-tying practice for kids — the 8-week plan — the parent-led summer plan, week by week
- Summer fine-motor activities that help with shoe tying — which summer activities actually carry over, and which don't
- Back-to-school shoe-tying checklist for parents (2026) — 6-week pre-school checklist, what to send in the backpack, when to ask the teacher
- Shoe-tying tools for back-to-school classrooms — practical guide for teachers and OTs: implementation timeline, IEP language, classroom introduction
Understanding shoe tying
- Why shoe tying is hard for kids — the hidden skills behind the task and where it breaks down
- Shoe tying glossary — every term parents, teachers, and OTs need, defined in plain language
- Best shoe-tying tools for kids — what each tool actually does and when to use it
When you feel stuck
For families who have tried everything and are ready to give up. Read these before you do.
- Giving up on shoe tying is not the answer — what quitting actually costs, and what to try first
- My 6-year-old can't tie shoes — is that normal? — yes, and here's why
- My 7-year-old with autism can't tie shoes — method, not behavior
- My 8-year-old can't tie shoes — what's going on? — the emotional history matters more than the motor skill
- My child is 9 and still can't tie their shoes — it's almost never too late
- My 10-year-old still can't tie their shoes — what now? — reset the conversation before you reset the practice
By condition
Different motor and sensory profiles need different scaffolds. Each page walks through what makes shoe tying hard for that specific learner and how the checkpoint method addresses it:
- Autism, ADHD & fine motor support — directional language, motor planning, sensory load, failure tolerance
- Dyspraxia (DCD) — motor planning gap, bilateral coordination demand
- Down syndrome — hypotonia, joint laxity, sequential memory load
- Cerebral palsy — asymmetric hand function, spasticity, fatigue
- Sensory-friendly shoe tying — hub for all sensory-profile learners (seeking, avoiding, SPD, autism)
- Sensory processing disorder — tactile, proprioceptive, auditory load
- Fine motor delay — grip strength, hand fatigue, cascading failure
By age
- What age should kids learn to tie shoes? — readiness signs and why age is only part of the story
- Kindergarten shoe tying — what's developmentally normal at age 5
- First grade shoe tying — what's normal at ages 6–7
- When should a child learn to tie shoes? — the 5 prerequisite skills
- Shoe tying after a stroke — adult relearning
- Shoe tying with arthritis — adult adaptive
By philosophy
- Montessori-aligned shoe tying — for independence-focused families
- For OTs & SPED teachers — classroom kits, IEP-aligned instruction
- For adaptive PE teachers — shoe tying that travels with your students
- For pediatric therapy clinics — real-shoe practice that generalizes home
- Shoe-tying tools for IEP goals — what's IEP-appropriate and why
- For schools & institutions — bulk pricing, POs accepted
- Free institutional assessment — for school districts evaluating fit
Comparisons
- Training Ties vs. Velcro shoes
- Training Ties vs. Lock Laces
- Training Ties vs. Hickies
- Training Ties vs. No-Tie Laces
- Best shoe-tying aids 2026: full honest comparison
- The Velcro Trap — the long-form case for not skipping the skill
Methods & techniques
- Task analysis of shoe tying — full step-by-step breakdown of both methods
- Backward chaining — the complete guide
- Proprioception and shoe tying — the body-sense behind every knot
- Bilateral coordination and shoe tying — the two-hand problem behind every knot
- Working memory and shoe tying — why your child forgets the steps mid-knot
- Motor planning guide — why smart kids still can't tie shoes
- How to teach a left-handed child to tie shoes — the mirroring method
- Teaching shoe tying to a sensory-seeking child
- Teaching shoe tying to a sensory-avoiding child
- Summer fine-motor activities that help with shoe tying — which carry over and which don't
- Shoe-tying tools for back-to-school classrooms — teacher and OT implementation guide
- IEP goals for shoe tying — examples and templates
- Autism & shoe tying — complete teacher's guide
- ADHD & shoe tying — what actually works
- How to teach shoe tying to a child with ADHD — backward chaining, short sessions, and the right tools
- How long does it take to teach a child to tie shoes?
- What OTs know about shoe tying that most parents don't
- Shoe-tying practice activities — 12 games
Products
- Training Ties Shoe-Tying Tool — $25
- Training Ties Family 3-Pack — $60 (save $15)
- Two-Color Laces — $25
- “I Can't Do It…YET” Kids Tee
- “I Do It. We Do It. You Do It.” Teacher Tee