latest age know to tie shoes?

[chel]

I'm afraid dd might break a world's record of being the oldest person that can't tie a bow. I was the last person to learn to tie my shoe. It happened sometime in K but I don't know when. My mom never worked with me, on that and pretty much everything else as she said it I would just pick it up on my own. Well, I've done a mix, a little teaching and some "hoping it will happen on her own". A main issue is that dd doesn't really wear shoes that tie. Flipflops in summer and clogs in winter.
Please share your stories of late tie-ers.
TIA

[ChristaN]

Dd has a friend who didn't learn to tie her shoes until half way through first grade at about age 7. As you mention, with the velcro now a days it seems to present less of a problem for teachers if kids can't tie their shoes right when they start kindergarten.

[mamababamba]

As a first and second grade teacher, I can tell you that many kids do not master shoe tying even until the end of second grade. It is no problem, other kids help them and then there is always velcro.

[TheaGraham]

My dp didn't learn until 3rd grade. He was too busy with 6th grade math to sit down and learn how.

[mmace]

My son just turned eight years old and is in first grade, and he still doesn't know how. He always wears shoes with those stretchy laces. His kindergarten teacher gave me a hard time about it last year, and I just kind of told her that if my child was getting straight A's, getting along great in class, and was the sweetest boy imaginable, I pretty much couldn't care less if he couldn't tie his own shoes!

[momof3sweeties]

my 7 1/2 yo still can't tie his shoes. My older son learned at 5 and my 4yo is already trying. I think it just depends on the kid. Eventually they will get it!!! (I hope!!!)

[Ruthla]

My oldest learned at about age 2 (this is the child who could open and close teeny tiny buttons at 17 months, so definitely not typical!) and my younger dd learned in kindergarten. DS has JUST learned how to put on velcro shoes by himself!!! And the hamster is completely incapable of dressing or undressing himself.

On a related note, when can most kids open and close buttons? Is anything "wrong with" my 4yo who can't do them yet?

[4evermom]

I learned in first grade with the pressure of having to demonstrate the skill in front of the teacher so that I could have my name on a construction paper cut-out bow on the bulletin board, too.

[charmander]

My 7.5 year old 1st grader can barely tie his shoes. He can do it, but the tie is very loose and comes undone in 5 minutes. He is working on it, should get the hang of it by 2nd grade (I hope).

[4evermom]

Originally Posted by Ruthla

On a related note, when can most kids open and close buttons? Is anything "wrong with" my 4yo who can't do them yet?

My ds is just starting to work big ones on my sweaters. He isn't very interested in dressing himself which I was thinking might be a boy thing. Of course, I only put him in clothes with buttons about 3 times a year since he doesn't like holding still long enough to button them up.

[Laggie]

DD is 7 and refuses to attempt shoe tying. We bought her the My Little Pony shoes with laces that she begged for last year, but she never learned to tie them, just slipped her feet in and out and would refuse to try the laces.

This year she's back to velcro. Mind you, she's not the most coordinated kid. Maybe she'll learn when she's 12 or so.

[PancakeGoddess]

My 8yo was very uninterested until last year. He can do it now but it's not as tight as he'd like it, sometimes.

[LadyButler]

You know, it took me forever to get the hang of it because I'm left handed and everyone who was trying to teach me was right handed. Things just didn't work...

[UUMom]

Who the heck wears tie shoes? The keens are not tie shoes, the crocs are clogs, the merrils slip on, ditto the penny loafers, the sandals, velcro. Ties are passe, I say. lol

Not to mention, if a child decides on the ties, converse hightops, say, he'll learn in minutes if he's old enough.

[Karry]

My dd is 6 and in first grade, and she just recently learned how to tie her shoes. I wouldn't worry about it. There are lots of different kinds of shoes that don't tie. My dd loves her flip flops.

[Throkmorton]

I didn't tie my shoes until I was 7 or 8. I just didn't get it.

Ruthla, DS can't work buttons either, and seems to have no interest in doing so. He's 4.5

[onlyzombiecat]

My dd is 6 and I don't think she can tie shoes. All her shoes happen to have velcro or slip on so it hasn't come up a lot. She does do buttons and zippers.

I'm not very concerned about it as a life skill. Most of my shoes don't even tie.

[PancakeGoddess]

Originally Posted by UUMom

Not to mention, if a child decides on the ties, converse hightops, say, he'll learn in minutes if he's old enough.

Yep, this is when my kid learned. Green converse last summer at age 7.5
UUMom, you're so hip. I don't have any of those brands but I still don't have tie my birks or my flipflops. Oh speaking of my sad birks, they need to be resoled so badly. Anyone want to send me some 39s, anything at all?

[maya44]

Originally Posted by UUMom

Who the heck wears tie shoes? The keens are not tie shoes, the crocs are clogs, the merrils slip on, ditto the penny loafers, the sandals, velcro. Ties are passe, I say. lol

Not to mention, if a child decides on the ties, converse hightops, say, he'll learn in minutes if he's old enough.

ITA. Most kids just don't wear tie shoes. My dd never wore tie shoes til last week, when she got a pair of yes, you guessed it Converse high tops to go with her skirts and leggings (nice look huh )

She is almost 11 and claimed that she did not know how to tie her shoes. I pointed out that if she could do double zipper lanyards, she could master shoe tying. I showed her how and like UU Mom said, in minutes she could tie!


BTY, in the town I live in the local shoe store holds "shoe tying class" There is a 4 month waiting list for the class!

[mommyoftwo]

LadyButler-we are in the same boat. My dd is right handed and I am left handed. She wants to learn (4 1/2 now) but she gets frustrated when I try to teach her. My dh is helping her out now.

I remember having a terrible time learning because of my left handedness. Everyone around me was a righty.

When you think about it, it really is a difficult skill to learn from a fine motor skills perspective. The age range of mastering it seems to vary quite a bit. My dd has 4 year old friends who can tie and I have met many 7 and 8 year olds who couldn't.

I do try to buy tie shoes for my kids so they have the opportunity to learn.