Printable Shoe Lacing Cards: Teach Your Kids to Tie Their Shoes

How long does it take you to get you and your kids out of the house? What happens when your child can’t find the right shoe? Right? It’s always around until you need to be somewhere, then it just disappears and of course, you can never leave on time and then you’re late. You’ll love these printable shoe lacing cards to teach your kids to tie their shoes.

Love these? You’ll enjoy my other printable lacing cards for kids.

Shoes can be a source of pain for parents who have an appointment to get to. What happens when they start wearing laces?

Tying your shoes is an important life skill kids need to learn, but it doesn’t mean they can’t have fun while learning how.

I swear, I still have to tell my teen to tie his shoelaces because he’d rather leave them to drag on the floor through the mud and dirt than to bend down and tie them. Not to mention the fact that he may trip over them.

Help your kids become a pro at lacing and tying up their shoelaces with these printable shoe lacing cards.

Want to have fun with shoes? Enter It’s Shoe Time! by Bryan Collier; it makes mismatched shoes fun and silly, and will get your kids on board with tying their own shoelaces.

It’s Shoe Time! is the newest addition to the Elephant & Piggie Like Reading! series, in which Mo Willems’ beloved Elephant & Piggie introduces readers to new books and authors.

It’s Shoe Time!

Disclosure: I am part of the Mo Willems brand ambassador program with Disney-Hyperion and I received compensation as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.

This post may contain affiliate links meaning I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post. Read my disclosure policy here.

Recommended Mo Willems Books

Do you want to see more Mo Willems Books? Here are some of our favorites! You can never get enough reading time when it comes to books and kids!

I have a hard time narrowing down the list, but you can’t deny most kids’ books! This list below is a fun starting point for the kids to read and enjoy!

Make sure to make the time to sit and read with the kids! It’s a fun bonding time that will also work their minds!

Can I Play Too?-An Elephant and Piggie Book The Pigeon HAS to Go to School!An Elephant & Piggie Biggie Volume 2! (An Elephant and Piggie Book)Waiting Is Not Easy!-An Elephant and Piggie Book There Is a Bird On Your Head!-An Elephant and Piggie Book Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Sleigh!

What age should a child be able to tie their shoes?

They need to have the fine motor skills required to manipulate the shoelaces or they’ll just get frustrated. I like to relate the loops of shoelaces to bunny ears and that always seems to make it more fun. Make two bunny ears, and one bunny ear goes around and into the hole, and then it’s pulled tight.

Some children can tie their own shoes by the time they are three years old while others may need help until they reach adolescence. The age of the child is not the only factor in this decision.

For example, if a child has disabilities and struggles with fine motor skills, their parents may choose to wait until they are older. Some parents will wait until their child is walking and using the stairs before they start to tie their shoes. The decision should be based on what is best for the individual child.

If your child is going to school and you have shoes with laces, you’ll want to help your child practice, generally around 4 or 5 is a wonderful time to get started.

Recommended Shoe Lacing Activity Kits

Do you want more shoe-lacing activity for your kids aside from these printable shoe-lacing cards? Check out these ready-made activity kits. Perfect for busy moms!

NUOBESTY Shoelace Threading Teaching Toys Learn to Tie Shoelaces Toy Kids Toddlers Fine Motor Skills Toy Early Educational Toys, 5 Sets …NUOBESTY Shoelace Threading Teaching Toys Learn to Tie Shoelaces Toys Early Educational Toys for Kids Toddlers …SOVOEY 2PCS Learn to Tie Shoes – Wooden Lacing Shoe Tying Practice for Kids,Safe & Reusable Wood Shoelaces Tying Toy Educational Toy NUOBESTY Wooden Lacing Shoe Toy Learn to Tie Shoelaces Shoes Fine Motor Skills Toy, Pack of 2 MileHouse Wooden Learn to Tie Your Own Shoes Kits for Kids | Threading Lacing Shoes Training Board Kids Toddler Early Learning Toy SECFOU Shoes Montessori for Children Toys Board Threading Educational Lacing Tying Shoe Toy Teaching Tie Toddler to Kid Shoelaces Learn Fine Motor Game Skills Toddlers Shoelace

What are lacing cards?

Lacing cards are cards that have a different number of holes per card, which are designed to be strung together in order to create a pattern.

What makes lacing cards special for kids?

Lacing cards are special because they help teach children the basic skills that will be required to learn how to tie a shoe.

The printable shoelace cards are a fun way for kids to work on so many skills: manipulating string with dexterity, precision in fine motor movements, the pincer grasp to pinch and hold the string, bilateral coordination, and eye-hand coordination.

They also promote focus as well as creativity and problem-solving skills.

Recommended Shoe Tying Books

Do you need extra help teaching your kids about shoe lacing? Try one of these shoe tying books for a fun learning experience.

Caterpillar Shoe Laces – Learn to tie shoes fast and easy – Bi-colored, Holds Shape, Printed Guide (Laces Only)I Can Tie My Own Shoelaces (I Can Books)How to Tie Your Shoes Red Lace, Yellow Lace: A Board/Picture Book For Kids About Learning to Tie Shoes and the Importance of Practice I Can Tie My Own Shoelaces T. Rexes Can’t Tie Their Shoes

Shoe Lacing Cards Supplies

Paper or cardstock
Laminator
One hole punch
Shoe laces or string

This is the HP color inkjet printer that I use for all of my printables and I save money on ink by using their HP Instant Ink program.

Hp Officejet Pro All in One Printer-Black – Model 8710 – HEOJ8710-Desktop Printer Scotch Thermal Laminator Combo Pack, Includes 20 Letter-Size Laminating Pouches, Holds Sheets up to 8.9 McGill 2

Print out the lacing cards onto paper or cardstock, laminate them to make them durable, and use the one-hole punch to punch holes into the shoes where the laces would go. Find some old shoelaces or string to use to lace them up.

I like shoelaces because they have the tapered end which makes it easy for little hands to lace them through the holes.

We received a copy of It’s Shoe Time! along with shoelaces and wild-colored, mismatched socks. My daughter loved these, and they went great with the books!

Why does fine motor skills matter for kids?

You might be wondering if it’s super important for kids to learn how to lace their shoes. And while it might seem like a small task now, it’s the launching point for helping them learn and grow.

Kids use fine motor skills from a very young age – and will literally continue to use them all their life. Helping the kids use their hands to learn how to lace will help them with their hand-eye coordination, finger muscles and movement, as well as confidence to learn and try new things.

In fact, it’s safe to say that fine motor skills are a great way to encourage early learners to want to keep learning more!

Use this fun printable activity to show them that learning can be fun – and it can also be a great way to build confidence.