Ethan will be turning 5 very soon and it’s made me a little nostalgic. It’s also put a little bit of panic in me regarding the things I want him to know before we send him off into the big world. Some of the things are practical things like skills that he needs to have in order to be a little more self-sufficient (thus easing the load of the kindergarten teacher). Other things I want to teach him will just happen in conversations we have about life and things he will encounter that he wouldn’t experience in our home.

This week we’re focusing on a skill that every kindergarten teacher appreciates in their students: Being able to put on your own shoes- on the right feet.

I looked around a little online and found a few ways to explain the process to Ethan and I promised him some screen time if he would cooperate with me.

The main idea is that I want Ethan to be able to look at his shoes and somehow recognize how they look when they are on the right feet. So, I had him hold the shoes and I showed him how the shoes are closer together and that they kind of turn in to “kiss” each other when they are lined up right. Nathan also mentioned that there was a bigger arch area on the inside of the shoes (he explained it better than that).

Then we took them away and mixed them up a little and handed them back and asked him to try to line them up correctly.

He did alright. As you can see, these are velcro shoes. We’ll work on shoe laces a little later!

Experienced parents and teachers, how did you teach this skill? I would love additional hints on this!