Tie Your Shoes

Who knew there could be several different ways to do something as simple as tying your shoes? Whether you are a trying to teach a child how to tie their shoes, or you're looking for a new technique, this wikiHow is for you. All you’ll need is a pair of patient hands and your favorite pair of shoes.

Steps

Using the "Circle" Technique

  1. Place the shoes on a flat surface. Let the laces fall to either side of the shoe.[1]
    • If you’re demonstrating this technique to someone, point the toe side of the shoe towards them so they can see your hand movements.
  2. Tie a basic knot. Take both laces and thread one lace over the other and then pull them tight. They should form a knot in the middle of the shoe.
  3. Tie another knot, but don’t tighten it. Keep the second knot loose. Notice there is a circle shape formed by the knot. Hold the circle shape with your hand and lay it flat against the shoe.
  4. Thread one shoelace into the circle. Make sure it comes up through the circle and over to one side. You can keep it loose, but make sure it does not slide all the way out of circle.
  5. Thread the other shoelace into the circle. It should come up through the circle and over to the other side of the shoe.
    • You should now have two loops or “bunny ears”on either side of the knot in the center of the shoe.
  6. Pull the bunny ears tight. Use your hands to pull the bunny ears tight so they are secure.
    • You should now have a nicely tied shoe. As you get better and faster, this technique should take you no more than 25 seconds to complete.
    • It is also a good one to teach kids how to do as it is a fast and simple technique.

Using the "Magic Fingers" or “Ian Knot” Technique

  1. Place the shoes on a flat surface. Let the laces fall to either side of the shoe.[2]
    • If you’re demonstrating this technique to someone, point the toe side of the shoe towards them so they can see your hand movements.
  2. Tie a basic knot. Take both laces and thread one lace over the other and then pull them tight. They should form a knot in the middle of the shoe.
  3. Take your right hand and use your thumb and forefinger to grip one of the shoelaces. Your fingers should be facing towards you.
    • Make sure your pinky finger is also gripping the shoelace.
    • You should be making a half rectangle shape (or lobster claw shape) with your thumb and forefinger, as you grip the shoelace.[3]
  4. Take your left hand and use your thumb and forefinger to grip one of the shoelaces. Again, your fingers should be facing towards you.
    • Don’t forget about your pinky finger. Make sure it is also gripping the shoelace. You should be making a half rectangle shape (or lobster claw shape) with your thumb and forefinger.
  5. Pull your fingers towards each other so you feel some tension. Twist your fingers so they are facing each other.
    • It should look the the two halves of the rectangle or the two lobster claws are coming towards each other.
    • You should be forming an “X” shape with the laces.[3]
  6. Pinch the laces between your fingers and pull the laces through using your thumb and forefinger. As you tighten the laces, you should now have two bunny ears on either side of the shoe and a nice, clean tie in the middle of the shoe.
    • This technique takes a bit more time to learn and complete, but with enough practice, you should be able to tie your shoes this way in under a minute.

Using the “Bunny Ears” Technique

  1. Place the shoes on a flat surface. Let the laces fall to either side of the shoe.[4]
    • If you’re demonstrating this technique to someone, point the toe side of the shoe towards them so they can see your hand movements.
    • If you’re teaching this method to a very young child, it may be helpful to tie a small knot in the middle of one of the shoelaces.
    • If you don’t mind some color on their shoelaces, you can also color the bottom of the other shoelace brown, the middle part of the lace green, and the top part of the lace brown. This way, when you instruct them to make a loop with the lace, it can look like trying to form a tree by always making sure the green part of the lace is at the top of the loop, like the leaves at the top of a tree.[4]
  2. Tie a basic knot. Take both laces and thread one lace over the other and then pull them tight. They should form a knot in the middle of the shoe.
  3. Make a loop with one of the laces. You should be holding the lace between your thumb and your first two fingers.
    • If you are using the “tree” trick, instruct your child to form a loop with the colored lace so the brown parts of the lace are on top of each other (the trunk of the tree) and the green part sits at the top of the loop (the leaves of the tree).
  4. Use your other hand to wrap the other lace around the loop. You should be holding it over your fingers and around the loop.
    • Again, if you are using the “tree” trick, instruct your child to wrap the shoelace with the knot over the “trunk” of the tree.
  5. Use your free hand to pull the shoelace through the hole to form another loop. There should now be a hole between the looped shoelace and the wrapped shoelace. Pull the wrapped shoelace through so it comes through this hole.
    • Another way to explain this is to have your child poke the knot on the shoelace through the hole to make another loop.
  6. Hold both loops and pull them tight. You should now have a nicely tied shoe.
    • You can also instruct your child to pull the knot and the top of the tree trunk to either side, tightly.
    • Though this is the most traditional of the three methods, it may not be the quickest method and the knot may not be as secure as the knots made in the other two methods.
    • Feel free to try each method to determine the one that is right for you.

Tips

  • Go slowly. If you take it slowly, you have a better chance of getting it right.
  • If you are teaching yourself or a kid how to do this, don't do it all on one day. Try to do it for 10 minutes for a day per week or so, and you will get much better results than somebody who rushed through it in 3 days, straight in a row.
  • Keep in mind there's no right or wrong way to tie your shoes. You can tie your shoes any way you'd like, as long as you're comfortable in your shoes and can walk without pain.
  • Remember, practice makes perfect, so keep practicing your tying method and you should be able to tie your shoes fast in no time.
  • Use the method that works best for you.

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/14/shoe-tying-trick-_n_5678597.html
  2. ↑ http://www.efficientlifeskills.com/how-i-taught-my-6-year-old-to-tie-shoes-in-5-minutes/
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/youve-been-tying-your-shoes-wrong-your-whole-life#.mkBBBWqD97
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9tt7iI0VV8
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