Harper learned to tie her shoes today!
I have been meaning to teach her, really teach her, forever. I have certainly tried to show her more than once, but it kept coming up while we trying to get out the door, so you can imagine how well that went.
I'd temporarily forgotten an important element of teaching kids to tie shoes - you need to be on the same side of the shoe as they are. Long laces help too. I was in an education store the other day and picked up a set of shoe-tying lacing cards (like these). That was all it took - Harper learned in about three minutes and then switched to practicing on her actual tennis shoes.
Shoe tying is a little accomplishment that feels like a game-changer. Harper can now officially tie her shoes, count by 2's to 100, get herself a reasonable breakfast, and set the DVR. This evening she retrieved a load of laundry from the dryer while I was getting Michael ready for bed. I will teach her to fold a fitted sheet and I anticipate she'll be in her own apartment before the end of the year.
*****
One other quick Harper story-
Yesterday Harper made me a lift-the-flap book. She used the school directory to find the first names of some of her friends' mothers. Then she glued a bunch of flaps into a book and put a question mark on the outside of the flaps. Under each flap was a drawing of a woman, labeled with the name of one of my friends. How sweet is that?
Incidentally, do you think children are equipped with some kind of meter which signals them to do something sweet/kind/lovely just when we're ready to throttle them? I'm beginning to have my suspicions.
6 comments:
Haha!! Do you think you can teach ME to fold a fitted sheet? Because I still haven't figured that one out.
I just want to teach Wesley to tie his own shoes! Oh, and ride his bike!
We were just telling Aaron he had to learn, too. We have a fake shoe, and my plan is to tackle it over spring break. And I am with Emily on the fitted sheet. My mom taught me well, but I just don't seem to get it! Love the lift the flap idea, too!
"Incidentally, do you think children are equipped with some kind of meter which signals them to do something sweet/kind/lovely just when we're ready to throttle them? I'm beginning to have my suspicions. "
<--- this, exactly this. We said this very same thing today!
I laughed out loud at the apartment comment. You're right, though. It is amazing how being able to tie their shoes totally changes the groove.
Yes--video blog on folding a fitted sheet please!! Michael really wants to learn to tie his shoes and we have book with practice laces...he worked at it a bit last week and I think it we really focused on it, he could do it...I was trying to remember at what age this skill is "appropriate".
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