How to Transition from Velcro To Lace-Ups!

Is your little one ready for lace-up school shoes? While students are young, styles with touch-fastening straps are the way to go, but, as they start getting older, kids will need to make the switch to laced pairs instead. Are you about to try and transition your child to laced school shoes? Do you need some help getting started? Everflex has all sorts of great tips and tricks that will make it easier to move on from touch-fastening school shoes! Now, let’s take the stress out of swapping styles! Once you’ve finished reading this article, you should have a better idea of where to start with changing up your child’s school shoes! 

What sizes do our touch-fastening and lace-up styles encompass? 

Since school shoes with tabs are the go-to for young students, our smallest styles come with these fastenings. However, most designs run from a toddler-size 9 to a preteen size 4; that leaves nine sizes in-between for your child to wear in the meantime. Because we have a collection of touch-fastening school shoes and an impressive range of sizes there to take care of your kids, you’ll have plenty of time to teach them how to tie laces.

So, even if your child grows fast or has large feet, you won’t need to rush to move them into those types of school shoes. Similarly, while our lace-up designs are the pairs of choice for older students, they can run from a toddler size 9 to a preteen size 6, so they fit kids of all ages! That means that you can swap your children from tabbed school shoes to laced ones at any time (or as soon as you feel your kids are ready). 

Start by teaching your child how to tie shoelaces!

This first step is self-explanatory, but it helps to have an outline, right? We recommend sitting side-by-side with your child and going by the steps one-by-one with their school shoes. Ensure that your child is watching as you demonstrate, and clearly state what you’re doing. Once you’ve shown them once or twice, have them slowly follow along with you and try tying one of the pairs themselves. Do you know any catchy songs or rhymes that might help your kid remember the steps to lacing up school shoes? If not, Google a few! 

Get your child to practice every day! 

Repetition is the best way for your child to learn how to tie up school shoes. First off, don’t get ahead of yourself! Even with the cleverest of kids, it can take a little while to learn how to tie school shoes. Not only will it take practice to cement the skill in their mind, but it might also be slow-going while your child makes their way through the steps, so be patient! Set a time for you and your child to sit down and go through the steps with their school shoes each day, and they’ll master the skill in no time. We also recommend getting your little one some laced casual styles (like sneakers or trainers), which they can practice on during the weekends. 

Keep their touch-fastening pair around while they’re learning! 

Instead of getting rid of their touch-fastening school shoes and throwing them into the deep end, let your kid keep going to class in their touch-tab pair, and leave the lace-up ones at home. Once your child is more confident and competent at lacing up their new school shoes, you can make the permanent switch. 

Good luck! 

We hope these tips help your children learn to tie laces! There are so many school shoes for you to try! We haven’t even mentioned our buckled pairs yet, and those are a fabulous option for girls! Explore Everflex’s range of lace-up and touch-fastening school shoes today.