This giveaway is now closed.  Thanks for stopping by.  The winner is Gina.  Congrats.

It’s funny how something as simple as tying one’s shoes is actually a skill that has to be mastered.  Like any fine motor skill, practice makes perfect!  Teaching your child to tie his/her shoes also requires patience.  Any skill that doesn’t readily interest a child can be made into a fun game with a little creativity.

Wendy Welling is the innovative mom behind Tie Buddies.  After struggling to find a way to interest her daughter in learning how to tie her own shoes, she came up with the idea that would be Tie Buddies, “cute, kid-friendly devices that act as easy pull-tabs for small hands.”  Wendy found that the key to her daughter’s success was creating “cool characters and interactive stories to help her learn and retain the process as well as eliminate the frustrating bunny ears or loops that confuse children during the process.”

So how does it work?

STEP 1: (FOR PARENTS)

Begin with the widest part of the Tie Buddy at the top, holes facing up. Thread the lace up through the closest tunnel, then out the top and down through the second, outer tunnel. Do not leave a loop above the Tie Buddy. Make sure there is roughly 3.5” of lace between the Tie Buddy and the last shoe eyelet. The 3.5″ should be measured with your childs’ foot in the shoe with the laces untied. Measure from the eyelet to the base of the Tie Buddy. You may need to adjust according to your childs’ shoes and lace length so try the tying process yourself first to be sure the Tie Buddies^TM are placed correctly. Repeat the process on the second lace.

STEP 2

Holding the TIPS of the laces, make an “X” and wrap one end through the hole and pull tight.

STEP 3

Grasp just below your Tie Buddies

STEP 4

Pass the left Tie Buddy (character) behind the other’s back

STEP 5

…and back around in front

STEP 6

Now finish by pushing that Tie Buddy (character) back
through the hole

STEP 7

Now grab both the Tie Buddies
(characters) and pull up and away until your bow is tight

STEP 8

You’ve done it!
You can tie your shoes!

STEP 9

Once they’ve gotten the hang of it, remove one Tie Buddy so they can practice holding a lace on their own. Soon enough,you’ll remove the other and your child will be a shoe-tying whiz!

There are two versions of Tie Buddies (one for boys and one for girls). While it seems like a lot of steps, it’s actually easy and children can learn in as little as one week.  I highly recommend using the story ideas on the site because they make the process fun and help children retain and recall the tying process.  Children can learn to tie their shoes as young as three, but it’s a skill that isn’t often learned until they go to school.  Tie Buddies helps children learn at a younger age, in a shorter amount of time.  Any time a child masters a skill, they feel accomplished and independent.  Tie Buddies helps eliminate the frustration that is often associated with this process and makes it a positive experience for both the parent and the child.  You can purchase Tie Buddies directly from the site (retails for $7.95).

Win It! One of you will win a set of Tie Buddies.  Just head on over to the site and tell me which one you would pick AND how you’re currently trying to teach your child to tie his/her shoes.  Comments will close on April 20, 2009 at 10 PM PST.  One comment per person, please (unless you do the extra credit). US residents only. Duplicates and comments not including the above information will be disqualified. Comments are moderated. If you don’t see your comment in a reasonable amount of time, send me an email. Bloggers and non-bloggers may enter. If you don’t want to leave your email address, please be sure to check back for my announcement on the winner. Please note that winners must respond within 48 hours of being announced/contacted or another winner will be drawn.

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Profuse thanks to Tie Buddies and the Family Review Network for this review opportunity.