A short instructional YouTube video by Mary Kostka (Ohana OT) presenting simple, child-friendly methods to teach kids how to tie shoes, hook zippers, and button clothing. Mary demonstrates an "easy peasy" shoe-tying approach (make an X, leave a finger-sized hole, form a tail and a "bunny ear", pinch and pull), a zipper metaphor ("train tunnel" — insert the slider fully), and a buttoning cue ("peekaboo" — hold and pull). The video emphasizes fewer steps, symmetry, reduced coordination demands, and encouragement for caregivers.
Aloha, magnificent moms and dads. It's Mary with Ohana ot. In this video, we're going to go over some of my favorite tips for tying shoes and zipping and buttoning on how to teach and make it easy for the kids. Okay, so this is what I like to call the easy peasy way to tie shoes. And after teaching kids for decades on how to tie shoes, I can only say that I wish that I knew this one right from the start because this is the easiest way to teach. So we have this in just tied two laces together just to make it easy to see. And you can do that or not do that. It's just a way to see it a little better. So you make an X and start out tying like normal. Or the top one comes under and pull tight. So then they do it again. Make an X. And we always say the top one is the one that's going to come under. Now you're going to leave a hole about the size of your finger. And this is where it's nice because you can let go. Then you poke the end in and you leave a tail and a bunny ear and poke the other end in. And it doesn't matter if you go from one end or the other, leave a tail and a bunny ear. And then we always say pinch the bunny ears and pull and that's it. If they put their fingers in the bunny ears, it'll all come apart. I'll do it one more time. There are so many kids that have literally spent years trying to learn to tie their shoes and I've been able to teach them in one session and they are sometimes like 11 years old. And there's actually a blog on our website of a boy who was so excited that he learned how to do this in one session that he wanted to make a video and teach other kids. So you can see that on our website there's nothing quite like the pride in being able to tie your own shoes. So make an X, come under, top one comes under, pull, make an X, top one is going to come under and you're going to leave a hole about the size of your finger. Doesn't matter which side you do. Poke the end in and leave a tail and an ear. Poke the end in, leave a tail and an ear, pinch the ears and pull. And that's it for tying the shoe. It's easier for a number of reasons. It's less steps, you can let go, it's symmetrical and it just requires less coordination. So next I'm Going to talk about this. Took me a long time to come up with this one. How to teach how to hook the zipper. So what I like to tell the kids is that this is a train tunnel and it's broken. So they have to fix it and hold it together. This little part here is the train. So the train has to go in the tunnel, but it has to go all the way to the back of the tunnel and hold it there and then they can pull it. So that has been the easiest way to get them to understand that this whole piece has to be held together. So fix the train tunnel, hold it together. This is the train. Train goes all the way to the back of the tunnel. And buttons. I like to just say, have them hold it and say peekaboo. And now you have to pull it through. So then they have to grab it and pull it through. And that has worked really well for some reason. Peekaboo. Pull it through. Great. So those are my favorite tips for shoe tying, buttoning and zipping that have worked the best for me in the past 30 years. Working with kids and having the most success. And give them a try and see how they work for you. And I will see you in the next video. Hi again. I am so glad that you took the time to watch this video. And I'm really proud of you because I know you're busy and. And it takes time to sit down and focus and learn something new. And just really proud of you. Give yourself a pat on the back. You're gonna see this after each video. Cause I just want to reinforce you and just let you know I'm proud of you. And change isn't easy. Some of these things. You hear the idea and then implementing it. We're all habitual, so it's not always easy to do. So just do your best to make little baby steps forward and make little changes that are positive and keep watching. See you in the next video. Aloha.
