If you want to start school on the right foot, it often helps to make sure your shoes are tied tight.
But first grade teachers at Stratford Landing Elementary School in Alexandria, Virginia, noticed that a lot of kids were having trouble.
“Most of them had no idea how to even start,” one teacher, Christine Jarboe, said. “We definitely noticed a lot of skills that were not as strong at the beginning of first grade as they normally would be in a normal school year.”
So the school started trying to make sure kids mastered the basics of the bunny loop in a creative way – with a shoe tying challenge.
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“My brother learned how to tie his shoes in first grade so I wanted to do that, too,” student Amelia Begin said.
The classes have kept at it for several weeks now, even if it’s not always easy.
“At first I didn’t know how, then I learned how,” student Abby Daniel said. “Then I forgot, and then I was sad and I wanted to learn.”
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Once the kids finish learning, they get a special pair of laces to take home to show off their new tying talents.
“Now when I’m riding my bike, I don’t have to go all the way home and ask my mom or dad or parents to help me tie my shoes,” Amelia said.
It’s an exciting new skill that’s helped these kids take a big step towards success.
