Dressing Frames: Boot Lacing
Materials: A Boot lacing Frame: 12” x 12” (30 cm x 30 cm); two flaps of leather attached to the frame. The flaps fasten together with a lace and the boot hooks on the lower half, and eyelets on the upper flaps.
Purposes:
Functional Independence
Visual Motor Coordination
Fine Motor Control
Manual Dexterity
Age: 3 ½ - 4 ½
Preparation: Shoe Lacing Frame
Vocabulary:
Bootlace: to unlace, to lace, hooks, eye, lace, aglet
Presentation:
Unlace
Invite one child for the lesson on bootlaces.
Show the child the materials, how to pick up and carry the frame, return it to the shelf and allow the child to bring it to a table.
Orient it with the ties and hooks at the bottom.
Explain what you will do.
Untie the bow.
Hold the lace in each hand with the index finger extended on the lace by the hook.
One hand at a time, starting with the lace on the top, let the finger guide the lace from around the hook.
Still holding the lace, cross arms to uncross the lace.
Let go of the lace now on its new side.
Repeat all the way up the hooks to the eyelets.
Once at the eyelets, proceed as you would for the shoelace frame.
Briefly open and close the frame
Lace
Explain what you will do.
Do as you would for the shoelace frame all the way down the eyelets.
At the hooks, take the laces, one in each hand, and cross the arms right over left
Switch hands on the laces.
Adjust the hands up the lace with index fingers extended on the lace pointing toward the hook
Let finger guide the bottom lace around the Hook and then the top lace
Cross the arms right over left and continue as before.
Do not tie at the bottom
Invite the child and encourage repetition.
Fade and observe.
If the child can tie, they may make the bow, or if he cannot, they may ask a friend
Points of Interest:
Consistency in crossing the laces.
No missed hooks.
Keeping the laces from getting caught on the hooks.
Following Exercises:
Encourage the child to practice on their own clothing or help a friend with their bootlaces.