Putting On Shoes
Sit down, aim, push the heel, fasten: heading out the door under their own power.
Putting On Shoes is a Montessori activity for a child aged 2 to 3 years. Area: Practical Life. Time: 10 min.
What the activity builds
Master an independence skill they'll repeat twice a day for their whole childhood: putting on their own shoes. The difficulty is broken down: first getting the foot in, then fastening, and only later, the right shoe on the right foot.
The materials
- Easy shoes: hook-and-loop strap, a wide opening, a soft upper
- A small bench or step to sit on, always in the same spot near the door
- A sticker cut in half, one half stuck inside each shoe: the picture lines up when the shoes are on the right feet
How to do it, step by step
- Sit next to them on the bench, each with your own shoes.
- Show it on your own shoe, slowly: open the strap wide, hold the tongue, slide the foot in, push the heel with one finger, fasten it back up.
- Set their shoes in front of them, sticker halves showing, and let them try.
- If they get the wrong foot, say nothing: the split picture won't line up, and walking will tell them too.
- You head out once both feet are shod: the real reward is the door opening.
The parent's role
Show once, then step back. Putting shoes on a child yourself takes thirty seconds, letting them do it takes five minutes, count those five minutes as an investment built into your time to leave, rather than stealing them when everyone's in a rush. The stubborn heel is THE hard part: show the hooked finger behind it, without doing it for them.
Safety
Sit down to put on shoes, never balance while standing. Check the shoe size regularly: a child almost never mentions that a shoe has gotten too small.
You remain the sole judge of what is right for your child. These activities are offered for educational and recreational purposes: they do not replace medical advice or the guidance of an early childhood professional.
Ways to adapt the activity
- Easier: start with taking shoes off, always simpler, and putting them away in their spot.
- Harder: shoes with a buckle, then someday, laces.
- Extension: putting on their own coat solo, using the flip-over-the-head trick laid on the floor.
Up next
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