Dr. Piyush Jain
Dr. Piyush Jain provides pediatric clinical guidance for developmental and neurodevelopmental concerns where appropriate.
Genesis Neurogen Blog
Child Still Struggles to Tie Shoelaces or a Simple Knot Even at Age 7 or 8
संक्षेप में: कुछ बच्चे बटन लगाना और ज़िप खींचना सीख जाते हैं, लेकिन जूते का फीता बांधना या एक सामान्य गांठ बांधना उनके लिए मुश्किल रहता है, भले ही वे 7-8 साल के हो जाएं। यह दोनों हाथों के तालमेल और क्रम में कई चरण याद रखने (motor planning) से जुड़ी एक अलग, ज़्यादा जटिल क्षमता है। रिषभ विहार और कर्कड़डूमा के कई माता-पिता ने यह समस्या बताई है। यदि यह लगातार बना रहता है, तो एक occupational therapist से जांच करवाना उपयोगी हो सकता है।
Short answer: Tying a shoelace or a knot needs both hands to do two different jobs at the same time while remembering a multi-step sequence — a more demanding combination than buttoning or zipping, which are more repetitive single-hand motions. A child who has otherwise caught up on other self-care tasks but still can't manage a knot well past age 7 may have a specific gap in this bilateral sequencing skill, not a lack of effort.
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Why tying a knot is harder than it looks
Buttoning a shirt or pulling up a zip mostly repeats one motion with one hand leading. Tying a shoelace or a simple knot is different: one hand has to hold a loop steady while the other hand moves around it in a specific sequence, and a mistake at any step undoes the whole knot. This combination of bilateral coordination and multi-step sequencing is genuinely one of the more demanding fine motor tasks a young child learns, which is why some children who are otherwise independent with buttons and zips still struggle here well past the usual age.
What a real pattern can look like
Most children pick up shoelace tying with practice between ages 5 and 7. It's worth noticing when a child can follow verbal steps for other tasks, has decent hand strength, but still can't complete a knot without an adult finishing it for them at age 7 or 8 — even after repeated practice at home. Parents in Rishabh Vihar and Karkardooma have described this as their child "getting the first loop right every time but losing the thread after that." This specific stall, rather than general clumsiness, is the kind of fine motor sequencing gap that an occupational therapy assessment can look into, and the kind of question worth raising with an occupational therapy centre in East Delhi if it hasn't improved with practice.
What helps, and when to get it checked
Breaking the knot into smaller practised steps (holding the loop steady first, then just the wrap, then the pull-through) and using slightly stiffer laces for early practice can help some children. If the gap is specific to tasks needing both hands to do different things at once — and shows up in other areas like opening a tiffin box lid or threading something — it is worth a fine motor and bilateral coordination assessment rather than assuming it will resolve with more practice alone.
Book a fine motor and hand-coordination assessment for your child with our occupational therapy team. Call 7481909090 or message us on WhatsApp to get started.
Frequently Asked Questions
At what age should a child usually be able to tie their own shoelaces?
Most children manage a basic shoelace knot with practice somewhere between ages 5 and 7, though this varies. A gap becomes more worth noticing well past age 7-8, especially alongside other bilateral coordination tasks.
Could this just be a lack of practice rather than a motor skill gap?
It can be. The distinction usually becomes clearer when a child has had regular practice at home and still consistently stalls at the same step, rather than simply not having tried much.
Does struggling with knots always mean an occupational therapy assessment is needed?
No. Occasional difficulty is common. It's worth getting checked when the gap is persistent, shows up in other two-handed tasks too, and hasn't improved despite regular practice.
What does an occupational therapy assessment look at for this kind of concern?
It typically looks at bilateral hand coordination, hand strength, and the child's ability to follow and remember a multi-step motor sequence, rather than the knot-tying task alone.
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Useful context about the Genesis Neurogen doctors, so you can understand the wider clinical practice while reading this article.
Dr. Radha Jain
Dr. Radha Jain is the Senior Consultant Gynecologist & Obstetrician within the wider Genesis Neurogen clinical practice. Her women’s-health services are detailed on the main Genesis Neurogen Delhi website.
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