Criss cross, applesauce… We’ve been practicing hard at tying shoes in the Bobenmoyer house lately. But somehow through all my instruction, fun videos and other tips, the kids have been struggling.
Then I remembered: Nordstrom at the Fashion Mall hosts a monthly Kids Shoe Tying Clinic! Halleluiah.
The class takes place before the store opens on the 3rd Saturday of the month, {i.e. no messing with crazy mall traffic}. It’s free. And my kids actually pay attention to other people giving instructions. So in my opinion, this outing was already primed to be a win-win.
The fun “kicked” off with each kid receiving a pair of practice shoes – Chuck Taylors! I like your style Nordstrom!
Staff played intro games, demonstrated their tying technique a few times then took turns going from child-to-child for individual help.
Practicing at home was encouraged – in fact parents were brought into the fold as helpers. As we all know, kids likely won’t walk away with 100% mastery, so it definitely helped knowing the technique in order to keep practice going at home.
{The words of Mr. Terpstra, my 9th grade English teacher kept ringing in my head: PRACTICE MAKES PERMANENT.}
The biggest advantage of this class was the patience of the Nordstrom employees. Gosh bless them. My son asked a zillion questions – he’s an inquisitive one! – and our helper kindly and patiently answered each one with grace.
At the end, each participant received an award, a balloon + a goodie bag complete with fun swag from TOMS shoes.
I was a little surprised that Nordstrom doesn’t include a coupon in their goodie bags – after all moms with wallets are a powerful thing and an extra incentive to purchase is never a bad idea! – but it was a wonderful way to spend our Saturday morning. If your little ones are ready to make the shoe-tying leap, this is definitely a fun way to get started.
MORE INFO: The Kids Shoe Tying Clinic takes place on the 3rd Saturday of every month at Nordstrom Fashion Mall. The Mall is located at 8702 Keystone Crossing, Indianapolis. Participation is free. Advanced registration is requested by calling ahead to the store at {317} 810-9809.
Jeanine Bobenmoyer is an explorer by heart. Her enthusiasm for trying new things drives her family out into the Indianapolis community as often as possible. Her son Hunter may become the next Bo Jackson and daughter Emerson is headed for Broadway or Harvard. Or both.
When Jeanine is not checking out the latest hotspot, she puts on her hat as the Chief Mom Officer for theCityMoms, the largest support and social network for moms in Indianapolis. She guest writes for Hamilton County Tourism, Inc., loves yoga, University of Michigan football, and trail running. She’d also drop everything if Eddie Vedder asked her to join Pearl Jam on tour. Find Jeanine on Twitter and Instagram.
