A shoelace and a little feat
Four-year-old Aarav ran around his classroom doing a happy dance, pointing at a little bow on a cardboard cutout shaped like a shoe and chanting like a rhyme: “I tied my own shoelaces today!” The source of his excitement?
“The knot was slightly lopsided, but his confidence was tied up just right,” smiles Anuradha Mandapati, secretary, RAC Sabala, RID 3020, which recently launched Life Skills for Little Ones — a project designed to teach everyday skills to children in schools across Tuni, Andhra Pradesh, in the most playful and practical ways.
That DIY shoe, made from scrap cardboard and bright red laces, became one of the star teaching tools in the programme. “Not the ABCs, instead our project focuses on basic life skills like communication, problem-solving, emotional awareness and independence,” says Anuradha. “We just want to help children believe they can do things for themselves.”
The sessions were far from formal. Children learned by doing. For shoelace-tying, cardboard shoes with punched holes allowed tiny fingers to fumble, figure out, and finally succeed. “Watching them thread, knot, and cheer when they got it right was pure joy,” she adds.
Emotional expression was explored through storytelling and emotion cards, where kids matched facial expressions to feelings. Problem-solving became a fun challenge with team games and puzzles, where they learned to collaborate and think aloud. Communication skills were built through roleplays, teaching them to ask for help, take turns, and use polite phrases. “The idea was to keep it fun-filled and relatable. We wanted the kids to feel like they were playing — not being taught,” Anuradha explains.
Parents and caregivers were an integral part of the experience. They observed, participated, and picked up ways to reinforce these skills at home. Many parents were willing to teach them the fun way to improve their confident, communication, and emotional wellbeing.
“Life Skills for Little Ones is for kids like Aarav, for whom tying a shoelace is a big deal. And sometimes, that’s all it takes to start walking confidently into the world,” smiles Anuradha.
