bakpak Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 It's snowing...I'm home alone and bored and thinking about my DD5's newest passion/skill. Is 5 early or the normal age for this? Next up we need to think about shoe tying again. Perhaps they're related skills.....managing multiple strands? At what ages did your children learn to braid hair? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momacacia Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 I'm guessing oldest learned at 7yo. Second still doesn't know, but has me and oldest to do her braids. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandamom Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 My oldest was around 7 and is self taught. At 14 she now does most hair for her team gymnastics meets and has done a few for homecoming dances. My younger daughter and I can't do anything to hair. She wears it down except the few times that dd14 decides to do her hair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blondeviolin Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 Oldest was 7. My 5yo tries and can't, but I haven't specifically sat down and attempted to teach her either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 I don't remember when my girls learned to braid their hair. are you talking a regular braid? 5 is on the young side - but if she perseveres I don't see why not. (I'd put the hair in a pony tail holder first then let her braid the rest.) for my girls and I, it varied according to hair type, thickness and length. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acorn Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 7, but the interest wasn't there before then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb_ Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 I taught braiding by tying three strands of ribbon to a chair leg. So much easier than wrangling hair right away. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bakpak Posted February 21, 2015 Author Share Posted February 21, 2015 She wanted me to show her a few months ago, but she didn't really get it. This time she just figured it out on her own - popped out of her room with her pony's tail braided and set to work on my hair and later her own (using a mirror). Yep..it's all about motivation. I brought up the shoe tying, as she has been interested in the past, but couldn't quite get it then. I'm planning to wait for her interest to pique again and voila she will just be developmentally ready this time ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 Between 5 (IIRC) and 7. The one who learned to braid at age 7 learned to tie shoes at age 3. :P The other one learned to tie shoes at 4 and braid at 5 IIRC. This latter is fascinated by hair and shoes and all things fashion. :P 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loesje22000 Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 :faint: What a fantastic daughters do you have! Dd is 12yo and still can't do it... 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 First learned at 6. Second is learning at 5. Both tied shoes at four. I suspect parents of braid-loving, dextrous girls are going to be over-represented in this thread. I myself didn't learn to braid hair until I was 11 or something! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bakpak Posted February 21, 2015 Author Share Posted February 21, 2015 I remember not figuring out how to french braid my own hair until I was a freshman in college. But it was also the first time anyone had SHOWN me how to do it. I learned to juggle that year too...I just didn't know the rules beforehand. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildcat Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 A friend taught me to braid on the playground in 3rd grade (I was 7). We used pine needles. You know, the ones that have three strands? It sounds odd, but it worked!! I went home that day and braided my doll's hair. :thumbup1: ETA: I tied shoes at an early age and was excellent at undoing knots of all kinds. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerileanne99 Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 I brought up the shoe tying, as she has been interested in the past, but couldn't quite get it then. I'm planning to wait for her interest to pique again and voila she will just be developmentally ready this time ;) Last year I showed dd5 this 'magic fingers' video for shoe tying and it was really easy to do! Much easier than traditional methods:) http://www.efficientlifeskills.com/how-i-taught-my-6-year-old-to-tie-shoes-in-5-minutes/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 I learned it on my own and cannot remember when. I've never been good at braiding my own hair though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 My 5 yo daughter has learned to braid hair on a doll. My 7 yo son can not figure out how to tie shoes no matter how many times I show him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 French braid or regular? French is harder. I think dd was about 6 when she braided for the first time. She braided yarn and ribbon earlier. She just learned to do her own hair (french) this year, but prob could've handled it earlier. You can take 3 ribbons and knot them, then pin to a pillow, leaving strands free, to teach braiding (before practicing on hair). It's a patterning activity, actually--an ABA pattern--Right to Center, Left to Center, Right to Center, Left to Center. I'm about to introduce it to my preschoolers, as we've worked on patterns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 My 10 yr old can braid, but not her own hair. She has really, really long hair and is still working on getting it all into a ponytail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dory Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 I was 5, my little sister was 7, and dd was 6. But that was just a regular braid. French braiding I didn't get until I was about 10 and Dutch braiding about the same time. My sister was 12 when she finally managed to French braid her own hair. She could do it on my hair before that but trying to do it on her own head was a little more challenging for her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momling Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 6 or 7 to braid three strings together. 10 to braid hair. Also 10 to put hair in ballet bun or even nice looking pony tails. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 I didn't learn until I was, like, 11. But that was also the same time I learned to tie my shoes, so... yeah. The girls learned to do simple two-strand "rope" braids at around 5 or so, and then learned basic three-strand braids and simple buns around 7. They haven't learned to do Dutch braids yet (or French braids - the basic idea is similar, but in Dutch braids you tuck each strand under the one in the middle and in French braids you pull them over the one in the middle), but then, I doubt they've been motivated. Last year I showed dd5 this 'magic fingers' video for shoe tying and it was really easy to do! Much easier than traditional methods:)http://www.efficient...s-in-5-minutes/ I notice that makes a crooked granny knot instead of a square knot. I wonder if you could modify the method so the bow hangs flat and straight, like it's supposed to. (It's not just aesthetic - granny knots come undone a lot faster, so you have to retie more frequently.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 French braid or regular? French is harder. I think dd was about 6 when she braided for the first time. She braided yarn and ribbon earlier. She just learned to do her own hair (french) this year, but prob could've handled it earlier. You can take 3 ribbons and knot them, then pin to a pillow, leaving strands free, to teach braiding (before practicing on hair). It's a patterning activity, actually--an ABA pattern--Right to Center, Left to Center, Right to Center, Left to Center. I'm about to introduce it to my preschoolers, as we've worked on patterns. Wow that's impressive. I have no clue how to French braid let alone French braid my own hair! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lolly Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Definitely related to tying shoes. My oldest...not sure she ever did learn how to braid. She might have. She tends to do twisty stuff with her hair instead. #2 learned to braid at about 4? Seems like she has been doing it forever. She could do her shoes up herself at two. I think she tackled French braids at 8 or so. Kinda funny, but she did them inside out (so the braid is on the outside, not the inside). Pretty sure she can do it either way now. She holds her hands funny when she does regular braids too. But, boy do those fingers fly! #3 probably started braiding at 9 or so. She started tying her sheos about the same time. Her twin (#2) had just done them for her up to this point. Did her hair too... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Last year I showed dd5 this 'magic fingers' video for shoe tying and it was really easy to do! Much easier than traditional methods:) http://www.efficientlifeskills.com/how-i-taught-my-6-year-old-to-tie-shoes-in-5-minutes/ Thanks for adding one more shoe tying method to my teaching arsenal! I apparently have learning disabled kids when it comes to shoe tying, I've tried every method I could find but it seems to take them until age 8 or even 9 to actually get the knack. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Wow that's impressive. I have no clue how to French braid let alone French braid my own hair! It's actually easy! I think so, anyway. I find it's all in the way you hold the hair. I use my thumb and first finger to do the grabbing, and the rest of the hand to hold the hair. (I could show you easier than tell you!) :laugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 My daughter will be 7 in a few weeks and can't braid her hair, but can do a so-so job with some string. I, a grown woman, can't french braid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 My niece says I taught her when she was 6 to french braid her hair. She couldn't do it then but remembered the directions and taught herself later. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bakpak Posted February 24, 2015 Author Share Posted February 24, 2015 Thanks for all the braiding talk. It's fun to remember. And I was just trying to figure out what Chris in VA was talking about regarding thumb and first finger in french braiding. I'm at work and started trying to french braid my hair and evidently I do it differently :) Or maybe not...it's hard to write about. One hand hold all three strands while the first finger on the other hand gets a new strand of hair on same side, then I switch hands. Hmmm...I never French braid my hair anymore since I have so much gray :( I still haven't caved to dying my hair, but maybe I will since it obviously bothers me and affects my behavior. I remember how old my Mom looked compared to other mothers when I was a kid... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bakpak Posted March 9, 2015 Author Share Posted March 9, 2015 As an update, I bought my DD5 her first pair of lace up shoes yesterday. She sort of got one tied in the store with my help and I did the other one. Fast forward to this morning, when I suggested she try on her new shoes. "What new shoes?" The ones downstairs that we just bought yesterday. She came back upstairs with them both tied expertly and a huge proud smile!! And the best part is, I didn't really have to expend any real effort teaching her :) Waiting until she was developmentally ready worked like a charm! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewellsmommy Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 I do not remember how old dd was when she learned to braid. I don't know how to french braid. I plan to find some you tube videos so that I can learn. I was shocked to discover that dh (at the age of 40) does not know how to do a simple braid. :huh: Do other husbands know how to braid? He was surprised that I was surprised. He did not think of it as a standard skill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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