Put On Your Own Shoes Day

December 6 · Level 1 · #2085 of 2238

A playful day for little ones who are learning to get their shoes on without help, and for the patient grown-ups watching them. The rule is simple: whoever is wearing the shoes puts them on.

How it is celebrated: kids practise fastening straps and tying laces while parents sit on their hands and resist the urge to help. Shoes on the wrong feet still count as a win.

Hook-and-loop fasteners, the kind that make shoe straps so easy, were invented by Swiss engineer George de Mestral after burrs clung to his dog's fur. He patented the idea in 1955.

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