Little children often lack the motor skills necessary for sewing and the needles make it dangerous. Shoelaces are a great alternative, allowing children to practice sewing with little potential harm. Get pieces of paper and practice running the shoelaces through it by punching holes, to prepare children for sewing by teaching them the basic principles. Lacing the paper in this way also allows children to create fun and interesting projects such as greeting cards or pieces of art.
If your child is bored with his plain white shoelaces, you can try sprucing them up together. Mix several colors of paint with water in equal parts and place each color in its own bowl. Tie knots in the white shoelaces at one-inch intervals. Dip each knot in a different color for a few seconds. The longer you leave it in, the darker the color will be. After you've finished dipping the laces in every color, leave them to dry out on a plastic bag before lacing up your shoes.
Shoelaces can make great bracelets, especially when braided together. Tie three pieces of shoelace together at one end and wrap one of the end strings under and through the gap in the other two strings. Repeat this process with the other end string. Continue to alternate the laces in this way until you've created a braided shoelace bracelet. Either tie the bracelet at the other end or glue it together with fabric glue. Use scissors to cut off any extra ends.
Whether you're an adult or a kid, you might find it fun and interesting to try lacing your shoes in different patterns. Most people simply cross lace them until reaching the top, but there are several ways to tie your shoes, and some of them are quite challenging. Websites such as Ian's Shoelace Site (fieggan.com) have comprehensive listings of different ways to tie your shoes with accompanying diagrams. Different lacing methods include Sawtooth Lacing, Ladder Lacing, and Spider Web Lacing.