The first practical concept that I can ever remember learning in school was learning to tie my shoe. There was a shoe book with laces attached to it. The doubles bunny loop method was explained in it. I ended up learning a different way from a friend at recess. Socially learning is critical. This was a much more effective way to learn.
Up until that point of when I learned to tie my shoes, I was dependent on my parents to tie my shoes or I wore my shoes looser. I could slide them on and off that way but my gym teacher got mad at me for that. I most preferred the summertime to wear no shoes at all. I dreamt of getting velcro strap shoes.
After learning, I volunteered to go tie everyone’s shoes. It was constantly reinforced. I wanted to show off my new skill. I upgraded when I learned how to double knot the laces for sports and extra security. Gone were the days that my dad teased me during soccer games that my shoes were untied. A quadruple knot wouldn’t allow for that.
The school system is built on constant newness. There are the curriculums to follow. The timeline jams it all in to check all the boxes. “Someday” you might need to know this in the next class.
What if we were challenged to figure out the problems we had in real life and we brainstormed how to solve them at school? We’d be learning in-demand skills. Tying my shoes in pre-school was a skill I needed to learn just-in-time.