This Simple, 5-Second Hack Will Get Your Kids to Finally Put Their Shoes on the Right Feet

My 3-year-old is finally at that blissful stage where she can mostly dress herself: she first mastered putting on her pants, then her shirt, then her jacket (including zipper!), and most recently, she conquered socks. The sole holdout? Her shoes. But what makes this final obstacle so frustrating is that she actually can put her shoes on all by herself — she just always puts them on the wrong feet.

Determined to solve this final dressing dilemma, which had been putting quite the kink in our frenzied morning routine, I've tried teaching her the difference between "left" and "right," and I've encouraged her to pay attention to the way the tops of her shoes curve inward when they're on correctly and outward when they're on the wrong feet. Nothing clicked.

Then, a Reddit user shared a picture of a simple, DIY solution that I knew my daughter would get. User MapReston simply "added a smiley face" to the kid shoes — one half on each sole — so that when the shoes are lined up next to each other, on the right feet, they form the complete face.

It's a clever hack that takes nothing more than a Sharpie and five seconds! Sure, I won't be drawing the smiley face on my toddler's beloved cowboy boots or dress shoes, but it's perfect for her sneakers and an ideal learning tool to foster her independence and make mornings rushing to get out the door just a little bit easier.

Now, how do get her to master gloves?!