I am definitely a fan of no-tie sneakers. I mean, even though my 9-year old son knows how to lace up his sneakers perfectly fine, he much prefers being able to slip his shoes on in the morning right before he runs out the door. And I’m all for anything to make our mornings go a lot smoother, especially with four kids to get ready and out the door.
Since my boy prefers athletic shoes over traditional slip-on sneakers (like my personal favorite, Vans), I’m glad that these days, they’ve got lots of cool no-tie sneakers for boys that are perfect for running, jumping, and recess soccer playing. Yep, even the Velcro ones.
So here, 5 of my favorite cool no-tie sneakers for boys — and hey, girls too! — that I tracked down just in time for back to school accessorizing.
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Related: The cutest new kids’ sneakers? Found them!
My son has been wearing these no-tie sneakers non-stop since we we were sent a pair to try out, and he really likes the way they look — contrary to a few of the reviews. Still, I’d say these are probably best for younger kids. The offer a cool alternative to the typical two-strip Velcro closure, and since finding the exact tightness he likes, my son has been slipping them on without even adjusting the Velcro at all. ($54.95)
We’re big Nike fans in our house, and we’ve done well with a version of these no-tie sneakers for awhile now. The combination of the elastic and Velcro makes them easy to get on and keep on, and I love that they come in so many color options. ($52)
While the built-in elastic laces make these a little tricky to slip on at first, once you get them broken in, these no-tie DC Kids sneakers look like lace-up shoes without actually tying. We were sent a pair to try out and I found them fairly lightweight, so they might not be right if you’ve got a super active kid who plans to use them for playing sports. But for daily recess and regular outdoor play, they’re great. And that colorblocking just looks so cool. ($40, currently 20% off)
Under Armour Kids Assert 6
Under Armour fans will dig these cool no-tie sneakers that look very similar to the Nike sneakers, but with some added elastic on the Velcro strap. This helps to make them a little more comfortable and customizable to a child’s own foot shape. ($51.99)
If you’re going to do the double Velcro, I say go retro with it! Which is exactly why I’m digging these Pumas. You’ll find a few different no-tie sneakers from them that are similar to the ST Runner, all of which I’d happily have in my son’s closet. (And so would he.) They’re probably the most stylish out of all the kicks here, so I think they’re a great option if you’ve got a kid who ranks style higher up on his list of sneaker must-haves. ($35)
Thanks to DC Kids and New Balance for sending sneakers for editorial consideration.
Why are these shoes only for boys? Yes, you have one line in there that says these could be for girls too. However, the headline and the entire focus of the article is so gender specific. They are just shoes. Why not title the article “No tie sneakers for kids”? I expect better from this site.
Hi Teri, We’re always very inclusive here on our site, so I’m glad we’ve set your expectations high! We acknowledge the disparity when it comes to stuff for girls hence why we do so much of it (like STEM for girls or empowering books for girls). In this case, it’s not that we were excluding girls, so much as we were filling a need at the request of many moms of boys who email us looking for items for their boys. In fact, I wrote this piece from a personal perspective as my son specifically loathes tying shoes (don’t ask me why!), and after doing some searching for my own reasons, these shoes are what I found. Hope that helps clarify.
Now, for a real challenge–no-tie shoes for boys in the big kid category! I am having a hard time finding anything for my size 4 9 year old besides loafers. Merrell jungle mocs are about the closest thing to sneakers that I have been able to find (that my sensory kid will wear). TOMS has some sneakers that are supposed to be slip ons, but my son hates them.
Are you looking for something casual or dressy? We’ll see what we can do!
Does your 9 year old kid really wear a size 3 or lower? Because these stop at size 3. I came here because you mentioned “9 year old son” and “no tie shoes”…my 6 year old wears a size 4 to 5 and I can’t find any tennis shoes that are no tie for him. Very misleading post but whatever.
I didn’t write this post, but my own kids have small feet – my middle-schooler is a size 2 and so is my 8-year-old stepdaughter! So we struggle with finding shoes that look age-appropriate in their sizes sometimes; I can imagine having the opposite issue with a first-grader with a 4-5 shoe. Sorry you are having trouble with your search. Good luck.
I feel I have to comment about the fact that a few of the moms commenting seem quite put out and/or offended. It really annoyed me. If you can’t find the exact shoe the author wrote about, how about being a grown-up and searching online yourself. And who cares if the article was gender specific? Like you said, “these are just shoes.” I don’t usually feel the need to comment on articles, but the level of immaturity demonstrated in the comments made me sad.
we need a 6 1/2 extra wide, do any of these come in that size?
Click through and see what’s available, Judy!