Start wrapping the belt around the child's waist by placing it in front of the child. Don't start wrapping from the back. Hold one end of the belt in your right hand. From that end of the belt, measure about a foot or so of the length of it with your left hand. For the purposes of how to tie the belt, we'll call the end of the belt that is pointed to the right (in Mr. Scott's right hand in the picture) the "short end."
Step 2:
Letting go of the right end of the belt, take your left hand and wrap the long end of the belt counter-clcokwise around the child's waist. Make sure it doesn't twist in back.
Step 3:
Wrap the long end around with your right hand and place it in your left hand as pictured. You can now use your hand to pin the short end of the child's torso by holding it down with the long end.
Step 4:
Wrap the long end counter-clockwise around the waist a second time. Notice how the long end is wrapped over the short end, and holding it in place. The long end "top layer" of the belt will lay completely over the "bottom layer" of the belt.
Step 5:
The long end comes around to the front for the second time, and lies over the spot you started from. The short end now has two layers of belt over top of it.
Step 6:
Take the long end that you've been working with and snake it underneath both layers of the belt. It should pass between the child's uniform and the short end.
Note: If you pass the long end of the belt between the two layers of the belt and in front of the short end, the finished knot will droop and hang down. Make sure that when you snake the end underneath that it goes beween the child's uniform and the rest of the belt. This will fix the knot to the belt and prevent it from drooping.
Notice in this picture that the long end is now in Mr. Scott's left hand and pointed up and to her left. The short end is in his right hand and pointed down and to her right. It forms a diagonal across the student's torso.
Step 7:
Take the right end (your original short end of the belt) and wrap it underneath the long end. When teaching this phase of the belt tying technique to a child you might try a little story.
"Mr. Rabbit is going home to have dinner in his hole beneath the log. But Mr. Fox starts to chase him."
Tell them that the rabbit is in the right hand, the log is in the left. When doing step 7 tell them: "The rabbit runs underneath the log."
Step 8:
Take the short end (the piece that was in your right hand...or "the rabbit") and pass it over top of the long end (the piece that was in your left hand...or "the log.") Now take the short end downwards and through the hole formed by the two ends of the belt crossing each other.
To avoid confusion, don't move the long end (the left end or "log") at all. Remember that logs don't move, rabbits do!
For the story, tell the child: "The rabbit jumps over top the log, and goes down in the hold. Meanwhile, Mr. Fox bumps his head on the log!"
Step 9:
Pull the belt tight by taking the short end ("the rabbit") in your left hand and pulling it to your left. Take what was the long end ("the log") in your right hand and pull it to the right.
To do this you might have to switch hands after putting the rabbit through the hole with your right hand and holding the log with your left. "Mr. Rabbit slams the door on Mr. Fox!"
Finished!
If the belt is tied right the ends will be even in length. The knot will be in the shape of a fortune cookie, with the "cup" (hollow portion of the knot) pointed to the child's left.
Note too that the uniform is clean and free of major wrinkles. The top is on correctly, with the left side folded over the right. The strings of the uniform are tied properly, with the left front string tied to the right rear string, and the right front string tied to the left rear string (this does not apply to V-neck uniforms).
If your child is wearing a t-shirt underneath their uniform top, make sure they have it tucked into the uniform pants so that it doesn't stick out from underneath the uniform top. Shirts with collars are inappropriate. Students shouldn't wear jeans, sweat pants or slacks underneath the uniform pants. Under garments or an athletic supporter (optional in the case of boys) are recommended.
