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Getting dressed

A young girl putting her shoes on, with a pair of shoes either side of her

Getting dressed can sometimes be difficult for children for a number of reasons. 

The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning explains what to expect of your child for their age, some of the common reasons why and gives some simple tips on how to promote independence in your child. 

To help your child learn to dress themselves:

  • Get down on your child’s level and get their attention.
  • Break each task into simple steps and use positive rather than negative words e.g. “it’s time to put on your jumper”, not “stop messing around”.
  • Make things clearer by placing clothes out in the order they need to go on e.g. underwear, socks, skirt/trousers, t-shirt, jumper.
  • Demonstrate each stage to your child and give hand over hand help if needed so they feel successful.
  • Use “first and then” phrases to encourage then to engage e.g. “first put on your shoes, then we can go out”.
  • Offer choice to increase their motivation e.g. “which t-shirt to you want to wear?”
  • Let them know you understand it may be hard for them to do “I know it’s hard to put on your socks. Let me help.”
  • Practice and encourage when they are first learning and celebrate when each stage is completed.

How your child is sat is also important when they are getting dressed.  Make sure that your child is sat in a stable, comfortable position e.g. with their back against a wall or bed or on a step with their feet on the floor.  This means they can focus on dressing rather than on staying sat upright.

If your child is interested, they’ll be more cooperative, so make dressing fun. Above all be patient – for some children, learning just takes a little more time.

 

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