An update from Jessica:
AJ (23 months)
Over the last few months AJ has become increasingly independent with dressing. He attempts to take off his shoes when we come inside from a walk, and he is able to identify different clothing items when named (shoes, socks, coat, etc.).
Some things that we have done to help AJ grow in his in independence with dressing:
- Continuously label articles of clothing as we are putting them on.
- Pointing out articles of clothing in books.
- Offer choices whenever possible (between 2 shirts, 2 colors of socks, etc.)
- Preparing him for changing by saying “we are going to go get dressed now.” or “it is time to change your diaper”.
- Giving him enough support to be successful at some tasks independently.
- Example: I undo the velcro of his shoes and take them slightly off his heels and say “shoes off”, then he is able to take off the rest of the shoe. We are also working on then putting the shoes up on the shoe rack after. Getting dressed provides the best language opportunities for learning words like “off”, “up”, “on”, etc.!
- Bringing both children’s clothing downstairs (we have a 2-story house) either the night before or first thing in the morning. This includes clean burp cloths, swaddles/blankets, etc. for the baby and outfit choices for AJ. This way after breakfast we can get dressed rather than have to go back upstairs.
- Allowing AJ to help choose an outfit for the baby.
- Providing clothing based on interests (AJ loves his shark clothes and is so motivated to get dressed if his favorite socks or shirts are involved!).
- Having AJ help with folding laundry! I have him find a matching sock, name colors of certain clothes, count how many shirts are his/how many are baby sister’s…the list goes on!
an update from janelle:
emmy (2 years)
As an independent two-year-old, Emmy is becoming more and more adamant about trying to dress herself and what types of clothes she wears. Fostering this independence and self expression is important, but as a mom I still like to have a little bit of control. Here are a few things that have helped getting her dressed a little bit easier for the both of us:
- Providing two choices. By providing two clothing choices for her, I still get to ensure that her clothes are appropriate for the weather or situation while also allowing her to feel like she is in control.
- Purchase clothing with colors, patterns or characters your child enjoys. I especially like to do this with pajamas! Not only does it make getting dressed exciting, but it also allows her to express herself.
- Work on independence with zipping, velcro, etc. outside of actual dressing times. The last thing you want to do is sit and practice zipping up a coat for 20 minutes when you have to get out of the house quickly in the morning. By practicing these skills during play or outside of typical dressing times, these fine motor skills can be built without the added pressure.
- Having her help choose clothing for her baby sister. Now that Emmy has a baby sister at home, she is wanting to help with EVERYTHING. Dressing is something that she is able to help with safely, and she frequently wants to match her baby sister.
Getting baby dressed
There are definitely challenges when it comes to the newborn stage, but compared to my toddler, getting her dressed is a breeze (and lots of fun!).
Right now we are loving outfits that come with matching bows (our favorites are from Target, the Cat & Jack brand, and Marshall’s/TJ Maxx). My mother-in-law made this beautiful rose bow rack to store all of our bows—all you have to do is slide your bow of choice off the rod and place it back on the hooks after!
Although my 3 month old is obviously not much of a participant yet in getting herself dressed, I do use targeted language while changing by naming articles of clothing and body parts as I change her (I did this with AJ too!).
Our favorite socks are from Burt’s Bees Baby. We love these not only for comfort as a baby, but also for their grips on the bottom for a growing and mobile baby!
UBAM Books That Teach this skill!
Of course, if you are having difficulty when it comes to this routine with your child, books can help! Even if your child enjoys getting dressed, reading about routines and behavior opens up the door for discussion in a way that your child can understand. Here are some of our favorites from Usborne Books and More:
Laundry Day Sort & Play: Empty the washing machine, hang the clothes to dry, put them away and get dressed! This interactive book includes felt clothing pieces to keep your child engaged while teaching prepositions, pattern identification, sequencing and more!
I Can Do It! : With 5 different functional fasteners (snap, zipper, velcro, button, shoe laces), children can practice important fine motor skills needed for dressing while looking at step-by-step instructions.
Best Behavior : Follow an adorable cast of characters throughout the day as they learn to be kind, considerate, and caring in this cheerful and colorful rhyming book.
Getting Dressed Max and Millie : This book is a part of a series that follows two friends, Max and Millie, who learn to become independent with everyday tasks like dressing!
Sticker Dolly Dressing : With over 75-flaps, this book keeps your child engaged while helping them to learn about daily events like getting dressed.
Lift-the-Flap My Busy Day : With over 75-flaps, this book keeps your child engaged while helping them to learn about daily events like getting dressed.
-original post below-
Janelle Ritchie is a certified pediatric speech-language pathologist at a private practice in Michigan. She has a sweet daughter named Emmy, who just turned 1. She is passionate about working with toddlers first learning to talk as well as the effect play can have on speech & language development.
You can find Janelle on her blog The Play Effect or on Instagram @the_play_effect.
Did you know that your child is perfecting many important skills in various areas of development while learning to dress themselves? Starting at birth, the routine of getting dressed can be turned into a well-rounded learning experience for your little one.
HOW TO SUPPORT social emotional SKILLS WHILE GETTING DRESSED:
Allow your child to express themselves through their clothing. By choosing clothes with their favorite color, animal, character, etc. your child will be able to express their interests while developing a sense of independence.
How to support language skills while getting dressed:
Work on following directions and comprehension of prepositions (up, down, in, out, on, off) during dressing. Give your child directions such as, “arms up!” or “feet in!” while getting dressed, and have fun with it! Not only will your child build their comprehension of these words and directions faster, but it will also help them build a stronger connection with you.
How to support cognitive skills while getting dressed:
Teach counting skills to your child by counting the number of buttons they have on their pants or the number of shoes they have to put on.
Encourage your child to develop their matching skills. Have them find socks that match, or clothes that have matching colors or patterns.
Discuss the patterns on your child’s clothing. Talk about the whether they’re wearing stripes, polka dots, cheetah print, or more! See if they can find other clothing items or toys with the same patterns.
How to support fine motor skills while getting dressed:
There are a lot of fine motor skills that your child must master in order to put all clothes on independently. Support your child’s fine motor development by encouraging them to work on doing the following things independently:
- Zipping pants and jackets
- Pulling arms through the sleeves
- Pulling up pants or socks
- Tying shoes
How to support play skills while getting dressed:
Dress up costumes/shoes are an exciting way for children to improve their dressing skills while engaging in pretend play. (*Tip-purchase Halloween costumes when they go on clearance after the holiday and use as dress up clothes throughout the year!)
What do I do if my child has difficulty while getting dressed? Here are a few troubleshooting tips:
If your child is working towards getting dressed independently:
- MODEL, MODEL, MODEL. Children learn best from our models. Get dressed with your child and show them exactly how to put each clothing item on.
- Add a mirror to the back of their door or somewhere accessible so that they are able to watch themselves get dressed.
- Consider buying larger socks and loose-fit clothing. Looser fitting clothing may make it easier for children who are just learning to dress themselves be more successful.
If your child gets distracted easily:
- Create visuals for each step of getting dressed, and talk about the sequence of steps with them. Having simple visuals to guide them may help them stay on task.
- Lay out clothing ahead of time. We all know that getting out of the door in the morning can feel like a pretty daunting task. By laying out your child’s clothes in the evening and placing them in the exact order of what they should put on first to last, you can make this task easier for both them and you.
- Turn getting dressed into a fun game. Play a song or start a timer, and challenge your child to get dressed before the song or timer end!
If your child has difficulty with left & right:
- Consider placing two sets of matching stickers on your child’s socks and in their shoes. This way your child will know what sock to put in which shoe when learning left & right.
If your child has difficulty putting on their coat:
- Try teaching them the coat flip trick….”Tag near the toes, arms in the holes & over it goes!” Find the video on how to do it HERE.
If your child has difficulty with zippers:
- Start the bottom of the zipper for them. Then encourage them to pull down on their coat while pulling the zipper up!
What else can you do to support your child’s dressing skills?
Read books about dressing! We love these books for this purpose:
- Where’s Baby’s Belly Button by Karen Katz and Toes, Ears and Nose by Marion Dane Bauer: These cute lift-the-flap books are perfect for learning about clothing items and body parts. Your child is able to engage with the book by lifting the flaps, which are typically clothing items. After lifting the flaps they can see what body part is inside!
- The Jacket I Wear in the Snow by Shirley Neitzel: This book is great for learning winter clothing vocabulary…perfect if you live somewhere cold & snowy like we do here in Michigan! It’s repetitive and there are pictures above the words for each item of clothing, making it an engaging young readers. When using this book in my preschool class, I would point to each word and have my students chime in by visually looking at the picture above the word.
Play with toys to facilitate dressing skills:
- Baby dolls! Wee Baby Stella from The Manhattan Toy Company is a favorite of ours, as it is soft for little ones to play with. Baby dolls encourage pretend play while also giving children the opportunity to practice their dressing skills on something other than themselves.
- Melissa & Doug Dress Up Puzzles. We love to use these for teaching clothing item vocabulary and talking about how the character is getting dressed just like children do each day.
- Melissa & Doug Deluxe Lacing Sneaker. This toy is great for practicing the fine motor skills needed for tying shoes. Your child can work on lacing their sneakers, as well as tying them up!
Do you have ways that you help your child while getting dressed? We would love to hear them! Feel free to leave them in the comment section below!
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