At some point in time, your kids will have to be independent and self-reliant, and that includes getting dressed. Besides, getting your kids to dress up has many benefits. It primarily makes your kid responsible while having fun at the same time. Some kids are fussy, so they would require extra training on dressing up. Dressing up also builds the confidence of your kids and gives them a sense of achievement.
A] Why should you teach your children to get self-dressed?
It may be a rewarding and tricky thing for your child to learn to dress up. As a parent, you must encourage your child in the process. You can include dressing up as a learning activity for kids. Moreover, your kids will develop skills like:
1. Cognitive skills:
Your little ones can learn fine motor skills like tying shoelaces or dealing with zippers on the clothes. It also can help your kids understand how seasons affect their dressing
2. Motor skills:
Your kids can learn gross motor skills e. managing to balance their body. Your kids may stand on one leg while wearing socks, which helps a lot. It can also be one of the creative learning activities for preschoolers.
3. Language skills:
Your kids can learn language skills while learning different clothing names. You can start with the basic ones. It is also good for memory.
4. Picking the right clothes:
It helps them choose clothes according to the occasion. They slowly learn the difference of what to wear, depending on the occasion.
B] Dressing Skills at Different Ages
1. At one year and two years:
A one-year-old child can hold up their arms to wear the sleeves of the shirt or tees. They will be able to pull off their socks and shoes once you instruct them to do so. Though it is tough for a one-year-old child to understand dressing up, you can train your child to do better. A two-year-old kid can unbutton large buttons. You can teach them to pull up their trousers. Trying to put on socks is also a fun thing to do.
2. At three years:
A three-year-old can put tee with a little help. Putting on shoes is a task that your three-year would love to do. You can teach your kid zipping and unzipping, it is easier without joining or buttons. Besides, your three-year-old can button large front buttons of jackets.
3. At four years:
A four-year-old can try to do things impromptu while dressing up. Most kids buckle up their shoes and wear socks. At this age, connecting the jacket zipper is easy. A kid can recognize the front, back of the clothing, and also put on socks properly. Try teaching your four-year kid to put on a shirt if possible.
4. At five years:
A five-year-old can understand the importance of dressing up. With a little supervision, he can put on and pull off a tee. At this age, he can put on a jacket and zip it up. It is also the time when your five-year-old would learn to tie shoes. Buttoning task is easy at this age. Most five-year-old's also try new things without supervision, as they feel confident.
C] Tips to encourage your child
1. Give more time and offer different choices:
Your kid won't learn dressing-up skills in a single day. You will have to give your kid a realistic amount of time for dressing up. If you're a working parent, choose the clothes for your kid the night before. If in a hurry, let your kid do the easier task first, and you can help with the difficult one later. You can teach your kid how to wear clothes as a part of a fun learning activity. Also, offer your kids different choices to make them understand. Ask them how they would like to learn. It is vital to understand their mood and then play along.
2. Organize the clothing shelf:
If you make it easier for your little tots, learning would be fun. Start by organizing the clothing shelf and label the drawers with pictures. When kids will read the labels with pictures, it will become easier for them to identify the clothes. Moreover, organizational skills help to develop a good association between a word and a thing. A proper organization from a young age leads to discipline.
3. Get elastic pants:
Pick pants and bottoms with elastic at the waist. If your toddler is small, then buttoning would be a task in itself. With elastic pants, pulling up trousers is simple. Besides, you can go for a sweats option rather than jeans. After which, you can move to the buttoning and snap option. Once your kids learn how to button, move to zippers.
4. Encourage to button up:
Teaching your child to button up shorts is the trickiest task. While it's easier for older kids to learn to button, young ones may find it tough. For teaching buttoning-up, you must first encourage your child to mismatch the buttons as a play game. With this activity, he will develop coordination, which is essential for the process of buttoning up.
5. Distinguish front and back:
Teach your kid to recognize the tell-all signs to distinguish between the front and back of clothes. As the tag of the dress or a t-shirt is always on the backside - this is easier to do. Point out that the backside has a tag, so your kid can wear the tee accordingly. In addition, you can teach your kids that the buttons are always on the front side. It is the first step to making your kid understand the importance of wearing clothes.
6. Start with removing:
A child can pull off clothes easily as compared to a button-up. Besides, removing clothes doesn’t have to be rushed, so your kid can do it at his own pace. You can tell your little one to remove a tee first, then move to the next level.
7. Easy shoe option:
Another important aspect of teaching your kids to dress up is wearing shoes. The dressing-up skills will be incomplete unless you teach your kid to wear shoes and socks. Start with options that are easy like crocs, slip-ons, and open shoes. Show your kid how you wear your shoes and ask him to replicate it. In addition, you can encourage your child to wear socks and pull them off.
Make it easier for them (The final recap)
You can start by laying clothes out to make your kid learn. Keep underwear on the top and the jumper on the bottom of the pile. Use clothes with a clear and front-back, consider simple clothing options if you're teaching your kids dressing-up skills.
In addition, it is essential to start with elasticated waistbands and slip-on shoes. Once your kids master the basics of dressing up, you will make it easier for them later on.
For complicated clothing, divide it into different steps, which they can understand. Ask them to find the foot holes and step in, tell them to stand up and pull the shorts or trousers in an upward direction. Also, it is important to encourage them to sit down and pull up tees.
